Numbers are booming for girls’ cricket and a big part of that success can be put down to the introduction of Quikhit tournaments. It's a chance for girls to try out their cricket skills and get involved in the game in a fun environment.
Over the next three days over 50 girls’ teams will participate in the tournaments in three zones. The annual tournaments are in its third year and team numbers have increased significantly.
Organiser Maia Lewis said it’s encouraging to see so many girls interested in the sport. “In our first year we only had 10 teams. This year it’s increased so much that we’ve had to spilt the tournaments across three days and three zones,” she said.
The tournaments are used as an opportunity for girls to gain experience in the sport and to encourage them into club cricket. “Our goal is to get girls to play for their local clubs. These one day fun tournaments give the girls a taste of what cricket is like,” Lewis said. “Our goal is to boost the number of teams for the Milo Shield competition and get more girls playing in our under 12 and under 14 competitions.”
Girls can be reluctant to play cricket especially when they are playing alongside and against their male counterparts, however Lewis said the role of the tournaments is to let girls know there are options for them to play in girls’ only teams. “This is a recruitment drive for girls to play in girls only grades. We want to make cricket fun and social for girls. For boys it can be quite competitive while girls are more social,” she said.
Alongside Lewis current White Ferns Sara McGlashan, Lucy Doolan and Nicola Browne will be making an appearance at the tournaments. Lewis said it’s so important to have positive role models for the girls. “It’s huge having the White Ferns involved. Last year at the tournament as soon as we announced the White Ferns were coming we had a lot more teams get involved. The White Ferns get in there and sign autographs and talk with the girls about the sport,” she said.
The White Ferns will also be at Eden Park on Thursday signing autographs, answering questions and running skills and drills with some of the girls who participate in the tournaments.
