First Australian Blind Cricket women’s team named

Three Victorians will be part of a historic Australian cricket team when it travels to the UK later this year. Here’s why they’re going into the record books.

The opportunity to create history is starting to dawn on a trio of Victorian cricket stars.

Ashleigh Malone, Ingrid McKenna and Tess Whelan have been selected in the first Australian Women’s Blind Cricket team.

They’ll compete at the International Blind Sports Association World Games in Birmingham in August and the size of their achievement is only starting to set in.

A 14-player squad will head to the UK for an event which attracts more than 1700 competitors and support staff from 70 nations.

“It’s incredible and really exciting. We got our uniforms on the other day and putting it on for the first time made it feel a lot more real,” Whelan said.

“We’ve had three national training camps over the past nine months and we recently got together as a team in Brisbane for our final preparations.

“It’s such a good group that has a lot of youth and experience. Our youngster player is 14 and we’ve got some who are over 40.

Ash Marlone, Tess McKenna and Ingrid Whelan have been selected in the inaugural Australian Blind Cricket team.

“The social aspect of blind cricket is something that keeps me coming back, a lot of the players have come from other sports. I used to play goalball, which is a Paralympic sport.

“From when we first started training to now, the improvement of everyone is really impressive.”

McKenna, who has previously played footy, described her selection as “pretty special” given she would play alongside Whelan who is her cousin.

“It’s great the girls have got their own team,” she said.

“For so long, we had to play in the mixed teams with the boys. The three Victorian girls have been training together in the lead up. I knew Ash before cricket and we’ve developed a really good friendship as well.

Australia will travel to Birmingham in August.

Malone, who previously represented the country as part of a men’s tour in 2014, said she was excited for a women’s team to get off the ground.

“Being the second woman to have played for Australia is something I’m extremely proud of,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to see how we can compete on the international stage, it’s hard to know where we sit because there’s been so little cricket played.

“The standard of professional in this group is really impressive. If I can play a part in the development of the team over in England then I’ll be happy.”

Queensland’s Julie Neumann has been named skipper.

The Victorian trio have started a fundraiser to help them travel to the UK with each player looking at costs of around $3000 each.

You can donate here.

An Australian team fundraiser is also available here.

AUSTRALIAN TEAM

Bo Buakhao (SA), Christine Casey (QLD), Deanne Ferris (WA), Samantha Hall (NSW), Milly Hart (SA), Courtney Lewis (NSW), Ashleigh Malone (VIC), Ingrid McKenna (VIC), Julie Neumann (QLD), Jennifer Parry (NSW), Adeline Roe (SA), Nicole Rowling (QLD), Courtney Webeck (NSW), Tess Whelan (VIC).

Support staff: Taylah Purton (coach), Jason Stubbs (assistant coach), Lachlan Wallace (assistant coach), Sue Art (team manager).