A first for Indoor Cricket

The new competition will see 10 teams compete over a five-month period across two divisions. 

With a mix of youth and experience, the VWCA Premier Seconds champions, Coburg, is among the six first division teams.

Captained by Rebekah Morris, Coburg will face a young Oakleigh team led by Brodie Whitmore in the opening fixture.

Featuring an array of state cricketers, host team Northcote will go to battle against Melton in what promises to be a close encounter.

Ballarat star Briony Polkinghorne will captain Melton this season while Jessica Surace will lead a Northcote side that boasts junior state players Addy Campion and Sharni Dimauro.

In the final first division match of the round, Croydon will take on Cranbourne in a much anticipated clash.

Having recently assisted Box Hill to a Premier Firsts Premiership, Croydon captain Laura Shaw will look to transfer her skills to the indoor game while Cranbourne skipper Nicole Martin will prove to be dangerous with both bat and ball.

The second division will see four teams compete over the course of the season with St Columbs Sirens making their debut as a representative team from SPL, a community organisation that offers a modified version of indoor cricket.

“In our first ladies competition, we have real depth of talent with a lot of youth coming through,” Cricket Victoria Indoor Cricket Manager Ross Gregory said.

“We have 110 ladies that have registered to play this season and we expect this number to grow.

“This will be a good competition and will underpin our junior pathway and senior state squad programs.”

Play will commence at 2pm on Saturday for the second division while division one will begin at 4pm.

First division teams

Oakleigh
Brodie Whitmore (c)
Ashleigh Peck
Eloise Gardner
Hannah Bailes
Bella Poon
Helen Taylor
Bron Allix
Izzy Weber

Coburg CC
Rebekah Morris (c)
Renee Melton
Catherine Morrow
Desi Muscat
Helen McKendry
Deb Loughnan
Jessica Martin
Emily Whitfield

Northcote
Jessica Surace (c)
Maxine Phillips
Chloe Ip
Sharnni Di Mauro
Leanne Westworth
Amber Robinson
Paris Rafferty
Chloe Rafferty
Addy Campion

Melton
Briony Polkinghorne (c)
Liz Pierce
Michelle Lomman
Kerry Garwood
Lori McGill
Sue Rose
Aimee Melford
Susan Hilton

Cranbourne
Nicole Martin (c)
Kylie Grey
Maddie Wright
Nic Undy
Sam Carlson
Jenna Cruickshank
Janelle Hayhurst
Karen Casey

Croydon
Laura Shaw (c)
Joelle Buckley
Kim Brooks
Janet Finn
Amy Jennings
Kerry Johnson
Bindi Miles-Hughes
Dannielle Menzies

Second division teams

St Columbs Sirens
Annie McDiarmid (c)
Nirosha Canagasingham
Sindhu Shankar
Alison Bruce
Allyson Barker
Anushka Banerjee
Sairah Vasantharajah
Saseeka Manukulasuriya

Croydon
Rachelle Austin
Liz Mitchell
Brittany Middleton
Krissy Dundas
Penny Harford
Abby Howard
Elly Donald
Emma Medland

Melton
Jacqueline Kubekis (c)
Leanne Netto
Jessica Kubekis
Nicole McGill
Michelle Lewtas
Leila Pierce
Kristy Geleux
Bec Newman

Cranbourne
Cathy Nolan
Keely Pace
Julia Spagna
Jordan Cooper
Ainsley Pilgrim
Shalee Clydesdale
Debbie Wierzbinski