The under-19 women’s cricket country championships team of the tournament

With some of the best young cricketers in the state showing their stuff at the country championships, we’ve crunched the numbers to come up with a team of the tournament.

Some of the best young cricketers across NSW were in action last week as the under-19s country championships took place in the Hunter.

After a thrilling three-day carnival and nailbiting final, the Central Coast took home the championship with a narrow 10-run win over Western.

There were outstanding performances from all eight teams as players sought to stake a claim for NSW Country selection in this season’s national championships.

From big-hitting batters, to damaging seamers and crafty tweakers, we’ve crunched the numbers and looked at the stats to compile the NewsLocal team of the tournament.

Check out the team below.

Caoimhe Bray (Central North)

Caoimhe Bray, pictured here playing for Hunter Coast in the Brewer Shield, was one of the form players of the competition. Picture: Supplied

185 runs at 46.25

The 14-year-old was dynamite throughout the tournament, scoring two-half centuries and top scoring for her side on three occasions as she piled on a championship-high 185 runs, which included knocks of 77 against Newcastle and 67 against Greater Illawarra.

Bray played a key role in Central North’s two wins, and will be at short odds for NSW Country selection for this summer’s national championships.

Kate McTaggart (Newcastle)

Newcastle’s Kate McTaggart, pictured here bowling for NSW Country. Picture: Cricket Australia

159 runs at 53

A bona fide superstar at this level, McTaggart once again gave her reputation another boost with a brilliant batting performance over the course of the carnival.

With the highest individual score of 80 in the opening game against Central North, McTaggart was hugely instrumental in Newcastle’s strong run through the championships, top scoring for her side three times to finish with the week with the highest batting average.

Sophie Parsons (Central North)

136 runs at 45.3

The Central North captain combined well with Bray to ensure that her side was competitive throughout the tournament.

Unbeaten in two of her five innings, Parsons scored 51 not out against North Coastal in the final round and steered the team home to an excellent win against Riverina in round three with a brilliant 31 not out.

Eliza Thompson (Central Coast)

Despite being bowled here, Eliza Thompson proved hard to stop for the Central Coast. Picture: Sue Graham

114 runs at 28.5 and three wickets at 6.7

The Central Coast co-captain was inspirational for her team throughout the tournament, taking control of the big moments to lead her team to the championship.

An unbeaten 46 against Greater Illawarra highlighted her performances during the regular rounds, while a brilliant grand final display, which saw her top score with 26 and take two crucial wickets to finish with figures of 2/3, was enough to give the Coast side a 10-run win and claim the player of the match crown.

Ella Tilburg (Western)

Ella Tilburg keeping for Western. Picture: Sue Graham

100 runs at 33.3

The Western wicketkeeper got off to flyer in the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 58 as the team chalked up a huge round one win over Greater Illawarra.

And while she wasn’t quite able to reclaim that form, Tilburg was tidy behind the stumps and showed her maturity with a crucial 12 not out to guide her side home in a tight round three clash with North Coastal.

Ava Drury (Central Coast)

Ava Drury drives the ball. Picture: Sue Graham

89 runs at 17.8 and nine wickets at 4

The Central Coast all-rounder put in arguably the greatest individual performance of the tournament, scoring 57 and taking 4/8 from six overs against North Coastal in a truly incredible round one display.

After a handy 26 with the bat against Southern Districts, Drury showed that she could step up in the big moments, taking another brilliant four-wicket haul against Newcastle in the teams’ round four blockbuster, with her performance going a long way to qualifying the team for the final.

In a sign of just how good her performances were, Drury finished the tournament as the top wicket taker and eighth-highest run scorer.

Emily Humphreys (Central Coast)

Emily Humphreys with the bat for Central Coast. Picture: Sue Graham

68 runs at 13.6 and five wickets at 9.2

The Central Coast’s other co-captain showed just how much leadership her side has to call on with some clutch performances with both the bat and ball throughout the carnival.

After some handy runs and timely wickets throughout the early rounds, Humphreys – much like her co-captain Eliza Thompson – came to the fore in the final. Coming in after an early collapse, Humphreys helped steady the ship with a crucial 21, before she knocked over two top order batters to ultimately guide her side to the championship.

Alice Caldow (Riverina)

Six wickets at 8 and 45 runs at 9

The left-armer was responsible for perhaps the greatest example of death bowling in the tournament in the round two clash with North Coastal.

With the northern side needing just eight runs to win from the last two overs and with five wickets in hand, Caldow bowled an incredible double-wicket maiden in the 19th over to help get her side over the line.

This was the highlight in a string of excellent performances, which included knocking both openers over for a return of 2/5 and a scoring handy 15 with the bat against Central North, as well as a stylish 20 against Southern Districts to kick off the tournament.

Madison Kedwell (Newcastle)

Six wickets at 10

One of Newcastle’s excellent young guns, Kedwell certainly made a mark in the tournament with the ball, chiming in to take multiple top order wickets during wins over Central North and Greater Illawarra.

In addition, she chimed in with a handy 20 with the bat against Southern Districts in round three.

Lillian Harrison (Western)

Lillian Harrison celebrates a wicket during the tournament. Picture: Sue Graham

Six wickets at 10

One of the most consistent bowlers of the tournament, Harrison achieved the rare feat of taking wickets in every single game to finish with a return of six at a very healthy average of 10.

She was a constant threat at the start of the innings, picking up the regular scalps of top-order batters, including taking a crucial 2/17 in the grand final thriller against the Central Coast.

Aaliyah Humphreys (Greater Illawarra)

Seven wickets at 15.4 

The all-rounder was a real bright light in what was a difficult campaign for the Greater Illawarra side, taking seven wickets with her increasingly dangerous off-spinners to be the second-highest wicket-taker during the tournament.

And while might not have had too much success with the bat, Humphreys ripped through Western’s top order to take 4/32 in what was one of the best individual bowling performances of the carnival in round one, before backing it up with an impressive 2/14 against eventual champions Central Coast in round three.