The Western NSW Junior Carnivals have been an institution in the colour city for the past 22 seasons but Orange District Junior Cricket Association is breaking new ground in the 2016-17 summer by hosting an all-girls’ carnival for the first time.
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Even better, there’s a Western Zone team competing and a handful of Orange’s best will don the blue and red cap.
Kinross duo Phoebe Litchfield and Niamh McPhee will represent Western alongside CYMS’ Emily Williams, while Kinross’ Taya Rutherford will also play, she’ll be lining up for Gordon.
Along with the Stags, Western will take on Penrith and the ACT this week in a round-robin competition, before Thursday’s finals.
“It’s great to have the Sydney teams and the ACT coming, hopefully it will build from here,” Western coach Andrew Litchfield said.
“It does clash with the under-15 national championship, so there’s a few of the better girls from Sydney not coming, but that gives a few other players a good opportunity.
“We know some of the Penrith girls reasonably well, Phoebe has played a little bit with them and there’s some handy cricketers there, but we don’t know anything about Gordon or ACT. It’s really nice to see Taya get a run though, with Gordon.”
Litchfield lauded the concept, which is the next logical step for the ODJCA after welcoming an all-girls’ team from Kinross in recent seasons and establishing the Sydney Thunder Girls’ League this summer as well.
“Between (registrar) Jo Hunter, (president) Dave Cumming and the rest of the ODJCA committee, they’ve done an incredible job to get this going,” Litchfield said.
It’s great to have the Sydney teams and the ACT coming, hopefully it will build from here.
- Western coach Andrew Litchfield
“A lot of these girls are crossing over from other sports but are trying cricket out now because of the Big Bash and Women’s Big Bash Leagues, which is fantastic.”
For his Western side, Litchfield said the next four days is as much about exposing the girls to a higher quality of cricket in a bid to fast-track development, as it is about winning.
He did predict the side will do pretty well too, though.
“A lot of these girls have been through the Western Academy, there’s girls coming from Broken Hill just for the carnival as well. It’s about development and being able to give these girls more cricket,” Litchfield said.
The girls’ carnival runs alongside the Western NSW Under-15 Carnival, which sees an Orange Invitational XI and Mitchell Cricket Council face off with Wagga Wagga, ACT, Blacktown, Shoalhaven, South Coast, Manly-Warringah, Illawarra, St George and Newington College.
The Orange side features Orange City trio Blake Weymouth, Nick Warburton and Caleb Toms, along with Cavaliers’ Hugh Middleton, Cam Laird and Mitch Cooper. Kinross quintet Harry Kermode, Lachlan Smith, George Cumming, Max Powell and Harry May, and CYMS’ Harry West round out the squad.
Orange juniors Lachie Coyte and Hugh McIntyre will represent Mitchell.
Western kicks off its campaign against Gordon, while Orange and Mitchell play Newington and St George respectively.
All of Monday’s games kick off at 10.30am.
WESTERN ZONE: Phoebe Litchfield, Emily Williams, Niamh McPhee (Orange), Claudia Hamilton, Dimity Parton, Abbie Uhr, Sophie Hamilton, Belinda Kidd, Amy Kreuzberger, Katie Letcher, Natalie Letcher, Bridie Minehan
ORANGE XI: Blake Weymouth, Nick Warburton, Caleb Toms (Orange City), Harry West (CYMS), Hugh Middleton, Cam Laird, Mitch Cooper (Cavaliers), Harry Kermode, Lachlan Smith, George Cumming, Max Powell, Harry May (Kinross)
MITCHELL CRICKET COUNCIL: Bailey Brien, Hugh Parsons, Ethan Cusick, Ben Cant, Jack Goodsell, Luke Mutton (Bathurst), Lachlan Rayner (Mudgee), Lachie Coyte, Hugh McIntyre (Orange), Pawan Gajula, Lachlan Yates (Lithgow), Aaron Long (Blue Mountains)