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Kiwi Cricket Kōrero host and writer Ellie Indie writes about her ‘Team of the Tournament’ from the National U19 Women’s Tournament. (Originally written 19/12/22).
The National Women’s U19 Tournament got underway on the 4th December to the 10th, providing us with some great action and showcasing New Zealand’s best up-and-coming talents. The tournament itself has undergone a massive transformation over the years, previously being at the higher age rank of 21. It’s seen players like Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite, Maddy Green and Amelia Kerr hone their skills before making the step up to their respective senior sides.
It was recently changed in 2019 to the Under 19 bracket to cater for the 2023 ICC Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup, giving the nation a chance to prepare their finest in advance for the inaugural edition of the competition.
Previous winners of the U19 competition include Ocean Bartlett (Central Districts, ‘21–22), skipper for the NZ development XI touring India in November — December, Fran Jonas (Auckland, ‘20–21), who made her International debut for the White Ferns senior side before the junior equivalent, and Kate Chandler (Wellington, ‘22–23), this year’s champion who notably took a 5-fer on Wellington Blaze debut at 14.
This year the Wellington Blaze won the U19 cup in close fashion, the winner decided on the final day with 4 teams up for title contention. Blaze eventually came out on top via a win over the Northern Districts, and snatching just one more point than two-time champions Central Districts in 2nd.
There were players dotted around the competition who, despite not having any gold or trophies to suffice, had winning performances throughout the week’s play. I’ve compiled a few names together to create what is my team of the National
U19 Women’s Tournament:
Emma Irwin © (Auckland), Tash Wakelin (Northern Districts), Izzy Sharp (Canterbury), Emma McLeod (Central Districts), Kate Irwin (Auckland), Rishika Jaiswal (Auckland), Antonia Hamilton (WK) (Wellington), Kate Chandler (Wellington), Kate Craig (Auckland), Gretel Fairbrother (Central Districts), Ava Conroy (Wellington)
Player spotlights:
Takapuna allrounder Kate Irwin had a superb third season in the age group competition, and potentially her best. She dominated the wicket takers chart alongside Rishika Jaiswal, coming out on top with the better economy and average. Irwin’s 15 wickets at 3.65 rpo with an average of 12.53, twice making it into the top 10 best bowling charts with 4–53 versus Central Hinds (One Dayer) and 3–8 versus Otago (T20) making her the only player to do so in the 2022–23 edition.
These performances made her a crucial asset to Auckland’s bowling attack. While her bowling was definitely the golden point in her campaign, she was handy with bat too — beating twin sister Emma who was last year’s highest run scorer. Irwin finished 4th with 248 runs at a whopping average of 82.67, and a high score of 64*. An incredible step up from previous seasons, Irwin was unlucky to miss out on the Ferns U19 side and instead made the reserves role.
Rishika Jaiswal’s first season in the tournament will be one to remember. The North Shore leggie made a last impact on the tournament, ending up the highest wicket taker alongside fellow Auckland U19 teammate Kate Irwin with 15 wickets. 12 of those coming from the 50 over matches, where she struck at 3.30 rpo and clinched a 5 fer versus Northern Districts — 5–17 which ended up being the best figures across the entire tournament.
Jaiswal’s focuses shifted for the T20s, no longer a tailender but an opener for the Hearts. She didn’t disappoint at the top either, with 86 runs at 43.00. Her contributions in both departments of the game in each format made her a key player for the side. Jaiswal’s antics could well be present for another 3 years in the U19 comp, debuting for the side just a few weeks after her 16th birthday, a positive note for third placed Auckland.
Izzy Sharp is Canterbury’s next best batter if this competition is anything to go by, it’s certainly helped her cause amongst the New Zealand selectors already as she’s been picked for the U19 national side as a result. Sharp seemed in control at all times during her outings, leading her partnerships from the front and the team to 4th overall.
She excelled in the 20 over fixtures, in her final game scoring an impressive (and her best of the comp) 73 off 54 balls vs Auckland and landing on top in the 6’s. Finishing the 7th highest run scorer, with 205 runs at 29.29, Sharp’s strong point was her running between wickets and finding handy runs for her side — something she’ll be looking to replicate for the Ferns U19 unit.
Northern Districts A and U19 captain Tash Wakelin continues a good run of form from the A side to her U19 side. She top scored in that A clash with Central Hinds, scoring 55 off 41, and 40 off 35. It was a similar story in the U19 competition for Wakelin, finishing the second highest run scorer overall behind Emma McLeod with 308 runs averaging 51.33 and striking at an appealing 3rd highest in the comp 111.19.
Wakelin was also high up in the 4’s charts, opting for a less aggressive approach to her game. Like many in the tournament, she was selected for the New Zealand Women’s U19 squad for the junior World Cup in January. Given her outings for all Northern Districts sides, she and Sharp seem an exciting potential top order
Central Hinds’ latest star Emma McLeod impressed even before the competition versus the Northern Districts A side, a 2 game affair in which she took 3 wickets for 8 runs in 1.3 overs and scored a quick fire 50* in. Coming off the back of that performance it was expected McLeod would shine in the U19 competition, which she did. Scoring just over a quarter of her team’s runs, McLeod ramped up an impressive 50 over campaign with 262 runs at an average of 131.00, with two 50+ scores and a 100* to her name in 4 innings.
A slightly less successful T20 run for the Hinds allrounder, with just 60 runs coming from those games. It didn’t play much impact on the Wairarapa star’s overall position in the table, finishing highest run scorer of the tournament.
Honourable mentions:
While they didn’t quite make the cut for my team this year, their performances hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Abigail Hotton (Canterbury) put in a great effort for her side only playing in the 50 over games, with 144 runs and 7 wickets — including a 4 fer — in just 4 innings. She also boasts the joint third highest number of catches overall being at the end of 4 wickets, one behind fellow Cantab Maggie Martin. Hotton’s time in the competition had earned her a spot in the New Zealand Women’s U19 squad for the U19 World Cup.
Isabel Parry (Otago) first debuted for the Otago U19’s back in the 2020–21 season, where she picked up a singular wicket in her first game. Fast forward two seasons to this year, she was arguably the stand out star for her Sparks side who unfortunately only saw 2 wins from 7 games. She was the highest run scorer for her team and eighth across the whole tournament, with 195 runs with an average of 39.00 and a best score of 67*. Parry also had successful stints with the ball, taking 5 wickets with a 3 wicket haul versus Northern Districts.
Wicketkeeper and skipper Jesse Hollard (Central Districts) opened the innings for the Hinds in every game, with a mixed bag of performances for the Taranaki representative. With the gloves, she saw the end of 6 innings via a catch behind the stumps. Her batting efforts were equally impressive, a respectable 184 runs at 30.67 and leading the 6 hitters chart.
Many of this side have earned an U19 World Cup callup, namely Tash Wakelin, Izzy Sharp, Emma McLeod, Antonia Hamilton and Kate Chandler. The rest of the Ferns U19 squad include Georgia Plimmer, Fran Jonas (2020–21 National U19s Champion) and Izzy Gaze, who’ve a combined 46 caps for the White Ferns, Olivia Anderson & Anna Browning (Auckland), Tash Codyre (Wellington), Abigail Hotton (Canterbury), Bree Illing (Auckland), Kayley Knight (Northern Districts) and Paige Loggenberg (Otago).
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