Another feather in cricket stars cap

The cricketing career of 15-year-old Wairarapa College student Jessie Bennett continues to blossom.
A member of her school's first X1 girls team, Bennett is also in her second year of playing for the Onslow club in the Wellington senior women's inter-club competition.
And the amount of travelling involved has paid off big time for the all-rounder with selection in the Wellington under-19 girls team to compete in an international tournament in South Africa in March. More than that, she has also been named in the Wellington under-18 squad to contest a North Island tourney in Wellington from January 21 to 24 where they will meet opposition from Central Districts, Auckland and Northern Districts.
But before then she will part of the Wellington women's development squad which will take part in a national development team tournament to be held in Christchurch next month.
Bennett is full of praise for the support given her by Wellington Cricket who have made life easier for her by formulating a training programme which means she doesn't have to persuade Mum Nicky to take her to the capital more than twice a week.
"The coaching staff monitor the programme to make sure I'm not overdoing things," she said.
Her cricketing exploits continue a busy year for Jessie who plays rugby for the Wairarapa-Bush Barbarians secondary schoolgirls team and who was selected in the Wairarapa-Bush secondary schools side which finished second in the B division of their Hurricanes tourney. A versatile player who excels at first-five or fullback, Bennett was also selected in the Wairarapa-Bush women's sevens rugby squad.