All You Need to Know: Female U19 National Championships

The WBBL season might be coming to an end this Sunday, but the nation's top young female cricketers will have another stage to showcase their talent at the Cricket Australia Female U19's National Championships that starts on Monday.

The tournament will be played over eight days from December 2–9 in Perth and will present the final opportunity to the upcoming stars of the game to make their case for selection for the 2025 ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup, which will be held in Malaysia in January.

A part of Cricket Australia's talent pathways program, the competition will be the first of the four age group competitions to be played over the next two months.

The format

Like last year's competition, 10 teams, including an Under-23 side from Papua New Guinea, will be competing for the title. Each side will play six round games – four T20s and two one-day fixtures. The playoffs and the finals will all be in the one-day format.

The iconic WACA ground will host two T20 matches on Monday December 2, including WA's match against NSW Metro. 

How can I watch?

All matches will be live streamed on the Cricket Australia YouTube channel.

How can I follow the scores and results?

All fixtures and the ladder can be accessed online here or through the PlayCricket app. You can also follow the PlayCricket social media channels for best moments and highlights from the competition.

Players to watch

Ines McKeon (Western Australia)

Despite being only 17-years-old, Western Australia’s McKeon is a vastly experienced cricketer. The wicketkeeper-batter represented France in 16 T20Is, before returning to the Australian domestic setup.

McKeon was also part of WA’s squad at last year’s competition and was subsequently picked for the Australian side for the U-19 tri-series featuring New Zealand and Sri Lanka in September.

Her performance there earned her a two-year deal with Melbourne Stars ahead of WBBL|10, giving her the opportunity to share the dressing room with some of the biggest names in the sport like Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp.

McKeon took no time to display the talent she possesses, making a half-century on her WBBL after being sent in to open the batting alongside Lanning. Her first runs came off a six down the ground of senior Aussie leg-spinner Alana King, giving the glimpse of her confidence and abilities.

Maggie Clark (South Australia)

The South Australian fast-bowler has already played in one U19 World Cup and is in contention to make her second appearance at the tournament come January.

Clark was the youngest member of the Australian side at the inaugural U19 World Cup in 2023, where she impressed with her pace and ability to swing the ball as a 15 year old.

Her 12 wickets were the most in the tournament for any bowler and she was amongst the top contenders for the player of the tournament honours.

Since then, Clark has played in September's tri-series in Brisbane and the first edition of the Spring T20 Challenge after being signed by her home side Adelaide Strikers.

Still only 17 years of age, Clark has immense potential to be a future superstar of Australian cricket.

Getting to be around and learn from two of the country's leading pace bowlers in Megan Schutt and Darcie Brown in the Strikers and South Australian setups is only going to help her take her game to greater heights.

Amy Hunter (ACT)

Amy Hunter has been in the mix of things for the Australian U19 set-up, having played in the Tri-series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in September.

The 18-year-old fast-bowler grew up playing cricket in Far North Queensland and made an appearance for her state side in the 2022 U19 Female National Championships.

The skills and growth she displayed in tournaments in Queensland, including the Queensland Premier Cricket, caught the eye of the ACT Meteors selectors, earning her a two-year contract with the side in 2023, just before she finished high school.

Hunter made an impressive start to her ACT career, taking the wicket of the dangerous Lizelle Lee in her first WNCL game.

Lily Bassingthwaighte (Queensland)

Lily Bassingthwaighte will be joining the state side right after the Brisbane Heat's WBBL|10 Finals appearance at the MCG.

While the 17-year-old fast-bowling allrounder did not make an appearance in the Heat XI during the competition, she was in action for the club in the inaugural Spring T20 Challenge, where they ended up as runners-up.

Bassingthwaighte was first called up to the Queensland U19 team in 2022 on back of consistent performances for the Western Suburbs District Club.

This year, she also earned a spot on the state's WNCL side and was part Australia’s U19 squad for the Tri Series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Brisbane.

Mia Barwick (Tasmania)

13-year-old Mia Barwick made headlines last month when she was called into the Hobart Hurricanes squad for the Spring T20 Challenge after Heather Graham had to fly to the UAE as a replacement player for the Australian side at the T20 World Cup.

The allrounder displayed prodigious talent in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League, playing just her first season for the North Hobart Cricket Club last year.

Barwick was also part of Tasmania's sides for both the U19 and U16 Female National Championship last year and is set for another big season.

The squads

ACT: Grace Lyons (c), Amy Hunter, Rachel Carroll, Stella Wilde (vc), Brienna Dillon, Amber Smith, Alana Horsfall, Alyse O'Brien, Lillian Harrison, Vivien Field, Laura Tarrant, Tia Slater, Chloe McGann, Dhruti Patel

 

Queensland: Amreen Kahlon, Catherine White, Chelsea Sonter, Eve Mollee, Grace Collins, Lilli Hamilton, Lily Bassingthwaighte, Lucinda Bourke, Lucy Hamilton, Mahli Rea, Mia Croucamp, Ruby Orchard, Trinity Doyle

 

NSW Country: Keisha Baldwin, Callee Black, Caoimhe Bray, Molly Dare, Ava Drury, Tara French, Emily Humphreys, Monique Krake, Kate McTaggart, Samira Mitchell, Sophie Parsons, Maddison Spence, Ella Tilburg, Hayley Zauch

 

NSW Metro: Karina Bell, Ella Briscoe, Olivia Callaghan, Samira Dimeglio, Lucy Finn, Gunisha Garg, Eliza Henry, Alex Mavros, Olivia Maxwell, Juliette Morton, Kate Pelle, Emily Powell, Jess Robertson, Lucy Wilson 

 

Papua New Guinea: TBC 

 

South Australia: Elizabeth Worthley (c), Eleanor Larosa (vc), Maggie Clark (vc), Sanigdha Bansal, Maddie Fielke, Ava Gaerth, Nicole Hobbs, Tahlia Keylock, Matilda Maitland, Ilona Melegh, Indira Panelli, Chloe Rosenzweig, Harriet Tyrer, Ajay Willoughby

 

Tasmania: Ava Curtis (c), Mia Barwick, Chloe Casey, Kate Cobern, Chloe Commane, Talia Heyward, Ashlee Kennedy, Shelby Leonard, Sarah Lovell, Jessica Ransley, Maggie Rogers, Josie Rose, Ella Scolyer, Hannah Scott

 

Victoria Country: Hasrat Gill, Yashoda Senarathne, Kamya Mishra, Grace Moyle, Indigo Noble, Charli McLennan, Matilda Pendergast, Sahana Tarini, Sara Kennedy, Bronte Leishman, Brooklyn Diwell, Thivyaa Mahendran, Ribhya Syan

 

Victoria Metro: Amelie O'Meara, Ira Aery, Amelie Gladman, Samara Dulvin, Mikayla Collins, Sarnsiree Plant, Noura Abdul Qader, Rituja Talekar, Shivani Narendran, Tanya Arul, Tegan Rule, Vaishnavi Munukutla, Zoe Samuel, Amelie O’Meara, Ira Aery, Amelie Gladman, Samara Dulvin, Mikayla Collins, Sarnsiree Plant, Noura Abdul Qader, Rituja Talekar, Shivani Narendran, Tanya Arul, Tegan Rule, Vaishnavi Munukutla, Zoe Samuel

 

Western Australia: Ines McKeon (c), Amelia Bartlett, Ella Dodgson, Tayla Flowers, Ash Kalaivanan, Veronica Keen, Natasha Kelsey, Molly Lincoln, Olivia McSweeney, Morgan Pires, Micayla Roelofse, Mahalia Upton, Tegan Williamson