Perth, WACA to host Female U19’s National Championships ahead of World Cup in Malaysia

The Female U19’s National Championships will return to Perth next month as the country’s best young women’s cricketers audition for next year’s U19s World Cup in Malaysia.

The historic WACA Ground will also be put front and centre for the tournament with a number of games to be played on the iconic centre wicket as well as the coveted final.

The action will begin on December 2 and span eight days across the suburbs of Perth.

WA are also set to be one of the teams to watch, with young WBBL stars Chloe Ainsworth and Ines McKeon likely to lead a talent-laden side, which will be confirmed closer to the tournament.

WACA CEO John Stephenson said he hoped the tournament would inspire the next generation of women cricketers and added he was proud to see more women’s matches hosted at WA’s home of cricket.

“We’ve seen some fantastic WBBL games at the WACA Ground this year already, and we’ve got a rich tradition of hosting this tournament, and many of our state players have used this tournament as a pathway to becoming really good players,” he told The West Australian.

“Players like Chloe Piparo, Piepa Cleary and Alana King, so we’re excited about naming our squad. There’s some breakthrough players like Chloe Ainsworth and Ines McKeon coming through, so we’ve got a good chance.

“We’ll be hosting the final (at the WACA) so let’s hope WA will be in that final, and it’s just great for the development of all the under 19s female players coming through the system in Australia to play at an iconic cricket ground. It’s inspiration for the next generation coming through.

“They will also play at our Premier Cricket grounds across Perth, which are brilliant facilities for a tournament like this.

“The young female players coming through will hopefully go and watch and be inspired.”

The men’s U19s championship will be held in Adelaide from December 16.