Four members of the Pleasant Point Cricket Club have been selected to play at the R66T Dubai Cup next year.
The players, year 10 Craighead Diocesan School pupils Sophie Kelly, Camryn Linton and Ruby Laming, along with Timaru Girls’ High School pupil Hannah Kidd, would be playing in the Under-15 South Island girls’ cricket team.
The tournament, held in Dubai in April, would allow the young women a chance to compete against teams from around the world.
Sophie’s mother and fundraising organiser Belinda Kelly said the opportunity for the girls to play against other girls’ sides from around the globe would be ‘‘amazing’’.
The club had increased the girls’ numbers and had girls’ teams playing for the Pleasant Point Club in the local competition.
But it was difficult as they had ‘‘no other girls’ teams to play against’’, she said.
Camryn started playing cricket seven years ago.
She said, as her brothers played cricket, she ‘‘had to sit on the sideline a lot, so [she] decided to join in’’.
She could not recall if she was the only girl playing, but when Sophie was stuck on the sideline watching her brothers and spotted Camryn playing, Sophie decided to join up too.
Ruby had liked watching cricket on television, and with encouragement from her father, she joined up in year 6. As for Hannah: ‘‘My dad just signed me up’’. Camryn said for four girls to be selected for the team from South Canterbury, it proved that girls in the area were ‘‘exceptional’’ players.
Fundraising had begun in earnest, with sales of wine and cookies along with a ‘‘Have My Back’’ fundraising project.
The project allowed sponsors to support the players by placing their business’ name on the players’ shirt or sleeve.
