Padding up: Girls can play cricket, too!
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Megan Fisher
Students from Greater Shepparton Secondary College will be experiencing what it is like to be a ‘Journalist For A Day’ in The News’ new weekly column, contributing stories they have worked on in class about topics and issues they are passionate about.
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Cricket is a beloved sport played worldwide.
It’s a big part of Christmas in Australia, with rules altered based on family interpretations. I made some of my favourite childhood memories while playing cricket; for example, when my grandma dismissed my dad or the yearly matches with my mum’s side of the family that always got super competitive.
I always looked forward to the game we would play straight after Christmas lunch and dinner. Cricket quickly became my favourite sport, and while it was usually boring to watch (it would always go for hours), I really enjoyed playing it.
When I was 10, I played cricket for a year. I was old enough to be part of my first girls’ competition. I wasn’t very good, but I loved playing. There were very few teams, and most of the girls were a few years older than me. Since this competition, I have seen fewer younger girls play cricket. I know plenty of older girls but couldn’t name one younger than me.
I’ve played lots of sports, and while I have enjoyed them all, none has made me feel the way cricket does.
The organisers extinguished the girls’ competition because not enough teams entered, so I joined my brother in a boys’ competition for a year. It was a little weird playing with his friends, though, especially because they were younger and immature, so I didn’t enjoy it like I used to.
Getting girls to participate in cricket has always been a struggle, and it’s upsetting because I feel so strongly about the sport. I feel it’s too late for me to properly understand the game now.
The reason I write this is to inform you about the challenge of creating cricket teams for women. While people play it as a Christmas sport, it isn’t a sport often advertised, and when it is, it is seen as boring. While it may be easier to play cricket in larger cities, it is difficult in regional areas. This is a problem that I hope to solve for my younger family members and future children.
I believe I should be able to play with girls my age and be supported by girls of the same ability as myself. Even if I chose to play for a boys’ team, they would place me in a team a few age groups younger, which is unfair, although I do understand.
When I was younger, I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the sport. It’s not the 1900s anymore.
Girls should be able to play any sport freely.
— Tylah O’Brien
Passionate appeal: Author Tylah O’Brien.
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