Cricket North: Claire Alexander, Monique Booth among rising stars from each club

The Examiner, with the help of coaches, takes a look at every Cricket North women's team's most improved player.

Bowling to the top-order each week is no mean feat, but Claire Alexander's efforts with the ball have impressed.

Operating largely as the first-change bowler for the Lions this season, Alexander has been entrusted with more responsibility.

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Alexander has repaid the favour as one of the competition's leading wicket-takers, highlighted by a four-wicket haul against Mowbray in round three of first grade.

A similarly economical performance of 1-5 against Ulverstone also pointed to a marked improvement.

"This year Claire has really come to the fore, she's become one of our most trusted bowlers, bowling first change," Launceston coach and father Stu Alexander said.

"Her economy rate and amount of wickets she has taken this year far away exceeds last year and this is probably her second full season at this level."

Alexander credited his chief destroyer's work with the Cricket Tasmania skillset academy for the improvement.

"Working with Darren Simmonds and myself has helped her, she's getting some good coaching, she's still learning the game but we've been surprised by her development," Alexander said.

"We can really rely on her to bowl some tight overs when required and she picks up some good wickets, she tends to be taking her wickets against the top three-four batters and that's where she provides value to the team."

Few teams if any have a deeper squad than South Launceston in the Cricket North women's league.

With that in mind, a few players could have been named as most improved but Knights batter Alice McLauchlan is the pick here.

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McLauchlan has been the Knights' first-drop this season in an undefeated side but also impressed in finishing the innings from No.7 against Westbury in first grade, notching 36 from 27 with three boundaries.

Co-captain Belinda Wegman was glowing in her assessment of the young batter's season to this point.

"This year she has really stepped up, she's our number three batter this year and she usually bats five or six, I think she's really improved," Wegman said.

"I just think she's coming into her own with the batting and bowling, she always fields well so she's probably our breakthrough player of the year."

Despite a winless Greater Northern campaign, Riverside shape as a team to watch when the Cricket North league resumes after the Christmas break as they look to add to their two wins so far.

Headed by Kate Sherriff and Sophie Parkin, it was Monique Booth and Charlotte Bird who got the nod as most improved.

"Monique is a first year player in all forms of cricket and has adjusted really well," Parkin said.

"Her bowling has been excellent taking multiple wickets and with the bat, she has a lot of confidence to play her own game."

Bird transitioned to cricket from softball and has impressed Parkin with her all-round game.

"Charlotte is also a first year player [and is] new to cricket, coming from a softball background," Parkin said.

"I threw her into the deep end to open the batting and she's grown a lot and is scoring runs, good fielder with a rocket arm as well."

The Eagles will be eager to add to their singular win in the Cricket North after their winless Greater North campaign concluded.

With some recent building performances, the Eagles have a few players who are trending upwards.

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Georgia Gillow is arguably at the head of the queue.

"It's her first season of senior cricket and she's going really well," coach Bryce Coulson said.

"While she has made two ducks this year she still puts a price on her wicket, she bats long periods of time and makes the bowlers bowl to her, she has the potential to be a really good opening batter."

While Gillow has turned heads with the bat, there is a hope her bowling will continue to come along in the second-half of the season.

"Her bowling is developing nicely and hopefully she will get a go in the back half of the year to show us what she is capable of," Coulson said.

"I hope she continues with her cricket after this season, she is also one of the most coachable players I know."

The new team on the block are jam-packed with youthful players as they look to build a nucleus of talent for the future.

The Shamrocks coach Michael Quill commended all his players on their improvement throughout the season so far.

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