SA’s best female cricketers put through their paces as Scorpions look to get back on track

SA’s best female cricketers are putting last WNCL season’s wooden spoon behind them and setting a cracking pace on their first day of pre-season training.

• Megan Schutt on life, love and cricket
• Scorpions add more bit to their cricket tale with new signings
• Is it time for women cricketers to spend more time in the middle?
• Former Scorps coach Andrea McCauley steps down

New coaches. New faces. One brand new season.

The state’s best female cricketers — and SA Scorpions squad members — came back from their off-season break on Tuesday, determined to put behind them their wooden-spoon performance from last season.

And they made that statement on the training track as the squad, including its three new players in Stacey Oates, Darcie Brown and Emma de Broughe, was put through a 2km time trial as well as basic skills drills.

Australian hockey player de Broughe — who in cricket is a middle-order batter and part time medium-pace bowler and vice-captained SA at the U/18 National Cricket Championships in February — set a blistering pace early and finished the 2km run first with a time of 7 minutes and 28 seconds.

SA Scorpions cricketer Emma de Broughe looks at her watch during the 2km time trial on day one of the side’s pre-season training. Picture: Sarah Reed

Allrounder Shae Daley, meanwhile, set a personal best time.

New head coach Luke Williams — who replaced longstanding coach Andrea “Max” McCauley earlier this year — said he was thrilled with the attitude the cricketers had shown on their first day back at training.

“The girls have worked really hard in the off-season,” he said.

“It’s really pleasing for the group to see how hard they’ve all been working.”

Williams said in an effort to return the Scorpions to their winning ways — the side was the Women’s National Cricket League champion in 2015-16 — the team was not only concentrating on honing skills and improving fitness, but was taking a more tactical and psychological approach to their games in the 2019-20 season.

“It will be about the way we go about things,” Williams said.

Last season saw the Scorpions notch up only two wins from six games. This coming season has two more games added to the schedule.

Scorpions captain Megan Schutt congratulates Tahlia McGrath after the 2km time trial. Picture: Sarah Reed

Returning captain and Australian opening bowler Megan Schutt said it was strange to not have McCauley coaching, but the team was excited to work with Williams who was their assistant coach last season.

“It is strange, to be honest, ‘Max’ had been either my head coach or an assistant for my entire Scorps career,” she said.

“Change isn’t always wanted, but it’s always needed, and for us with Luke, it’s a change of role for him, but he’s had some ideas building in the background and it’s really exciting for us.”

Schutt will again juggle her Australian commitments with the Scorpions captaincy, with the goal of the season to get more wins on the board.

Eliza Doddridge pushes herself towards the finish line during the 2km time trial as part of the SA Scorpions pre-season training. Picture: Sarah Reed

“To finish bottom of the table last year was disappointing, I think we’re a better team than that, so hopefully we can go out there with the belief that we can win more wins than that,” she said.

“I know that we are a young and often inexperienced side but I don’t think that really means a lot when there are eight games to turn up for.”

Allrounder Tahlia McGrath agreed the vibe was positive among the group.

“The fact that there’s so many new faces around, it sort of feels like a new beginning,” she said.

“I love the way Luke’s set things up so far and to have Jude (Coleman as assistant), is like having new energy and we’re setting ourselves up for a big year.”