Three girls, two from the Illawarra and one from the Highlands, have been selected for Cricket NSW's girls U-16 Country State Squad to compete at the National Championships in January.
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Keisha Baldwin, Annalee Watson and Ella Yates will all have the opportunity to compete against the best cricketers in their age bracket come January, should they be selected. The National Championships will begin on 5 January, with the tournament going for 10 days. The tournament will be held in Canberra.
The 16-player squad was hand-picked based on player performance both for club cricket and also their performances in the U-15 Youth Championships. Cricket NSW liaised with the program's head coaches, former Sydney Sixers fast-bowler Sarah Aley and former Cricket NSW wicket-keeper Hannah Trethewy, along with the Illawarra's coaching talent specialist, Steve Davies to decide on selected players.
Baldwin, Watson and Yates will all have their work cut-out as they attempt to make the National Championships, with the squad set to be trimmed down to 14 by the time January comes around. Should they make the squad, they will represent Country NSW against other teams including Metro NSW and at least one representative team from each state in Australia.
Cricket NSW pathway manager Nic Bills said that it was a massive honour for these girls to be selected in the Country State Squad as it provided an opportunity for squad members to further their potential for a professional cricket career.
"I think for these girls in particular in the under 16s, it is their first opportunity to be part of what we call our state squads. They would have previously been part of the Illawarra Zone Academy down there which is the best local girls. With this program they get access to the best facilities Cricket NSW has to offer. If they make the final squad they will get their first opportunity to represent NSW in a competition. They would have represented Illawarra already but this will be a chance to represent the state in the first of what will hopefully be many times."
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