Western Australia have announced a 13-player squad for the upcoming Cricket Australia Under 16 National Female Cricket Championships to be held between 6-13 January in Ballarat.
Young stars ready to rise on national stage
The squad will be led by Subiaco-Floreat’s Alison Healey who has been selected as captain after a sparkling start to the summer in WA Premier Cricket.
A right-arm offspinner and talented middle-order batter, Healey has been a model of consistency for her side, taking 20 wickets at 15.3 and compiling 164 runs across Youth League and A Grade competitions.
South Perth’s Alyssa Dermody also features among the 14-player squad, after a standout start to the season which sees her top the run-scoring charts in the Youth League.
A top-order wicketkeeper batter by trade, Dermody has scored 443 runs at a remarkable average of 88.6, with five half-centuries.
All seven Female WA Premier Cricket Clubs have been represented in the squad, with Midland-Guildford, Perth, South Perth, Subiaco-Floreat, and Wanneroo all having multiple players selected.
WA will be coached by Pathways Coach of Female Programs Ryan Hosking, and assistant coaches Adrian Harris, Sheldyn Cooper, and Nicole Northcott.
WA will compete in four 20-over fixtures and three 50-over fixtures over the week-long tournament, beginning with a clash against New South Wales Metro at Buninyong Recreation Reserve.
Every match of the Under 16s 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 Male National Championships
Cricket Australia YouTube Channel can be accessed here
Reflecting on the squad, Western Australia Pathways Coach – Female Programs Ryan Hosking said:
“We believe this is a talented and balanced squad that I’m looking forward to seeing compete and be challenged over the seven matches in Ballarat. The National Championships are always a great opportunity for our players to showcase their skills and continue to gain experience playing against some exciting cricketers from all around Australia.
“We are thrilled to offer Alison the chance to captain, she has had an excellent start to the season for Subiaco-Floreat in Premier Cricket and we are excited for her to lead this group.
“The group heads into the tournament in really promising form, with a number of our players enjoying fantastic seasons in Premier Cricket. Ash Kalaivanan in particular is one to watch out for, she is a highly-talented batter and we can’t wait to see how she performs on the national stage.
“We hope the girls in the squad really enjoy the experience of going away together as a group, and representing their state, and hopefully having some success along the way."
WA’s 13-player squad:
Gabby Allen (Perth Cricket Club/Roleystone-Karragullen JCC)
Myah Burt (Wanneroo Districts Cricket Club/Leeming Spartan JCC)
Alyssa Dermody (Perth Cricket Club/Willetton JCC)
Rebekah Farr (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/Perth Hills JCC)
Stella Ferguson (Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club/Leederville-Mt Hawthorn JCC)
Poorva Guar (Rockingham-Mandurah Cricket Club/Rockingham Hornets CC)
Alison Healey (Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club/Scarborough JCC)
Emily Jacobs (South Perth Cricket Club/Mandurah JCC)
Ash Kalaivanan (South Perth Cricket Club/South Perth JCC)
Emma Krynauw (Wanneroo Districts Cricket Club/Kingsley-Woodvale JCC)
Kaitlyn Magistro (Midland-Guildford CC/Perth Hills JCC)
Olivia Tedeschi (Melville Cricket Club/Bateman JCC)
Alyssa Tremlett (Midland-Guildford Cricket Club/Perth Hills JCC)