It’s not often a cricketer gets to celebrate 100 one-day domestic games however wellington Blaze all-rounder Amanda cooper will be doing just that this weekend.
Saturday’s Action Cricket Cup third round Women’s One-Day match between the Blaze and the Otago Sparks at Barton Oval at Trentham Memorial Park will be Cooper’s 100th domestic One-Day game for Wellington and although it is quite a feat to reach the milestone Cooper is humble about her achievement.
“It’s pretty special, but it’s just another game,” she said. “Hopefully we can celebrate with a win.”
All-rounder Cooper debuted for the Blaze in 1999/2000 and since then has score over 1000 runs and taken 107 wickets, including career best batting and bowling figures of 85 not out and 6 for 9 respectively in December 2008. The 6 for 9 against the Sparks at Karori Park was part of a memorable weekend for her with the ball that saw her also take 3 for 0 in the Twenty20 match and then send down 6 overs for one run in the other One-Dayer.
Cooper’s fascination with cricket started at age six when she would go down to the local park in Plimmerton as a fascinated spectator. From there she joined the Wellington Collegians club before making the move to Onslow seven years ago. She said she couldn’t have had a successful cricketing career without the support of some very important people. “The parents’ support doesn’t go unnoticed,” she said. “They’ve always been there. [Previous Blaze coach and now Cricket Wellington High Performance Manager] Robbie Kerr has also coached me for a long time and has done a great job, and now Mark [Borthwick] is there too.”
Blaze coach Mark Borthwick said it’s a wonderful milestone for Cooper to reach. “We are so chuffed. She’s a good servant for the blaze and she’s a fantastic advocate for the women’s game,” he said. “She’s staunch and tough but she’s got a gentle exterior and can be quite unassuming.”
She’s had a good run on the domestic scene. Two years ago she describes it as her best season to date, but she also has numerous goals to continue in the same vein at both domestic and club level. “Onslow has won the championship seven years in a row, so let’s hope we can do the same this season,” she said. “I’ve got the drive to continue to do well. I also think I have a few more years in me. But I’m going to assess it after each season.”
Her Blaze teammates have also cottoned onto her 100 games. “The girls have been giving me a bit of stick,” she laughed. “100 games is more a sign of my age!”
With the new format of the women’s sides only playing five One-Day games a season, Cooper is realistic she probably won’t make another 100 games. “It would take 20 years to reach that mark!”
Cooper said she enjoys playing the sport, but there are other aspects that keep her going. “Some good things about being a female cricketer is that in Wellington we’ve got a fantastic team culture and we bond strong friendships,” she concluded.
