Ocean Grove Cricket Club will field its first ever senior women’s cricket team with the club set play in an expanded Geelong based Barwon competition this season.
The senior women’s cricket team will commence playing matches next month in November on Sundays.
The Grubbers hosted two club come and try days for senior women’s and junior girls’ cricketers on Sunday 8 September and 22 September last month.
Inaugural Ocean Grove senior women’s cricket coach, James Nessel who was appointed coach in September, said there was enough interest from the local community at the come and try days to have a stand alone female team for 2019/2020.
Nessel, an Ocean Grove Cricket Club life member and Level 1 coach, is also the club secretary.
“The come and try days were really great actually,” Nessel told the Voice.
“It was great to see those numbers come up.
“It has been a long time coming – we have had women’s cricketers but (they have) never (had) their own team in the senior women’s competition.
“We have to affiliate teams by the 18th of October – around about then is when we are going to know the format of the competition.”
Geelong senior women’s cricket captain Helen Jones, an Ocean Grove local, attended the Grubbers come and try day on 8 September.
Jones said she was impressed with the cricket skills of the females which took part.
“I gave a few pointers to the girls on the day – I was impressed with the skill levels on the day,” she said.
“I think Ocean Grove will do well this season.”
MEANTIME Ocean Grove Cricket Club captain coach Paul Jubber has embraced senior women’s team concept at the Grubbers.
Jubber confirmed a Grubbers senior women’s cricket team had been in the works for some time.
“Anyway (we can) spread cricket through the community and it involves our girls and women is a wonderful thing,” Jubber said.
“As a cricket club we are genuinely excited about not only girls cricket, which not only has been successful for us in the last few years, but to introduce women’s cricket in the community can only be a great thing.”
THE wider Barwon region senior women’s cricket competition commences on Sunday 17 November.
The 20-over per side competition will take place on Sunday afternoons and consist of nine players per team.
THE Grubbers are also expected to field at least two junior female cricket sides this season.
