At 16 years old, Darcie Brown has become the youngest ever cricketer to strike a deal with Adelaide in the Big Bash
While other high school students have part-time jobs at supermarkets or fast food restaurants, teenager Darcie Brown is gearing up for her first national T20 Big Bash competition — while also juggling school work.
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At only 16 years of age, Year 11 Henley High School student Darcie Brown has become the youngest ever cricketer — male or female — to be handed a contract to play for the Adelaide Strikers in the national T20 Big Bash competition.
Brown might only be a teenager, but her fast bowling has rattled batters more than double her age and earlier this year, she was clocked bowling at a speed of 116km/hr, making her one of the quickest female bowlers in South Australia; faster even than Australian inswinger Megan Schutt.
Brown, who turned 16 in March, has signed a three-year deal with the Strikers, and could make her debut in the upcoming Women’s Big Bash League, which Cricket Australia has made a stand-alone competition throughout October and November.
The teenager, who said she was thrilled to join the team, trains up to four days a week and fits her school work in around that.
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Brown said she had enjoyed the cricket pre-season and was thankful that the coaching staff gave her time off to complete her homework.
“That’s been really handy,” she said of the juggle of school and sport.
“I’m looking forward to the experience (of the WBBL),” she said.
“I reckon the first year might be just development to see the elite programs and whatnot, so I’m hoping to hopefully get a game next year, but you never know what might happen.”
Strikers incoming coach Luke Williams said he was thrilled to sign such a young, exciting talent.
“Raw pace is obviously Darcie’s main attribute and she is certainly learning more and more around the tactics of the game and using different variations,” Williams said.
“Her key strength is to bowl fast so we would be encouraging her whenever she gets the opportunity to play to do just that. That’s going to be her point of difference in the competition.”
The three-year deal is recognition of the esteem in which the talented sportswoman is held in.
It’s been a big year for Brown as her sporting star has quickly risen: in January she relocated from her hometown Kapunda in the Barossa Valley to attended specialist sport school Henley High and is living with her older brothers, Joey, 23 (who is a top up member of the Crows SANFL team) and Kallum, 21.
She is also a talented netballer who earlier this year was part of the victorious under-17s SA side who took out the national junior championship, but cricket is fast becoming her focus and it is paying big dividends.
Brown was selected for the Under 19 Australian side when she was just 15, and earlier this year travelled to New Zealand to play a series against the NZ development squad and last month played for Cricket Australia’s XI in a T20 game against Sri Lanka in Sydney.
While most high school students have part-time jobs at supermarkets or fast food restaurants, Brown said she enjoyed putting on the green and gold.
“It’s a really good experience each time,” she said.
“Any time you can put on the Aussie shirt, you feel real proud and it’s quite surreal really.
“It’s amazing how good Australian women’s cricket has gotten over the years and how big it’s gotten, it’s really cool to see.
“I’ll just keep playing cricket because I enjoy it and I’ll see how far we’ll go, I’ll try (to make it in the Australian team).”
Brown, who rates teammate and fellow bowler Schutt among her role models, was also handed a contract for the state team — SA Scorpions — in the 50-over Women’s National Cricket League competition.
Brown’s Strikers signing completes the 15-player squad for the fifth season of the WBBL.
The WBBL is widely regarded as the best female T20 competition in the world and the Strikers start their campaign on October 19 against the Melbourne Renegades at home at Karen Rolton Oval.
Strikers WBBL05 squad: Suzie Bates (OS), Darcie Brown, Sarah Coyte, Sophie Devine (OS), Ellie Falconer, Katie Mack, Tahlia McGrath, Tegan McPharlin, Annie O’Neil, Bridget Patterson, Alex Price, Tabatha Saville, Megan Schutt, Stafanie Taylor (OS), Amanda-Jade Wellington, Lauren Winfield (OS)
Originally published as At 16 years old, Darcie Brown has become the youngest ever cricketer to strike a deal with Adelaide in the Big Bash