Women’s cricket celebrated in double header

THE rise of women’s sport continues to gather momentum and was celebrated on Sunday with Leongatha and District Cricket Association women’s double header.

Rounds five and six of the women’s competition was played out in Leongatha in front of great crowd.

The games were played out at Scorpion Park, Leongatha’s East Campus and the Leongatha Velodrome.

Town president Cameron Dowling was proud to have the opportunity to showcase the local talent.

“The decision was made to bring all the games into one town, and get together to promote women’s cricket,” he said.

“It’s been a great competition and it was awesome to see so many people hanging round. It was a big turnout.”  

The teams represented included Phillip Island, two sides from Kilcunda-Bass, Inverloch, Leongatha Town, Koonwarra L/RSL, Nyora and Foster.

The interest in the competition has grown massively with more than 80 players turning out for the double header.

“It was (Town’s) first year in the competition this season. We started off wanting to put in a team but thinking we might not get enough players. We ended up with a team of 16,” Dowling said.

“I think the Matildas having a good year has really inspired women to get involved with all sports. It’s amazing having the girls come back to the club after a game or training. It’s a totally different vibe around the club.”

Leongatha Town suffered a blow when its clubroom burnt down in February last year.

However, from that tragedy came an outpouring of community support and the motivation for the club to further increase its inclusivity and get a women’s team up and running.

“We put the word out there and we got a lot of interest. It has been an amazing first year,” Dowling said.

“The smiles on the girls’ faces as they are playing is awesome to see. A lot of them have said that now that they play cricket they really feel like they are part of the club now, not just partners of the club.

It’s great to have everyone involved.”

The day was successful the first game finished before lunch, starting at 9.30am.

Three out of four games were played after lunch, with only the clash between Leongatha Town and Nyora abandoned due to the inclement weather.

Round seven will played on January 21 ahead of the finals series. 

The semi final is scheduled for February 4 with the grand final set to be played on February 18.