Coach Tommy Anderson expects a three-day camp at state-of-the-art Cricket Central to provide an edge as NSW Country target the Australian Country Cricket Championships women's crown in Canberra this month.
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Anderson, from Newcastle, has assembled a 14-player squad he believes can challenge for the title at the tournament, which will be staged from January 14 to 20.
It includes five Newcastle players in top-order batter Kirsten Smith, all-rounder Abbey Taylor, fast bowler Ally McGrath plus spinners Emma-Jayne Howe and Jaclyn Vickery.
Smith returns to the Bush Breakers after being unavailable last year, when NSW Country won a COVID-affected tournament in Albury-Wodonga.
Taylor, McGrath and Howe all made their first appearances last year while Vickery is heading to her fourth Australian Country tournament.
Only four teams competed in an invitational championships last summer but it returns to full capacity this time around with seven sides vying for success, including Papua New Guinea.
"We've got a really good blend of youth and experience," Anderson said.
"Our oldest player Jo Kelly is 46 and still plays first grade in Sydney for St George. She played for the Breakers and is a really knowledgeable player.
"Every girl plays first grade in Sydney bar one. Claire Murray, from Riverina, plays first grade in Canberra.
"Overall, we have a really well-rounded team. I'd be disappointed if we didn't make the semi-finals, hugely disappointed.
"Our spinners are going to prove crucial, our fast bowlers are outstanding and our batting is quite strong. We're looking forward to it."
The NSW Country squad will have a three-day camp from Wednesday at the new $60 million Cricket NSW facility at Sydney Olympic Park.
"We feel like that will give us our best advantage over the other teams," Anderson said.
Howe, Taylor and McGrath play for Northern Districts in NSW Women's Premier Cricket while Vickery is at St George-Sutherland.
Howe, 33, and Vickery, 31, led Waratah-Mayfield to their first Newcastle District Cricket Association women's T20 title in December. Smith, 23, and McGrath, 20, play for Newcastle City while Taylor, 21, is at West. All five are in the Newcastle Blasters team who will play in the women's Regional Bash finals in February.
"It was great to be able to play with older girls last year," Taylor, who also represented NSW Country at junior level, said.
"I learnt a lot of new things, different ways people play the game. This year, I'm hoping to keep learning from the older players and keep growing as a player."
Meanwhile, Lachlan Williams hit 65 runs and took 3-43 as Newcastle (8-274) defeated Western (218) in round six of Bradman Cup (under-16) representative cricket at Cardiff No.2 Oval on Thursday. The competition concludes on Friday.
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