Western Australia have announced a 13-player squad for the upcoming Cricket Australia Under 19 National Female Cricket Championships to be held between 2-9 December in Perth.
U19 Stars ready to shine on National Stage
The squad will be led by Midland Guildford’s Ines McKeon, fresh off her maiden Weber Women’s Big Bash League campaign.
The talented 17-year-old featured in all but one of the Melbourne Stars ten WBBL|10 fixtures, showing her destructive hitting power across various positions in the batting order.
She produced an eye-catching debut in the season-opener against Perth Scorchers at the WACA Ground, striking 50 off 43 balls including five fours and two towering sixes.
McKeon was WA’s star performer in last year’s U19 National Championships, tallying 298 runs at 37.25 in six innings, to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
Seven WA Premier Cricket Clubs have been represented in the squad, with Midland-Guildford, South Perth, Wanneroo, Subiaco-Floreat, and Melville all having multiple players selected.
WA will be coached by Female Development Coach Adrian Harris, and assistant coaches Ryan Hosking and Chris Secker.
WA will compete in four T20 and four 50-over fixtures over the week-long tournament, beginning with a clash against Tasmania at Scarborough’s Abbett Park on Monday 2 December.
Every match of the Under 19s National Female Championships will be streamed live on the Cricket Australia YouTube channel, while scorecards can be accessed through Play Cricket.
Click here to view all fixtures for the U19s Female National Championships
Cricket Australia YouTube Channel can be accessed here
Reflecting on the squad, Female Talent Development Manager Chris Brabazon said:
“We believe we have selected a well-rounded squad with plenty of talent and we cannot wait to see the girls showcase their skills on the national stage.
“It is an exciting opportunity for Ines to captain the side, she is a player of enormous talent and possesses outstanding leadership qualities, so she deserves the chance to lead this group for the first time.
“Ines has just come off a promising first WBBL campaign with Melbourne Stars where she will be able to share that experience and knowledge gained to our U19’s group throughout the tournament.
“We have plenty of talented cricketers in this squad, and the camaraderie amongst the group has been building for some time so we feel that the players are well placed to have a fantastic tournament.
“We have put in a lot of time and resources into our Female Pathway Programs over the past 4-5 years, and we are starting to see the dividends of that hard work now, which is pleasing to see.
WA’s 13-player squad:
Ines McKeon – Captain (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/Ellenbrook Rangers CC)
Amelia Bartlett (Wanneroo Districts Cricket Club/Gosnells JCC)
Ella Dodgson (South Perth Cricket Club/ South Perth JCC)
Tayla Flowers (Rockingham-Mandurah Cricket Club/ Shoalwater Bay CC)
Ash Kalaivanan (South Perth Cricket Club/South Perth JCC)
Veronica Keen (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/Mt Lawley-Inglewood CC)
Natasha Kelsey (Melville Cricket Club – Bateman JCC)
Molly Lincoln (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/ Hay Park CC)
Olivia McSweeney (Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club – Wembley Districts JCC)
Morgan Pires (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/ Swan Athletic – Caversham JCC)
Micayla Roelofse (Melville Cricket Club/ White Knights Baldivis CC)
Mahalia Upton (Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club/Scarborough JCC )
Tegan Williamson (Wanneroo Districts Cricket Club/ North Beach Carine JCC)