Female Tigers continue to roar

ONE of the region’s founding women’s cricket clubs is reaping the rewards of sticking with a rapidly growing female game.

The Torquay Cricket Club first dipped its toes into women’s cricket in 2017 when the original Geelong Girls Cricket League started to take shape, now the club is fully functioning on the women’s front staging two junior sides and a senior’s side in the 2021/22 campaign.

Torquay CC now fields a Stage 1, Stage 2 and a Barwon Women’s Cricket Competition teams this season, a big expansion in the eyes of club president Rob Dunne, who could not be prouder of the efforts made by everyone involved.

“It has been a fun journey being able to watch these girls develop and get involved in what is otherwise a predominantly-male sport,” Dunne said.

“It has also been a bit of a challenge at times, but that’s like any sport and trying to get women their own centre stage, but to sum it up, overall, it has been an enjoyable experience.”

Senior’s captain in Sarah Boak has been a major advocate for growing the women’s game in Torquay.

Boak continues to play an important role at the club and has been instrumental in producing the club’s three women’s sides.

“It’s been absolutely fantastic to see the club’s competition grow the way it has,” Boak said.

“For us as a club, to see the youth come up through the ranks and gather interest amongst the junior girls is absolutely amazing, and seeing them develop is just incredible.”

The club believes its women’s program is set to expand, however, the president noted when the Tigers begin expansion it will be done in a “sustainable” way.

“I believe we will expand, but it’s really important that it is done sustainably,” Dunne said.

“Any time sport grows, and interest grows, the real challenge is to get people to commit and continue playing, which then comes back to our club values and the way we go about what we do.

“It’s a balance of competitiveness, it’s a balance of development and it’s a balance of fun, that we try to perfect here at Torquay.”

To keep up-to-date with Torquay’s three women’s sides, head to the club’s Facebook page for all the latest information.