Women’s under-19 NSW cricket Country Championships: ultimate guide, players to watch for the tournament
The best U19s women’s cricketers from regional NSW will descend on the Hunter for the country championships. Find out how the teams are shaping up and which players to watch.
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The 2023/24 representative cricket season is set to officially kick off with the women’s under-19s country championships taking place in the Hunter.
After rain badly affected last year’s tournament, players, officials and spectators alike will be hoping for a disruption-free campaign this time round, which runs from Tuesday September 26 to Thursday September 28 at a series of grounds in the lower Hunter.
This year’s edition will be a new-look tournament, with Southern Districts taking the place of last year’s winner ACT in the championships, meaning that a new winner will be crowned this year.
All teams will play one 50-over match and three T20 fixtures before being ranked and playing off in the finals.
Catch up with a preview of all sides, as well as a rundown of some of the players to watch in the tournament.
Central Coast
One of several teams with a mix of experienced players and young up-and-coming stars, the Central Coast will take a well-balanced side into the tournament.
“Our strength is that we are quite strong across the park,” said coach Michael Phillips. “We have a good keeper, we have good spinners, we have good medium pacers, we have good opening bats, good middle order bats. I’d say our biggest strength is that we cover all the bases.”
While certainly looking to compete well in the tournament, Phillips says he’ll also be placing plenty of emphasis on allowing the players to develop their skills against high-quality opposition.
“I try and coach the girls to remember that they love the game,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to learn and I think that development aspect of having that chance to play in these sorts of competitions should never be discounted.”
Emily Humphreys
One of the team’s two co-captains, the off-spinner will bring plenty of experience to the side and provide a threat with her tweakers.
“Emily has been bowling really well and will be a big player for us,” said Phillips.
Eliza Thompson
The team’s other co-captain, Thompson is a talented all-rounder who not only contributes to the team in terms of runs and wickets.
“She brings a style of ‘lead from the front’ leadership, she doesn’t cut corners and is very determined.”
Rejoice Mudavose
Excellent with the gloves behind the stumps, the wicketkeeper will be key to the side’s performances over the course of the tournament and will also contribute with some middle-order batting.
“To have a good wicketkeeper in female cricket, particularly in the teenager years, is worth its weight in gold,” said Phillips.
“She just loves it and always has a smile on her face.”
Central North
Central North is another side looking to build after a solid showing last year that saw it win two of its three games at the championships.
With a zone stretching from Maitland, through Tamworth and Armidale and up to Moree, Central North has the pick of the best local talent and its side includes a couple of up-and-coming rep stars.
The team will kick off its campaign with what will be a local derby of sorts for some of its players, with the side taking on Newcastle at Wallsend on Tuesday.
Caoimhe Bray
A star in the making, the 14-year-old is an incredibly talented all-rounder who was remarkably chosen to represent NSW Country at last year’s under-19s national championships, despite only being just 13 at the time.
A sharp bowler, the Denman local is also a hard-hitting batter who top scored for Central North in last year’s country champs.
Sophie Parsons
Another one of Central North’s young guns, Parsons is an excellent top-order batter who is part of the Country NSW under-16s squad.
The Armidale cricketer, who regularly makes six-hour trips to Sydney to play for Northern Districts in the Brewer Shield and Women’s Premier League competitions, has been in good form of late and will be looking for a big tournament in Central North colours.
Greater Illawarra
Led by coach Stephen Davies, the Greater Illawarra side will be looking to improve on a winless showing in last year’s competition.
This year’s squad features the same core group of players as in previous campaigns, along with the addition of some exciting emerging talent from the younger age groups.
“We want the girls to enjoy themselves and for it to be a real fun learning environment,” Davies said.
“We’re hoping they can transfer skills from academy programs into games this season.”
Keisha Baldwin
Part of the NSW Country under-19 squad this year, Baldwin is a real ace with the ball who can cause plenty of damage by swinging the ball around as a first change bowler.
Noting that Baldwin is highly regarded across the state, Davies hopes she can inspire the side to some strong performances and push her selection for rep sides going forward.
Aaliyah Humphreys
A key all-rounder for Greater Illawarra, Humphreys is an established top-order batter who is also developing into a handy right-arm off-spinner.
“I’m really keen to see how her skills go in this tournament,” said Davies.
Taleha Urszulak
As captain of the side, the all-rounder will be hoping to lead from the front with bat and ball.
A strong right arm medium pace bowler, Urszulak represented the Australian Indigenous XI team that travelled to Vanuatu earlier this year.
Interestingly, she is also a talented horse rider, having represented NSW at the Mounted Games.
Newcastle
One of the traditional heavyweights of NSW country cricket, Newcastle will bring a young team into this year’s championships after a string of last year’s squad aged out of the under-19s.
Unfortunately gun left-arm spinner Sienna Eve won’t be available for the tournament, with the NSW Country representative selected as one of 26 under-19 players across Australia to take part in the Lanning v Perry Series in Brisbane during the same week.
Despite this, the tournament is looming as a good opportunity for some of Newcastle’s excellent young cricketers to show their skills against older opposition, with the side boasting five players in the NSW Country under-16s squad.
“It’s been a good academy season, as we call it, where we play lots of games and do some pretty high-level training,” said coach Tommy Anderson.
“We’ve had a good preparation and we’re ready to get into it on Tuesday.”
Kate McTaggart
The NSW Country under-19 representative will skipper the side and look to bring all of her skill and experience to help her younger teammates.
“She’s a one-person team in herself,” said Anderson. “Her batting and bowling are outstanding, and her captaincy and control of the game is also fantastic.”
Madison Kedwell
One of the team’s excellent young players, the Toronto all-rounder brings a fearless approach to her cricket that can be very effective.
