Two of Launceston's brightest cricketing talents will be on show when the Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Renegades face off in the WBBL.
While the nature of their Saturday-scheduled clash won't be what they had in mind due to Hobart's lockdown, there's plenty of mutual respect between former state teammates Hurricane Sasha Moloney and Renegade Courtney Webb.
"She's a great player Webby, not only with the bat but she's also great in the field - we saw her take that great catch last year against the Sixers," Moloney said.
"We would obviously love to have her in purple, but it's just awesome to see Tassie talent playing in the WBBL, whether that's with the Hurricanes or with another team."
Webb added: "It's always nice to play against people you know.
"I'm really good friends with Sasha, so it will be good to see all the [Hurricanes] girls and it's definitely on you want to win straight up."
Born seven years apart, Moloney aged 29 and Webb turning 22 in November, the pair faced different pathways to get to their current spots.
Moloney's cricketing career began through the Longford under-aged boys' sides, while Webb grew up right as Cricket North's female competition was kicking off.
The elder all-rounder has remained in Tasmania throughout her cricketing career, now plying her trade for the Greater Northern Raiders in the CTPL, while Webb has found greener pastures in both South Australia and the Renegades.
Moloney will be joined in and around the Hurricanes squad by Raiders teammate Ava Curtis, saying the 15-year-old adds bowling depth and is "exciting and athletic".
Re-signing with the Renegades earlier this season, Webb is expected to play a different role this season, batting at three in the team's practice match.
Scoring 246 runs at 30.75 in WBBL06, predominately in the middle order, the South Launceston premiership player said the move up was suggested by new coach Simon Helmot.
"I've really enjoyed that finishing role, coming in at the back end and got a couple of good results playing that role last year but he's got a bit of confidence in me and wanted me to have a big of a run at three," she said.
"I think I'll get an opportunity there to start with and see how things go.
"It's one of those positions that's so subject to change, you could be in second ball or you could be in in the 15th over, you just never know.
"Just being really adaptable will be a key focus for me this year."
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
