Cricket: Bay of Plenty programme helps girls into male-dominated sport

BOPCA women's development officer Rebecca Yee works with 11-year-old Tauranga Primary School student Aahana Narang as part of the term four coaching session. Photo / John Borren

An initiative aimed at encouraging more girls to consider cricket as a sport, and potentially spark a long-term interest, is making an impact in the Western Bay of Plenty.

During term one and term four of the school year this year, the Bay of Plenty Cricket Association (BOPCA) has been delivering weekly coaching sessions at schools around the region for girls between Year 4 to 6 as part of the GoGirl programme. The programme, which is the second step of the Bay of Plenty Cricket Women's/Girls pathway following on from the Schools Cricket Awareness campaigns, features a combination of the fundamental motor and cricket skills programme.

BOPCA women's development officer Rebecca Yee said the programme was more than just about cricket, it was also about building confidence in girls to grow a love of the game.
And yesterday, that programme ended with the Super Six's, a six-a-side competition at Blake Park against a backdrop of international cricket as day four of the four-day New Zealand A vs India A match was under way.

The tournament was about allowing those who had taken part in the coaching sessions to put their new-found cricket skills into action.

Tauranga Primary School student Brooke Valois at the six-a-side cricket tournament at Blake Park yesterday. Photo / Kristin Macfarlane

Tauranga Primary School students Brooke Valois, 9, said she enjoyed taking part in the tournament because she got to catch her opponents "out on the full". She enjoyed everything about the sport, she said.

Yee said a total of 31 teams playing across 15 pitches took part in the competition, including seven teams from Greerton's Greenpark School, which showed schools were supportive of a girls-only programme.

"I think it's a very male-dominated sport and having this available to them can break away those barriers of lack of confidence," she said.

She said it helped encourage girls who were hesitant to take part in a mixed environment to learn new skills.

She said the day went well and some of those who took part also attended the association's Friday coaching and game sessions.

"I am really happy how the GoGirl activities have gone this term.

"The young girls have been really keen to learn more about cricket and are really coming on with their skills and technique in big strides.

"Each team has improved over the time of their coaching sessions and have been very enthusiastic about the game."