The strength of Northern Tasmania as a breeding ground for women’s cricket is evident when looking at the Hobart Hurricanes’ Women’s Big Bash League squad.
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Katelyn Fryett, Meg Phillips, Brooke Hepburn and Sasha Moloney are from the North, with Fryett, originally from Bracknell, saying it filled her with pride to see what her home region was providing.
This could just be the start, with the likes of Courtney Webb in the wings.
“I’ve been up there for the past 12 months (before relocating to Hobart), and I really tried to get involved in some of the club systems there,’’ fast bowler Fryett, 24, told Fairfax Media.
“That was just about ensuring they know up there that there is this pathway, and the four of us playing for the Hurricanes can show that as well.
“I know that there is a lot of interest and talent there, so we need to keep on encouraging them.”
What will also help will be the growing strength of the WBBL, which had its biggest moment in its short history when its second edition was launched at North Sydney Oval with prime-time free-to-air coverage.
Fryett, Hepburn and Moloney played in the two matches against the Perth Scorchers, which were split 1-1, with Fryett taking 1-18 and 0-22.
“When you are right in the mix of it you don’t really notice it, but when you sit back and watch some of the other games, you do realise we have made big strides and hopefully that will continue on.
“The performances on field will help that, as there were big sixes, high scores and exciting chases all weekend.
“Women’s sport will only continue to grow with the women’s AFL competition, and this is a real exciting time. We will keep challenging each other as sports to be the best though.”
The next task for last summer’s semi-finalists will be the Melbourne Renegades in Bendigo.
“We don’t mind being the underdog.
“We used to go winless in underage and the WNCL, but in the last few years we have learnt how to win.
“We really showed that last year in the WBBL, as we were involved in many close games and came out on top in most of them. Our internationals (Heather Knight, Hayley Matthews and Amy Satterthwaite) have really helped us and we know we can perform in those pressure situations.”
The Hurricanes will play the Sydney Thunder at UTas Stadium on Thursday, January 5.
Alex Fair
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
Deputy Editor of The Advocate on the North-West Coast of Tasmania.
