Kirsten Smith is set to captain Newcastle in what will be another milestone moment for female cricketers in the region, and the significance of the occasion is not lost on the 22-year-old.
A 13-player Newcastle women's representative side was named on Tuesday. Players were picked on experience as well as performances in the rapidly expanding Newcastle District Cricket Association competition, which has exploded from fives teams last year to nine this summer.
Newcastle will play Central Coast, North Coast and Northern Inland in the Northern pool of the Regional Bash at Tuggerah from December 3-4. The carnival is played in T20 format and will be the first of its kind for senior women.
The winners of the Northern pool will play winners of a southern pool in a NSW Country final. From there a NSW Country team will be selected to compete on the national stage.
Smith has played for the Bush Breakers at the Australian Country Championships previously but never has the pathway been so clear for women.
"Having the new sides playing and a bigger competition means we were able to see more talent and really base that team selection off performances, which is really exciting," Smith said.
"Instead of just saying we've got enough numbers for a team, everyone had to work hard to get into the side. I think it's awesome.
"Previously for Newcastle, it would just be one game whereas now we have that Northern pool. It's a good opportunity to play a good amount of cricket rather than just playing one game.
"Something that has been lacking before is more games for the open division, so it's a fantastic step to keep people in the game at that higher level when they come out of under-age tournaments."
The Newcastle team is a mix of proven talent and fresh faces. They include Merewether's Lauren Lennox, who is the NDCA league's leading runscorer after four rounds of seven, and "up-and-coming allrounder" Kate McTaggart, who plays alongside Smith for Newcastle City.
It also features ACT Meteors development player Allison McGrath.
Smith is confident the team can produce a strong showing in the Regional Bash.
"We want to be the best team in the Northern hub and I think we've got a great side," she said.
"Our local competition really sets us up to be in a position to be really competitive."
NDCA chairman Paul Majoribanks expected the women's league to grow further next year with other clubs also showing interest and said it was an important "stepping stone" to representative pursuits.
"For the younger players, they can now aspire to play for their local district side, and then for the district players in our local competition, that gives them an opportunity to represent their region," he said.
Newcastle team: Kirsten Smith (captain), Sienna Eve, Kate McTaggart, Allison McGrath (City), Maddie Case, Lauren Lennox (Merewether), Emma Jane Howe (vice-captain), Kate Handley, Skye Lovett, Paige Mathewson (Waratah), Maddi McGuigan, Abbey Taylor, Clare Webber (Wests).
Meanwhile, Wests Rosellas and Waratah-Mayfield remain on a collision course in the NDCA women's league after five rounds.
The two sides remain the only ones unbeaten and will only cross paths if they meet in the final. Nine teams are contesting a seven-round competition with the final scheduled for December 15.
Waratah bowled economically to restrict Wests, who have two sides playing in the league, to 6/49 in 20 overs at Elermore Vale Park. The matches were moved from turf to synthetic wickets to get played due to wet grounds.
Emily Palmer and Emma-Jayne Howe both took 2-6 off three and four overs respectively for Waratah, who reached 1/53 in 7.3 overs in reply. Opener Tayla Braithwaite did the damage with 39 runs off 34 balls.
Wests Rosellas produced a similarly dominant performance in their game against Warners Bay at John Street Oval. The Rosellas had Warners Bay all out for 39 off 10.1 overs. Jess Hjort took 3-1 off two overs and Lara Robertson 2-6 off two. Wests reached 44 without dropping a wicket in 6.3 overs with Abbey Taylor leading the way with 26 not out.
Newcastle City (4/58) beat Charlestown (9/57) at Waratah Park Oval No.5 and Molly Simpson produced a quickfire 30, including three sixes, to get Hamilton-Wickham (6/102) home with five balls to spare against Merewether (7/101).