“I don’t think she’s ever been scared of the ball since she was born,” said Anderson. “She moves towards it, she bowls really nicely and her batting has come a long way.”
Molly Dare
She might be another of the under-16 brigade, but Dare is looming as one of Newcastle’s key strike weapons with the ball in hand.
“She bowls fast and has all the right proportions with height and power,” said the coach. “If she can get her bowling right in the next couple of years she’s going to be outstanding.”
North Coastal
While last year’s tournament was severely affected by rain, North Coastal was one of the teams to catch the eye, winning both of its regular round games and performing well in a couple of other washed out fixtures before going down to the ACT in the final.
And with the nucleus of the side returning this year, the team – which has a mix of players ranging in age from 14 to 18 – is confident of building on last season’s efforts with a strong showing in the Hunter.
“We have really good strength in the top order of our batting,” said coach Kate Jackson.
“We also have a good few batters in the middle order who can move things along, especially in the T20 environment.”
Ava Ryan
The captain, who is part of the NSW Country under-19s squad, will be a key figure for the team not only with her excellent top-order batting but also her work behind the stumps as wicketkeeper.
“She’s very tidy with the gloves and is a strong opening batter,” said Jackson.
Samira Mitchell
Ryan’s partner at the top of the order, Mitchell is another who is part of the under-19s state squad. She will be looking to continue her form from last year after finishing the tournament as the team’s top runscorer.
“She can really be quite destructive with bat in hand when she gets going,” said Jackson.
Lane Jordan
She might only be 14, but the young fast bowler from Port Macquarie is ready to ruffle some feathers at the top of the order. As someone who plays in a local under-16s competition against boys, her coach is confident she’ll be able to make the step up into the higher age group.
“I think she might surprise a few people in the under-19s with just how well she’s been playing lately,” said Jackson.
“In terms of speed, she’s quite nippy, does get the ball to do a little bit in the air and off the wicket and I know that she will have a definite impact for our team.”
Riverina
Following a couple of years of Covid- and rain-related disruptions, Riverina coach Ian Donohue is keen to “tap into some new talent”, with some fresh faces bolstering the team’s ranks this season.
“We’ll try to make the final, for sure. We’ll be giving that a red hot crack,” Donohue said.
“Our main rival would be Western, they’re always strong, we have a good relationship with them though.
“We’re just keen to get going, we’ve had training runs on just about everything from basketball courts to wet synthetic fields, so it’ll be a fantastic opportunity for the girls to get away and play.”
Alicia Donohue
Set to open the bowling for Riverina, the seamer offers plenty of strike power with her big outswinging deliveries.
With Donohue’s ability to bowl a consistent line and length, the team will be looking to capitalise early on her skills to crack open the opposing top orders.
Alice Caldow
Another opening bowler, Caldow offers a point of difference to the attack, with her left arm inswingers providing the team with good variety.
Charlie Lamont
Opening the batting will be the “hard hitting” Lamont, who is part of the under-19 NSW Country squad.
A highly touted young gun, she’ll also play a role with the ball as a first or second change bowler, with Donohue noting that he’s “keen to see what she can bring”.
Delaney Laffy
Another NSW under-19 Country rep, the all-rounder is tipped to make key contributions with both the bat and ball, with a strong tournament set to put her in the frame for further rep selection.
Southern Districts
New to the competition this season following the de-amalgamation of the ACT is Southern Districts, with the zone stretching from Goulburn to Queanbeyan and all the way down the south coast.
Given the reshuffle, it’ll be first time coaching this group for Jennifer Kitchen, who is quietly optimistic of putting in some strong performances despite not having had too much exposure to her playing group.
“We have quite a few talented players to watch that should put us in a good place this season,” Kitchen said.
“I just hope they all have fun and play a good level of competitive cricket to develop their games.
“From what I’ve seen, we have a strong and competitive side.”
Neve Wallace
The captain of the side, Wallace will line up at the top of the order and is one of the team’s strongest with the bat.
In addition to the ability to pile on the runs, she’s also strong with ball in hand with her pacy deliveries.
Keira Hol
Formerly part of the Greater Illawarra rep set-up, Hol is a fantastic pick-up for Southern Districts.
Vice captaining the side, the all-rounder is a strong performer with the bat and has also got plenty of pace with the ball.
Natalia Egan
Her commitment can’t be questioned for young Egan, who travelled five hours one way just for a training session recently.
Very handy with the ball with her quick deliveries, she has fared well competing against boys in the past and is expected to be one of the team’s strong performers at the country championships.
Western
Western’s side has remained fairly consistent from last season, where they won one and lost one of the team’s two regular tournament matches before defeating Great Illawarra in a tight playoff match.
At the helm of the Western side this year is Steve Muller, who is excited with the young side he has this season.
“I think we’ll be very strong, we have no real weaknesses,” Muller said.
“That’s the great thing about the country champs, it’s always a close competition and whoever stands up on the day gets the job done.”
Ella Tilburg
The talented wicketkeeper-batter is another one of those in the tournament to be a part of the under-19s NSW Country squad.
She well and truly showed her potential last year, notching up an unbeaten 82 against Newcastle, with Muller hoping she can repeat the heroics again this season.
Callee Black
A key all-rounder for the team is Bathurst junior Black, who opens the bowling with her quick left-armers and bats at number three.
In a sign of just how highly regarded she is, Black is also part of the state squad and is primed for a big tournament in the Hunter.
Montana Griffith
Another left arm opening bowler for the Western side is the excellent Griffith.
After bowling well and picking up five wickets in last year’s rain-affected tournament, the Orange junior will enter the upcoming campaign with high expectations of another strong showing.
Information about the fixtures and venues can be found on Country Cricket NSW’s PlayHQ page.
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