Players are having a ball in the fast-growing All Girls Cricket Competition
Inspired by players like Ellyse Perry, girls are flocking to cricket in the southern bayside region, with the number of players skyrocketing to almost 400. And here’s why those involved are saying it’s only going to get bigger.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Howzat for growth in girls cricket?
Since starting with four clubs six years ago, the All Girls Cricket Competition (AGCC) has expanded to 40 teams and almost 400 players.
Nine more sides joined the competition in 2019-20, taking the number of clubs giving girls a game of cricket to 24.
Women’s cricket has also enjoyed a growth spurt, with Cricket Southern Bayside now having 14 teams and running two divisions on Sundays.
Live your best Melbourne life with a Leader Community News subscription
AGCC co-chair Ros Batson said girls were taking up cricket because of its “visibility’’ and were having fun, making friends and learning skills.
“It’s grown year on year, and it comes down to people being aware that it’s available,’’ she said.
“There just wasn’t that opportunity a few years ago. Now it’s there and girls are deciding to take it up.
“A lot of amazing people are creating environments that really work for girls in cricket. It’s a different game. You can’t say it’s girls playing boys cricket. Girls cricket is its own game.’’
Batson said the Women’s Big Bash League was also catching attention and increasing participation.
She said the WBBL players were great ambassadors for the game, signing autographs and encouraging youngsters with their cricket.
“They really make that connection to the girls, and that’s important,’’ Batson said.
“The girls need that encouragement. They haven’t been doing this since they were five in the backyard. You need to support them quite differently. They’re really keen to understand the formula for batting and bowling well, and improving how they play. And you’ve got to have the right environment that enables them to do that.’’
Newcomers are playing in the AGCC 13 and under “stage one’’ section. Stage two uses a hard ball under Cricket Australia modified rules.
There is also a 16 and under section.
Most of the new players are in the 13 and under stage one.
“That’s what you want, because you want the foundations to keep growing,’’ Batson said.
The competition began under the Inner South East Cricket umbrella, with East Malvern Tooronga, Bentleigh ANA, Toorak Prahran and Mt Waverley the original teams.
It is now part of Cricket Southern Bayside.
Batson played cricket and said was pleased when her daughter Alannah, 13, followed her into the sport, playing for a combined Carnegie, Washington Park and Ormond team.
She bowls leg-spin.
Maccabi Ajax is one of the clubs that joined the All Girls competition this season.
In the past two years Cricket Victoria has been working with Jewish schools to increase cricket programs, and this year Maccabi Victoria became involved, encouraging female students.
A come-and-try day was held at the Junction Oval in August, resulting in a team and seven girls in the Woolworths Cricket Blast programs.
“There’s never been a better time for a girl to be interested in playing sport in Australia,’’ Maccabi Ajax coach Joel Rembach said.
“I think the clubs and associations have finally woken up to it, and whatever sport it is, soccer, cricket, Aussie rules, there is now a place for girls.’’
With five girls teams and a women’s XI this season, Parkdale runs one of the biggest female cricketer programs in the state.
As club official and AGCC co-chair Sven Samild proudly points out, 22 of Parkdale’s players have been selected in the Cricket Victoria’s Youth Premier League teams and 14 have been picked in the Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union (VMCU) series.
In more proof of the growth of girls cricket, the VMCU has introduced an under-16 competition this season.
Another three Parkdale girls have been tapped for a representative match against Tasmania in January.
MORRIS RESERVE’S $3M UPGRADE LEAVES BOUNDARIES TOO SHORT
CRICKET CLUB BANNED FROM SHARING TWO GROUNDS
Players from the All Girls competition are also feeding into the national pathway.
When Cricket Victoria announced its female Country and Metro trial squads for the national championships, seven products of the AGCC were in the under-15s and 12 in the under-18s.
Annabel Sutherland is highest performing graduate.
This season in the 13 and Unders the fifth to eighth-placed premiers will receive the Annabel Sutherland Cup.