Meet the five Illawarra juniors selected for Cricket NSW pathway teams

Ella Yates, Cadence Waters and Jessica Bramble were all selected in the Under-16 NSW Country state squad, while Kiesha Baldwin and Taleha Urszulak were selected for Under-19s.

The selection capped a stellar 12 months for Yates and Baldwin in particular, both of them earning selection in the 16-player NSW squad for the National Championships earlier this year.

Read more: Dragons recall Moga and Musgrove for trip to Canberra

The pathway focuses on the production of male and female players for Australian cricket and consists of components including: exposing players with first-class potential to national carnivals, introduction of state challenge competitions from Under-13 through to Under-19 and the expansion of the Academy program to include more players and coaches.

Cricket NSW's Female Pathway squads are a statewide program responsible for the identification and development of talented female cricketers catering to players from Under-16 to Under-19.

The Cricket NSW Female Youth Pathway is the most successful in the country.

Country state squad product, Jade Allen, most recently represented Australia at the Under-19 T20 World Cup in South Africa, as well as accruing appearances for the NSW Breakers and Sydney Sixers. Similarly, Phoebe Litchfield is a product of the Junior Country Representative Pathway and has gone on to represent Australia on the senior stage.

The male squads are set to be announced in coming days.

Read more: Will Albion Park continue to stay at the top of the IPL ladder?

The news comes just days after Albion Park talent Tahlia Wilson claimed one of Cricket NSW's top women's honours as the National Cricket League Player of the Tournament last Wednesday night after being selected for the Australia 'A' team.

Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.