SISTER ACT Kerr duo are making names for themselves

THE Kerr sisters are going from strength to strength. Amelia (Melie), 14, has been on the radar for some time now, but her older sibling Jess, 17, has taken more of an interest in cricket since a serious calf injury put a temporary stop to her running.

Melie is the youngest and brightest talent in New Zealand women’s cricket at the moment, with her legspinners helping the Wellington Blaze’s win the domestic T20 title earlier in the year.

It led to a phone call from White Ferns coach Haidee Tiffen last week to inform her of her selection for New Zealand A, who will play the White Ferns and Sri Lanka at the end of the month.

She will also train with the White Ferns for a week as they prepare to take on the tourists, which Melie said was good on two levels.

‘‘I got a call from Haidee the day before it was announced and I was pretty happy, and then she said I get to stay on for a week to train with the White Ferns, which means I get a week off school, so I was even more happy.

‘‘I was a little bit surprised [with the callup], but since I’ve been part of the [New Zealand Cricket] emerging talent squad last year there was always a chance I could get in.’’

She would go into the week with a fair idea of what to expect, having trained with the team earlier in the year.

‘‘I went away in February with them for a week of training to see what it’s like and it was cool – when they train they really train with a purpose,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s quite good to watch and see how you can take that into your own trainings and how to work hard.’’

While Melie’s bowling is the most utilised part of her game at the top women’s level, her batting has been ticking along nicely at school level.

In five innings for her Tawa College year 10 boys team at the start of the year, she scored 258 runs at an average of 129 with a top score of 107 not out.

‘‘I don’t really bowl for them. I open the batting and I’ve done quite well and I think I was the second top run scorer in the grade,’’ she said.

She also played alongside her sister in the girls first XI, scoring 184 runs with an average of 92 in the T20 grade, with it only a matter of time before her batting evolved in the women’s game.

‘‘Once I get older and stronger I’ll be able to become more of a batter in women’s cricket.’’

BOTH sisters were part of the New Zealand under-18 indoor cricket team which came second at the under-18 World Series in Brisbane earlier this month.

Jess was player of the tournament, Melie was runnerup, while their Tawa College teammates Makaylah Mason-Jones, Roshani Thuraisingham and Kate Fenton were all part of the team.

Both sisters have been part of the Blaze’s winter training squad, with Jess saying she had put more focus on her cricket in the past 12 months.