DEBUT MATCH OF FTGDCA GIRLS LEAGUE A HOOT OF A TIME
By Di Day
With the hype around women’s cricket at the moment particularly with the Rebel Woman’s Big Bash and ICC T20 World Cup in February, Ferntree Gully District Cricket Association (FTGDCA) took the opportunity to work with Cricket Victoria to establish the FTGDCA Owls League, a competition that caters for women who are playing cricket for the first time.
Colin Capon, President FTGDCA and Jackson Taylor MP, Minister of Parliament for Bayswater opened the proceedings with words of encouragement and gratitude to the 30+ women and their coaching staff, congratulating them all for taking the leap into cricket.
Last Monday night saw 4 teams, 2 from The Basin CC and 2 from Upwey-Tecoma CC, compete in a modified cricket format that has been designed by Cricket Australia to meet the required development level of the ladies.
Cricket Manager, Di Day has used this format to ensure the girls have success and enjoy cricket without the initial burden of the game being ‘too hard and boring’. “We threw around a few ideas on how we would develop this competition and from previous experience it was easy to work with CA Stage 1 formats, the comp will be guided by the players, as they grow in skill level, we will change the rules to keep them developing and challenged, the way the competition progresses is up to the players and coaches”. said Di
Mark Edwards, President of The Basin CC said “including the girls from the footy club has not only brought the cricket and footy clubs closer together but having the girls around has brought a new feel to the club, increased interest in cricket and will keep the footy girls together over the off-season. I can see this competition growing all the time as more women see the way it’s played, that the game only takes 1.5 hours - it’s quick, inclusive, fun and successful. I’m fact, the first ball in one game was a six, the massive crowd went wild.”
If you are interested in entering or joining a team, or would like to know more please contact Emily Moss, FTGDCA Female Development Manager on 0402 854 280.
“We are always looking for new players to compete and if you don’t have a team we can put you into one. This competition caters for women 14+ years of age however it is envisaged that a junior girls competition will be the next step in the growth of female cricket in FTGDCA.” Emily said.
“Cricket Victoria have invested in this competition by providing resources and funding for the clubs to make sure players are equipped with all they need to just roll up and play on the night.” said Emily.
The next match is Monday October
28, 6:30pm start at Upwey-Tecoma Cricket Club, 1 Chosen Avenue, Upwey. Come along and see what all the hype is about.
