Strike League win for junior cricketer

THIRTEEN-year-old cricketer Grace Luff proudly represented Victoria in the Junior Girls Strike League recently. 

Grace travelled to Darwin to compete in a week-long contest against the Northern Territory at the Cazalys Arena and DXC Arena.

She played two 50 over games and three T20s.

The Victoria Big Cats won the series, winning four out of the five matches. 

Grace was asked to play in the team, and she was thrilled with the opportunity to compete against and alongside the experienced junior cricketers.

“It was my first time playing in this series and I was playing in the U19s,” she said.

“I gained a lot of support from the girls on the Victorian team, and I was proud to play with them. It was a good experience.”

Grace is an all-rounder, and a highlight of the series was taking two wickets during the last T20 match. 

Locally, Grace has played with Glen Alvie Cricket Club for the last five years.

She has played three seasons with the club and also participated in the Woolworths Blast program.

This season, she is set to play in the women’s and U15s teams, and possibly in C Grade.

Her family inspired her to play cricket.

“My dad got me into it, and I’ve wanted to play since all my siblings joined the club,” she said.

“I enjoy every aspect of cricket – the friends you make and competing at competition level.”

Grace aims to pursue her cricket career, making her way through the pathways available to get as far competitively as possible. 

In the short term, Grace is looking forward to the 2025/26 season and the upcoming trials for Gippsland Pride.