Wairarapa Cricket recently hosted their Female Cricket Festival, offering female players in the region several opportunities to compete and connect with other women in the game.
The Festival saw Wairarapa Cricket combine two of their female tournaments - the Lower North Island Year 7/8 Girls Festival and the Mike Shrimpton Trophy – to build some hype around a week of female cricket.
The week begun with the Shrimpton Trophy, contested for by five Women’s District Association sides (Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Taranaki, Nelson and Wairarapa).
The Wairarapa Korus in action - @Graeme Bowden
This flowed into the 9th edition of the Lower North Island Year 7/8 Girls Festival, held over three days with nine teams competing.
Wairarapa Cricket booked food trucks to the venues, offering the perfect opportunity for players to connect over an ice-cream.
Central Hinds representative, Emma McLeod, took time to speak to players – offering her words of wisdom as a former player in the Year 7/8 Festival.
Females were visible in coaching, managing and umpiring roles, showing evidence of increased off-field opportunities for women in Central Districts.
Many of the senior women’s players were also coaches or managers of District Year 7/8 teams, allowing them to give back and inspire the next generation.
As Wairarapa Cricket’s Female Cricket Manager, Melissa Hansen, explained, it is important for both players of young and old to be inspired by one another.
“This festival has been going for nine seasons now, and connects both junior and adult players together through a week of cricket,
“The connection is evident with an increasing number of former Year 7/8 players involved in the Senior Women's games, whether that be on or off-field,
“Hosting both competitions alongside each other it is a fantastic way to illustrate that cricket is a game that can be enjoyed for life,
“And with players such as Emma McLeod coming back to help inspire the next generation... who knows who will be the next star out of Central Districts!”
