CRICKET: Broome ladies to represent WA

Three of Broome’s top female cricketers have been selected to represent Western Australia at a prestigious national tournament in January.

The 2016 Commonwealth Bank Australian Country Cricket Championships will take place next month in Mount Gambier, South Australia, pitting the nation’s best regional cricketers against one another.

Broome’s Melinda Knox, Jolene Roberts and Lauren Gibson have made the WA squad for the competition, which is hosting a women’s version for the first time.

The trio has honed their skills locally over 2015 but has been starved of competitive action due to location and fixtures falling through.

In Broome women’s first match against Derby, Roberts took 3-4 in her first two overs, but has since moved to Denmark in the State’s south.

Gibson is a relative newcomer to the game but has taken to cricket quickly. She took 1-9 from three overs against Derby, while also racking up 18 runs.

Knox’s consistency has been evident in both the women’s team and in the Mangrove B Grade squad.

Her innings against Derby saw her take 4-8 from four overs and 2-4 from three.

Broome Ladies Cricket Club president Tammara Olds said the trio’s achievements were exceptional and that their selection was another boost for the game locally.

Broome ladies cricket has stopped training for the year but are set to recommence in early 2016, with grand plans for the next 12 months.