Manawatū cricketer Aria Cameron named in ANZ Next XI cricket academy

One of Aria Cameron's proudest moments was beating the boys to receive an award for "most promising schoolboy" at the Marist prizegiving. Photo / Kevin Bills Media

Feilding cricketer Aria Cameron has scored the opportunity of a lifetime being named one of the ANZ Next XI.

ANZ searched the country to find 11 passionate young cricketers who were ready to take their skills to the next level. The Next XI academy will show New Zealand's young female cricketing talent a pathway into elite-level cricket and future world cups.

Aria will this year attend a White Ferns junior training academy, where she will meet the players, train with the team, attend expert-led master classes, and learn valuable skills.

The 13-year-old was in disbelief to be named one of the squad.

"I didn't actually believe Mum when she told me. I didn't think I was going to get in, but I really wanted to."

Aria plays for Palmerston North Marist Women's Cricket Club, Manawatū Cricket Association and Feilding High School.

Her entrance to cricket at age 5 was star studded. "The Black Caps came to our school and gave us each a bat and did training and games with us. I was only 5 so I didn't really know what was going on - but I liked it. I didn't even know what cricket was before that."

Aria went looking for a club team to join and had trouble finding a girls team. After being denied by boys teams in her age group, by pure luck she found a girls team she'd never heard of: The Pink and White Dynamite.

"Everyone was really welcoming. When I went to that first game I honestly didn't know what I was doing, but everyone was so supportive and so nice."

She now wicketkeeps for the adult Marist women's team.

"It's really fun. It's a different skill level to school. You learn a lot because everyone is from a different age group and skill level. Wicketkeeping is my favourite position now."

Aria's proudest moments so far were hitting her first 50 in her first game batting for Marist, and beating the boys to receive an award for "most promising schoolboy" at the Marist prizegiving. "I guess I was just better than the boys."

Aria received a bowling lesson from her favourite White Fern and Palmerston North local Hannah Rowe at a summer training clinic, and she's hoping for another lesson at the Next XI academy.

"When Hannah bowls she does a special skippy jump thing, she taught us how to do that. It helps you to bowl a lot faster."