Cricket: Whanganui event proven nursery

The gazebos were up for live scoring to begin on Tasman Tanning grounds one, two and three as the National Girls U15 Development Tournament started at Victoria Park in Whanganui yesterday afternoon. Photo / Stuart Munro

Emerging talent discovered at the annual Wanganui Cricket Festival have far more tangible targets to aim at with the rapid growth and popularity of the women's game.

The 2016 festival, which began at Victoria Park yesterday, plays host to the Aero Cricket/Cricket Express-sponsored National Girls Under-15 Development Tournament over four days and is followed next week by the girls U18 and boys age group tournament.

The festival has long been a nursery for future stars in the women's ranks. The teams are traditionally mentored by cricket ambassadors and New Zealand White Ferns Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates.

Festival organiser Dilan Raj said while both Devine and Bates left yesterday for the Ladies Big Bash in Australia, each of the six regional teams competing in the U15 tournament has a former international looking after them.

The teams include defending champions Auckland, 2015 runners-up Central Districts, Northern Districts, Wellington, Christchurch Metro (Canterbury) and Otago.

Raj said the absence of Devine and Bates this season was simply further evidence of the bright future that lay ahead for emerging talent.

"Women's cricket has surged in popularity, especially with the Twenty20 format. And the Ladies Big Bash Sophie and Suzie are competing in goes to show there are an increasing number of options for young girls looking at a professional career in the game," Raj said.

"Last year's standout player, Amelia Kerr (Wellington) has been a YouTube sensation and has made the New Zealand A team."

Many of these U15 girls are now playing in their main provincial women's teams with Kerr and Whanganui's Jess Watkin progressing to National A level, while Manawatu's Hannah Rowe is in the White Ferns as opening bowler. All three have come through the Whanganui festival programme with Kerr, at just 14 last year, named in the Wellington senior women's team, while both Rowe and Watkin played in the Central Districts U21 side and the CD Hinds when not on national duty.

After arriving in Whanganui yesterday, the teams were in action in the afternoon with Auckland playing Wellington, Otago facing off against Central Districts and Canterbury playing Northern Districts. Play went into the evening beyond the Chronicle deadline.

Raj said Cricket Wanganui had received vauable support from a wide variety of organisations, including the district council, Pita Pit and 2Degrees, which supplied Wi-Fi in the area to operate live on-line scoring.

The tournament continues today.