Sport: Girls Cricket Champions

Both our Intermediate and Year 7 Girls Super 8 Cricket teams have become Upper Hume Champions , winning their School Sport Victoria competitions at the Barr Reserve, meaning our school won 2 of the 3 age groups on the day, against the 8 schools in our region.

Although both the Year 7's and Intermediates finished Runner-up in both 2023 and 2024, this is the 1st time any of our Girls have been Champions at Upper Hume level, since at least 2016 (records only go back to 2017). For 2 teams to win this year, is significant. We are back in business on the Cricket Pitch.

Captain Milly O’Kane and Kaity Ford steered the Inters (Isabelle Christison, Jedda Driscoll, Kaity Ford, Milly O’Kane, Casey Sheppard, Emily Swinburne and Taylah Wyatt) to the Title, as they defeated Galen College (174-134), Cathedral College (108-99) and the Victory Lutheran College Wodonga “B Team” (268-61) in their Pool matches, and then in the Final, slid Victory’s A Team into a hearse (215-137).

Year 10 O’Kane was the dominant Cricketer at the carnival. The Netball Victoria U17 State Team member, 2024 Ovens & Murray FNL U17 Netball League Best & Fairest and 2024 Wangaratta Magpies Premiership player, made 284 runs from 37 balls across the 4 matches. That’s a Strike Rate of 7.7 runs per ball. That included a “Century” against Victory B (108 from her 12 balls), and 79 from 9 in the Final. It was a staggering performance from the Wonder Kid.

Have we ever had a more dominant girl in such a wide range of Sports? Not that I've seen or heard about, having scoured our decades of Sport archives. Carlton AFLW star Darcy Vescio (2006-2011) may be one that had a similar level of talent - I didn't see Darcy in action in School Sport enough, to be able to compare them.

In her 1st over faced for the day (after a dot ball to get her eye in), Milly smashed four 12s in a row (hits past bowler are worth double runs), and then an 8, to rack up 56 in her first 6 balls. She then in her 2nd over, went 12, 12, 2, 6, 8, 12 for a total of 52 in those 6 balls.

The Inter game against Cathedral College proved their toughest challenge and closest match for the day, as they had us 3/19 after 4 overs, and then had Milly tied up with two dot balls in a row straight up in the 5th over and then forcing a wicket on that 4th ball. Milly didn’t get to unleash until her 2nd over, albeit did crush 36 runs in a 4 ball frenzy (14, 4, 12, 4) which proved the difference in the match.

In the Final against the Victory Lutheran College “A Team”, it looked precarious for a while. However Milly O’Kane again took charge, smashing 76 from 9 balls (8, 0, 12, 8, 10, 12, 6, 8, 12) to guide us to a score of 9/170. Victory looked good early on in their chase, sitting at 2/52 after 3 overs (we had been 5/33 at the same stage). However, enter Jasmina Scott, who scalped 3 wickets in her first 4 deliveries, breaking Victory’s hearts. To top it off, O’Kane took Catch Of The Day, charging in from Long-Off diving at full stretch in front of her and then clamping it just above the grass. Final scores were 215-137.

Year 9 Ford also got off the chain a few timesl. The Murray Bushrangers U16 Footballer and Wangaratta Warriors Basketballer belted 59 runs from 9 balls against Victory B, and 40 from 4 against Galen.

Ford showed tremendous Leadership in the morning, when a number of girls had pulled out injured or ill. Calculating team numbers herself, she showed initiative to rush and quickly recruit 4 players. That single act, prevented the forfeiting of the Year 9 team, giving 8 girls the opportunity to play - one they would not otherwise have had. It also almost certainly resulted in the Intermediate team's Title, as it gave them 8 players instead of 6, with herself and Taylah Wyatt promoting themselves from the Year 9 squad to help the Year 10 team. What a character she is.

Captain Ava Penney led the Year 7 team (Macy Boschetti, Evie Fisher, Emmy Hansted, Lexi Hayward, Olive Meggs, Ava Penney and Ashton Ryan) to their Title in thrilling circumstances.

