In preparation for the upcoming Country Cricket NSW Girls’ Championships, Western combined the available under 15 and under 18 players together, as a Cricket NSW Academy team, to play Penrith in three separate trial games.

In Saturday’s 30-over trial Western came away with a 7-run win, before Penrith came up trumps in both T20 trials yesterday by 15 runs and three wickets respectively.

In the first game, Amie Edgar (51) starred alongside Alana Ryan (34) as the two stars put on a partnership in excess of 100.

“The sides for the championships have all but been picked now but it was a great weekend,” Cricket NSW development officer Matt Tabbernor said.

“Women’s cricket has changed over the last few years, there is plenty of talent around and we’re seeing a huge improvement every season.

“It was pretty high quality stuff.”

Tabbernor went on to speak more generally than the representative weekend, but did outline the development of women’s cricket in the Orange area.

“We see weekends like this as a bit of a pathway for girls to further their cricket,” he said.

“Weekends and games like [Saturday and Sunday’s] give rural girls the chance to meet players from Sydney, and as such if they choose to chase a career in cricket they already know people in that city.

“It also provides them with invaluable experience.

“But wider than that, girls just participate more. For instance Kinross now have an all girls team in the Orange [District Junior Cricket Association], as do Blayney in Bathurst.

“It gives Western Zone a chance to get them in the system earlier, to get better and as I said, provide a pathway to higher levels.”