Jessie, 13, named in senior woman's cricket squad

The selection of 13-year-old Jessie Bennett in the Wairarapa senior women's cricket squad has topped off what has been a busy sporting year for the year nine Wairarapa College student.
Bennett has hit the high spots in both cricket and rugby over the past 12 months and there is much more to come judging by the huge potential she has already displayed in the two codes.
It is her all-round skills which have kept her to the forefront in cricket. An opening bowler and middle order bat she has played for the Wairarapa under-14s for the past four years, making her debut for them when just 10 years old.
Bennett has also repped for Central Districts in the under-14s age group over the past two seasons and has recently been named in this season's line-up as well, where she will be joined by one other Wairarapa player Libby Monaghan from St Matthews.
It was no surprise then when Bennett was named Wairarapa Cricket's Junior Player of the Year at their 2205 awards ceremony and the youngster, who started playing the game at Tinui School under the Milo programme, has continued to make an impact with the Wairarapa College first XI and now the Wairarapa seniors.
She has starred in her role of opening bowler for the college side which won their zone of the national secondary schoolgirls limited-overs competition and there was a lot to admire about her debut for the senior reps against Manawatu earlier this month. She came on as third change bowler and took 1-34 from her nine overs and then was third top score with 22 for her side as they reached 254-6 to score a splendid win.
Bennett's next goal in cricket is to be selected in the Wairarapa under-16 team which will contest a tournament in Masterton towards the January.
Making the Wairarapa-Bush under-13 rugby side in the season just concluded was seomthing special for Bennett as she was the only girl to be selected in the side. Mind you, that was nothing untoward for the talented inside back as she had been included in mainly boys rep teams in the under-11 and under-12 age groups as well
Bennett also made the Wairarapa-Bush under-18 years secondary schools rugby side in the 2005 season and next winter is intending to play at senior club level as there is currently no weekly rugby for school age players in the Wairarapa-Bush area.