When Deb Waltho noticed a new Highlands women's cricket competition last year, little did she know 12 months later she would be busily managing its second season.
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The Tina Macpherson Cup officially kicked off in 2020 with four clubs (Robertson, Moss Vale, Wingello and Bowral), becoming the inaugural women's league in the region.
Despite only running for just over a month, the T20 competition managed to double its playing base and with one new club already confirmed for 2021/22, Waltho said they would look to push for a sixth if the numbers continue to grow.
"We started with a four week competition last year just as a starter and four clubs got involved," Waltho told the Southern Highland News.
"We started the first week with 29 players and by the end of the comp we had 61 players registered. It grew very quickly.
"That's now grown so this year we have a longer competition which is running for 12 weeks, COVID-permitting and we've got another team on board in Hill Top Northern Villages. Lauren Friend and myself who played for Robertson last year have gone over to help build a team there.
"We've already got over 50 women registered and we've pushed our registration date back to October 20 to allow for more so we're confident we'll be able to field all five teams and even get a sixth onboard."
It's been quite a journey for Waltho, starting as a simple urge to play again and ending in the newly-created position of Director of Women's Cricket with the Highlands District Cricket Association.
Waltho said it was an exciting time for the women's game in the Highlands after decades of mixed competition.
"That's actually how I got involved," she explained.
"I'm from the UK, in my mid fifties and hadn't played cricket for quite a long time since I arrived because there was no women's cricket here. I played T20 in England and so it was really exciting to get involved in a competition just for women here.
"Sam Nasser runs an academy which grows the rep side of things here and he was also responsible for launching the women's competition last year. Because it's grown so much, his role actually got too big which is why they created the director of women's cricket role."
The Tina Macpherson Cup follows Stage 2 cricket rules which allow every player the chance to bowl (2 overs) and bat (until 15 runs are scored).
With an emphasis of inclusivity and accessibility for players of all experience, Waltho said the ultimate aim was to create a pathway for girls from juniors right through to competitive senior cricket.
"It's very inclusive and open to girls over the age of 12 so it's about getting women and girls playing cricket together," she said.
"We've got players like me who are experienced and have been playing for over 20 years all the way down to absolute beginners like mums who come and play with their daughters. We want to get as many women playing as possible so it's not a daunting prospect if you haven't picked up a bat.
"We want to grow it over time so the aim is to create a pathway so that junior girls who play in with the boys then have their own pathway just like the boys and men and have competition available all the way through to senior level so they can represent Greater Illawarra in the Country Championships.
"Even with just the T20 competition that now means we have competition available for females all the way through which is great. That never existed in the Highlands before so it's very exciting"
Tina Macpherson Cup
When: Wednesdays at 4:45pm, commencing November 17
Where: Stephens Park, Bowral
Registration: Contact your local club
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