They defeated Galen College (120-114) with Ashton Ryan taking 3 wickets, and Catholic College Wodonga (106-72) comfortably, and then our own “B Team” (247-54). The wins against Galen and Catholic College were serious efforts. Both schools have twice the enrolments of our school. Also, many of the Galen girls were part of the St. Bernard's team that went to State Finals last year. None of our Girls had played the format before. They are a seriously talented group.

The only loss for the Year 7 team was by 5 runs to Cathedral, who lost 2 games for the day which had us crowned Champions. The fixture against Cathedral College loomed as the “winner takes all” game, and we had them on toast, batting first making 3/100, and then leading by 24 runs with 4 balls left seemingly home. Cathedral somehow though, blasted  25 runs (including two 12s) in the next 3 balls. With our girls down by 2 and needing a wicket with the last ball to win it, Cathedral scored a 3 to win by 5 runs.

However luck turned our way, as Galen defeated Cathedral (150-101) in the final round. This meant that, with Cathedral having lost 2 matches, and us having only lost 1 match as Galen had, but us winning the Galenfixture, our girls were crowned the Champions.

While Penney was our star, it was a very even team of talented girls. 6 of the 8 girls came from the Statewide-Award winning Wangaratta West Primary School, and anumber are also daughters of past students - Macy Boschetti, Evie Fisher, Emmy Hansted, Olive Meggs and Penney.

Many people to thank for yesterday. Kev McGennan for the terrific photos. Ash Clayton for coaching. Harry Hildebrand for popping over and helping train the Year 7s over 2 Lunchtimes. Harry was a long-time President Of Cricket Peru in South America, and Captain of Peru's National Cricket team for many years.

We had an army of terrific Boys Helpers - Ollie Fisher (Year 7), Noah Anderson, Bailey Bridgfoot, Mason Skermer and Jack Vincent (Year 8), Jeremy Begley, Lachlan Downing and Will Sayers (Year 9), who were vital in umpiring, scoring and coaching. Sandy 'Newmo" Newman, who was convener of the day. And of course all 41 players who were white frankly outstanding in all aspects of behaviour and participation all day yesterday.

Thanks also to alumni (both student and teacher) and one of our “favourite sons” Jon “Hopper” McCormick for passing on tips to our girls during the week. Hopper, now teaching at Bass Valley Primary School near Phillip Island, has coached his Girls teams to the State Title in Super 8 Cricket the last 2 years in a row. 

Despite being a school so small they don’t have enough Grade 6 Girls to even fill a Cricket team (last year’s State Champion team had one Grade 5 and 2 Grade 4s stepping up to fill numbers), they defeated much larger and well-endowed schools including Wangaratta’s own St. Bernard’s (200-70). 

Better still, those Girls also won the State Title in Softball and Teeball in those years. No school in Victoria has ever won Titles in 3 sports in a year before. They have done that “Treble” twice in a row. They have won 8 State Titles in the last 5 years. It's the most extraordinary feat in School Sport Victory history, and has head honchos from all of those Sporting bodies visit their campus to see how he does it with so few players to choose teams from.

We will highlight Hopper’s story in more detail soon, when he is presented a prestigious School Sport Victoria award at the MCG later in March. One of our greatest talents of all time, he played 26 AFL games for Carlton, and made an Under 17 State Cricket team. In younger years, he also made a State Football Under 12 team when at Milawa Primary School, and at Under 14 level was named the best Cricketer in Victoria, voted player of the series at the Hatch Shield. He once kicked 9 goals in a Year 8 School Football game, playing as a rover, leading that team to the State Grand Final, and in Year 7 was the star player as our 7-8 School Cricket team also made the State Grand Final. For good measure, the all-rounder won the top Academic award in Year 7, was a King House Captain and of course, a Prefect.

Jon's parents, Ian (also known as "Hopper" and also a P.E teacher like his boy) and Nina, are also legends of Wangaratta High School, and are two of the most beloved primary school teachers in Wangaratta over the last 50 years, most recently at Wangaratta West.

Hume Region stage dates and locations for both winning teams will be announced soon.

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator.