More girls are choosing cricket
Hamilton Girls’ High School are a testament to cricket’s growing popularity among females, with enough players for more than the single team they currently field.
Statistics released by NZ Cricket state that in the past 12 months, Waikato women’s cricket player numbers have increased by 25 per cent.
The school’s assistant coach Segie Govender and head coach Brian Winter were pleasantly surprised at the sport’s growth among students.
Winter, also the teacher-incharge, started at Girls’ High in 2016 when there was no team.
‘‘By the time I got to my second year, I think we [Govender and Winter] both wanted to have at least one team and we had a huge interest from the girls.’’
They had about 16 students sign up, which was perfect for eight-a-side T20 cricket.
However, a proper training ground was hard to come by, and the team currently practise on the school’s tennis courts.
After taking one of the nets down, the girls rotate through batting, bowling, and catching, all the while trying not to hit the tennis players on the other courts, Winter said.
They were recently awarded a scholarship from ANZ’s Get on Top of Your Game programme, and White Ferns Captain Suzie Bates ran a coaching session and presented some much needed new gear to the school team.
Winter said the new equipment gave cricket at Girls’ High a bit of credibility.
‘‘We had all of the stuff in an old hockey bag and this equipment was years old, it was tatty,’’ he said.
‘‘Getting this new equipment gives the girls a bit of morale as well.’’
Govender agreed. ‘‘I think getting Suzie Bates to come and coach our girls was a huge boost to cricket at this school,’’ he said.
‘‘We are hopeful that we’ll have a second team next year.’’
Wicket-keeper Keitha Ormsby, 15, and team captain Vici-Rose Green, 15, are two of the players in Hamilton Girls’ High School’s up-and-coming squad.
They encourage more girls to take part in the sport, even if it’s out of their comfort zone.
‘‘Cricket is unique and if someone doesn’t really know how to play, it’s still a good environment to be in,’’ Vici-Rose said.
‘‘More girls can get involved in something they haven’t tried before,’’ Keitha added.