The Wanganui Women's representative cricket team for 2019-20. Photo / Supplied
The Wanganui Women's representative cricket team for 2019-20. Photo / Supplied
As well as the Cricket Wanganui junior representative teams having their end-of-season prizegiving cancelled, the Anndion Lodge Wanganui Womens team did not have a final gathering, so the Whanganui Chronicle takes this time to look at their campaigns.
Whanganui's former White Fern and the Central Disricts Hinds player of the season Jess Watkin is pleased the local numbers are still coming through to have a viable women's representative team in her home town.
Watkin captained and coached a returning Anndion Lodge Wanganui Women's squad, last seen in 2017, to play a full although short season with a handful of one-day Mike Shrimpton Trophy matches from November to January, along with a four-game Twenty20 tournament, played November 23-24 at Levin's Donnelly Park.
Being joined by two fellow Hinds squad members who had also helped support the previous Wanganui Women's squads, Watkin said the avenue for young women to develop their cricket remains very much open here.
"This season, there was only one round where we really struggled for numbers and that was because we had a Hinds game, so we had a few players out and they were key players.
"Obviously we had Kerry Tomlinson and Esther Lanser come and play for us, but other than that, everyone else is from Whanganui, which is really cool."
The resumption of holding women's senior representative games began at Victoria Park on November 3, as Wanganui faced Manawatu and raised a challenging 193 all out before being beaten by seven wickets.
This led into the T20 tournament later in the month, where Watkin was pleased to see the side was competitive.
On the first day, Wanganui lost to Wairarapa by 22 runs, dismissed for 81 when chasing 103/5, and had Watkin not been dismissed early, may have had a different outcome.
This was followed by an even narrower 10 run loss to Nelson, where Wanganui batted out to 98/8 chasing 108/6, again with Watkin falling cheaply while Tomlinson provided another anchor innings.
The following day was the highlight of the campaign as Wanganui picked up a big 37 run win over a Manawatu side that would still win the tournament, led by Watkin's fellow Hinds co-captain Hannah Rowe.
This time, Watkin found form with the bat, supported by Tomlinson and opener Toni Baldwin, for Wanganui to raise 145/6, before bowling Manawatu out right at the end of their innings for 108.
"This was a huge success for us as we put together a whole team performance," Watkin said.
"Our goals for this season were to develop the young players coming through and give them an opportunity to improve their skills at a higher level as well as creating a fun and competitive environment.
"Chloe Peters captaining for the first time and doing a great job, Emma Harvey taking two wickets in a row against Manawatu and nearly getting a hatrick."
Unfortunately Wanganui could not keep up the momentum, losing their last tournament game by eight wickets to Taranaki, after they made 114/7 on the back of another big Watkin innings, while Taranaki reached 116/2 with one over remaining.
December saw the resumption of the Mike Shrimpton games, and with Wanganui missing both Watkin and Tomlinson they suffered a 10 wicket loss to Hawke's Bay at Victoria Park - raising 101 thanks to Lanser carrying the innings, with the visiting openers knocking off the target in the 17th over.
The following month saw Watkin back for the trip to Masterton's Queen Elizabeth Park to face Wairarapa for a seven wicket loss, with the visitors raising 134, again thanks to a strong innings by Lanser, before the home side reached 136/3 at the end of the 20th over.
Former Cricket Wanganui director Dilan Raj and junior development officer Jordan Healy helped select the end of season awards, which saw Watkin take the MVP prize.
She scored the most runs for the summer with 233, followed by Lanser with 161, along with taking seven wickets, again followed by Lanser with five and who would receive the Best Bowler prize.
Grace Palazzo was opening the batting with confident by the end of the campaign, and was recognised with the Most Improved prize, while Baldwin received the Best Batter prize, after a season where she would drive seven hours from Auckland to play.
Emma Harvey, with a couple of catches and a runout, picked up the Best Fielder award after putting her body on the line and giving total commitment out on the park.
Charlotte Stent bowling at the Festival of Cricket.
The leading prospect coming through the junior ranks is Charlotte Stent, who also played for the LJ Hooker Wanganui Year 8 boys representative team, before being one of the key players in the Central Districts Under 15 girls side that breezed unbeaten through their Cricket Express Whanganui Festival of Cricket, also coached by Watkin.
"It was really pleasing to see the likes of Charlotte Stent open the bowling and clean bowl Central Hind Ashtuti Kumar first over of the [Manawatu] game," said Watkin of the November fixture.
"She definitely has the talent to take it as far as she wants to take it. She definitely has the passion."
Speaking as a player who made the White Ferns at age 20, Watkin still wanted to encourage the teenager Stent to keep a balance between cricket and other interests, making sure the game remained fun.
