The North Coast under 18 cricket team was crowned champions after sweeping all before it at the recent NSW Country Championships.
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The Championships were held in Port Stephens from October 8 until 11.
In a remarkable performance, the team remained undefeated throughout the tournament claiming a sixth straight title for the North Coast zone.
Port Macquarie-Hastings players in the title-winning team included Hannah Faux, Keisha Dowsett and Sophia Mavros.
An under 15 championship ran parallel with the under 18s titles.
North Coast played Western, Riverina and Central North in the preliminary rounds with some standout performances, said coach Kate Jackson.
"In the clash with Western, Georgie Martin hit a solid 36 not out while Hannah Faux reached 32 runs," Jackson said.
"With the ball, Holly Simmons took 3 for 16 while Taquayla Dawson returned the excellent figures of 2/4.
"Against Riverina, Sophia Mavros returned the remarkable figures of five for five. Against Central North, Simmons returned 3 for 6 while Faux chipped in with a fine 3 for 13. With the bat Anika Learoyd top scored with 31."
In the final, North Coast took on Newcastle, Jackson said.
North Coast continued its strong performance by restricting Newcastle to a paltry 9 for 56 with Holly Simmons taking 3 for 6.
North Coast took just 9.1 overs to reach the target, eventually fininshing at 2 for 57.
Simmons was eventually named player of the final.
North Coast has been blessed to have a remarkable group of girls to work with and this tournament is a genuine highlight on the calendar.
- Kate Jackson
"North Coast has been blessed to have a remarkable group of girls to work with and this tournament is a genuine highlight on the calendar," Jackson said.
"The focus was not only on cricket, with players making great friends and lifelong memories through their time involved in the sport.
"Cricket NSW have provided a fantastic base for girls to develop their skills and for those lucky enough, the opportunity to make a career doing what they love.
"Growth in the female game was evidenced through the amount of talent on display during the tournament with players skill levels impressing across the board.
"I can only see the level of talent continuing to increase year on year and it really excites me moving forward," Jackson said.
With more females playing cricket across the state, locally we are looking to drum up interest in some all-girls competitions across term 1 next year, Jackson said.
"With all school children receiving two Active Kids vouchers each year and a new one released January 1 2020 there is no better time to get involved in cricket," Jackson added.
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