By Lance Jenkinson
Girls cricket was riding the crest of a wave in the West Gippsland Cricket Association earlier this year – before, like a lot things, it came to a screeching halt.
The Covid-19 pandemic sapped all the momentum of the WGCA entering an All Stars team into Country Week for the first time, and offshoots stemming from Australia’s hosting of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup also had to be put on hold.
WGCA All Stars team manager Janet Aumann admits the pandemic has bamboozled girls cricket in the region like a Jess Jonassen spin ball at the World Cup.
On the agenda this summer for the WGCA was creating a better girls pathway.
As it stands, 16-and-under is the lone age group for girls in the association.
“At the moment, the WGCA comp is open to girls 16 and under,” Aumann said.
“You could be nine or you could be 16.
“You could be in your very first season or you could have been playing for quite a few years.”
Aumann has urged the WGCA not to put girls cricket expansion on the backburner.
She feels as though the age gap between nine and 16-year-olds is too great and the lack of a pathway for players after leaving 16-and-under level needs to be addressed.
“Regardless of size and strength, even just the conversations are different between a nine-year-old and a 16-year-old,” Aumann said.
“Then the natural progression for some of these older girls, who are now 15, 16 and 17, hopefully they can go into a women’s comp or an under-21s comp, depending on what we can get up and running.
“There’s a lot of discussion at the moment about how we create a pathway for girls.
“It’s very hard in Covid to get some kind of timeline and momentum.”
What is for certain is the girls’ love of the game has not waned during the pandemic.
Aumann’s daughter Stefanie is a prime example, taking part in Dandenong Cricket Club-run academy sessions with Australian cricketer Sophie Molineux over Zoom.
Stefanie will be the WGCA’s first local girls cricket ambassador.
“She has a story that many girls will be able to relate to,” Aumann said.
“She’s quite a shy child, so can feel quite intimidated, but she’s really passionate about cricket.”
The WGCA’s inclusion in Country Week was a big milestone for the association.
In previous seasons, the WGCA’s players were used as fill-ins for other associations, but they got to represent their own association with pride this time around.
The atmosphere of Country Week left the girls wanting more, but unfortunately that, too, will be a long way away with next year’s tournament cancelled due to the pandemic.
“The good thing about Country Week is that it’s a very supportive environment,” Aumann said.
“The girls just want to have a chance to play cricket at that level, rather than the cut-throat we want to smash everyone and win.
“It’s quite an amazing atmosphere.”
An October start for the WGCA’s girls competition, including teams from Officer, Kooweerup, Beaconsfield, Carlisle Park, Upper Beaconsfield, Nyora and Merinda Park, is still on the cards
“We’re still hopeful, but it’s hard to know what’s going to happen with Covid,” Aumann said.
Once dates are set for cricket’s return, Aumann is hopeful that it will be able to channel the positive vibes stemming from that incredible day when Australia hoisted the T20 World Cup trophy aloft at the MCG in March.
“Some of our team members went that night and we were very fortunate to be part of that amazing celebration,” she said.
“It was like one big party, having [singer] Katy Perry there, she opened the night, and Australia did so well right from the start.
“To have the young girls there watching their idols smash it out of the park was incredible.”
