Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
The WBBL Brisbane Heat will put the finishing touches on their preparations for next week’s start of the rebel Women’s Big Bash League competition with most of the squad playing Premier Cricket this weekend.
The round of T20 games in the Katherine Raymont Shield will be the final warm-ups in Brisbane for the two-time champions before they relocate to Sydney on Thursday to enter a bio-secure ‘Village’ at the Sydney Showgrounds ahead of their opening match next Sunday against Perth Scorchers.
WBBL Heat players will turn out for Premier clubs tomorrow night and on Sunday, with New Zealand stars Amelia Kerr and Maddy Green lending their experience to assist the development of the two newest clubs in the competition.
Green will play with the Sunshine Coast Scorchers squad which are in their first season after being promoted from the Jodie Fields Shield Second Grade competition.
Kerr, who proved a match-winner for NZ in the final game of the T20I series and was a strong performer in the ODI series against Australia, will play with the Wynnum-Manly/Redlands team which is in their second season in the top grade.
The Heat’s third international recruit, South African allrounder Nadine de Klerk, is completing quarantine in Adelaide along with other international players and will join the Heat in Sydney once she has completed the mandatory requirement.
Australian allrounder Delissa Kimmince has been cleared to make her return from a minor hamstring complaint suffered during the recent international series at Allan Border Field and will play for the Gold Coast Dolphins on Sunday.
New pace bowling signing Nicola Hancock, formerly with the Melbourne Stars, will link with Ipswich/Logan tomorrow. The Hornets will take on Valley under lights at Ashgrove tomorrow evening.
Heat squad players Grace Harris (Wests), Georgia Redmayne (Gold Coast), Georgia Voll (Sandgate-Redcliffe) and Charli Knott (Valley) have been in strong form of late for their clubs, with Harris belting 416 runs from five games including a record score of 162 from 69 balls.
Knott, who is in her final year at Brisbane State High School, has hit four half centuries in five games for Valley while wicket-keeper/batter Redmayne is averaging 75 runs for the season.
Allrounder Voll, in year 11 at BSHS and a first-time WBBL signing, has scores of 122, 55, 42 and 70 in her T20 matches this season.
As well as the Heat players, the Katherine Raymont Shield competition will also be bolstered with two members of the New Zealand touring squad staying on to play in Brisbane during the WBBL.
Batting allrounder Jess Watkin (Valley) and pace bowler Holly Huddleston (University of Queensland) will also be in action.
KATHERINE RAYMONT SHIELD T20 FIXTURES
TOMORROW 6:30PM
- Valley v Ipswich, Ashgrove Sportsground (Norm McMahon Oval)
SUNDAY 10:00AM
- Western Suburbs v Sunshine Coast, Graceville Memorial Park (Oval 1 – Turf)
- Sandgate-Redcliffe v Gold Coast, Sandgate Redcliffe DCC (Trevor Hohns Oval)
- University of Queensland v Wynnum-Manly/Redlands, UQ (WEP Harris Oval)
All Katherine Raymont Shield games will be live-streamed through the Sci-Fleet Motors Premier Cricket match centre.
The entire 59-game WBBL will be staged in Sydney, with more matches on TV than ever before.
A total of 24 games will be televised on Seven, while Fox Cricket will pick up 36 matches throughout the tournament.
All matches will be streamed on Kayo, while 35 matches will be available on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App. ABC Radio will broadcast 49 matches.
