RUBY James and Georgia Baker-Miller both received high praise from coach Grace Lee after the under-14 girls cricket state championships finished on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
James captained the side throughout the championships as it won three of its six games. Lee said it was great to see her apply herself so well at the top of the order.
“There was one game in particular when she batted for 17 overs, which was nearly the whole innings,” she said.
“She might not have made as many runs as she would have liked but it was a real captain’s knock because she held up an end when we were losing wickets at the other.”
James’ leadership shone through right up until the final game of the week.
“She had 45-run partnership with Ruby Couch, who is one of the youngest members of the squad,” Lee said.
Baker-Miller impressed Lee with her bowling, willingness to try new things and teamwork.
“There was about six different girls who tried wicket-keeping during the week and Georgia was one of them,” she said.
“She was really economical when bowling all week and managed to twice claim two wickets.
“She is still very young with another two years in the under-14s, that is really promising for her.”
Lee is already looking forward to the 2019 championships.
“We’ll retain possibly eight players for next year’s tournament,” she said.
“That’s really quite exciting given how much the girls improved throughout the week.
“During the tournament everyone took on what we had to say and looked to work on things when they were given feedback.”
The leadership of Lori Young was also on display at the championships with the under-16 Waves side.
Coach Maddi Tobias said she was talking to young as part of the leadership group each night of the week.
“Her game knowledge and encouragement of the other girls was fantastic to see,” she said.
“She also made a cheeky 31 in the last game and it was great she was able to step up in that sense to lead from the front.”
Penelope Drummond also had her first Western Waves experience in the squad.
“Penny was a great all-rounder to have in the team,” she said.
She claimed three wickets during the tournament including two in two ball in the team’s final game of the week.
Tobias said the girls made it an easy week for her as they won three of their five matches.
“They bonded well from the get go,” she said.
“In terms of game play it was nice to be able to sit on boundary and just watch them be really professional while enjoying it.”