Women’s cricket comes to Ballan

BALLAN Cricket Club is set to field an inaugural women’s team later this year.

State Member for Eureka, Michaela Settle, visited the Ballan Recreation Reserve on Friday 31 May to announce the club had been successful in its bid for a Change Our Game Community Activation Grant to make it happen, receiving $4500.

Committee member and inaugural coach of Ballan’s women’s side, Summer Dehnert, said momentum had been building for the side to compete.

“I played my junior cricket here 20 years ago, and back then there were no women’s teams basically in the area. There was one in Ballarat that played in Melbourne but that was about it,” she said.

“Now the number of teams in Ballarat is great to see, and to be able to have Ballan come in with a women’s side is awesome.

“It’s such a great stepping stone, we’ve got so many junior girls who are going to have the opportunity to come up and play for this senior women’s team.

“It shows that there’s a place for women in our club, and in our sport as well.”

Ms Settle congratulated the club on the achievement, and said announcing the provision of grants to causes like this was her favourite part of the job.

“Something like this is just so important for the community, but incredibly important for young women and older women in particular,” Ms Settle said.

“A new women’s cricket team will be an inspiration to young Ballan girls who want to give the sport a go, but haven’t seen themselves represented locally.”

Ballan Cricket Club president David Leach said the club had been trying for years to establish a senior team for women.

“We’ve tried for two or three years to get a women’s team going. Once it gets into the mainstream, we’re hopeful we’ll get a few more ladies on-board to play,” he said.

“We’re eager to have a club that includes everyone – juniors, seniors, male and female.

“The future at the club is very exciting. We’ve worked very hard to get to this stage…you’re meant to have an off-season with cricket, well we haven’t.”

With a need to cover the cost of equipment and fees to play in the Ballarat Cricket Association, Mr Leach said grants are essential in keeping the club running.

“For any new team, the cost is massive. It’s not just equipment. Affiliation fees with the BCA are our biggest cost after equipment, we spend $8500 on affiliation fees et cetera,” he said.

“That money has to come from somewhere, and you can’t make it from chook raffles. Without grants and sponsorship, we wouldn’t survive, simple as that.”

The Ballan women’s side will play its first match in the upcoming BCA season, which begins in October.