Central Districts Cricket is thrilled to congratulate CD Under 19 and Wairarapa representative EMMA McLEOD on her selection for the world's first women's ICC Under 19 World Cup, set to take place in South Africa in January.

McLeod was the top run-scorer at the recently concluded NZC Gillette Venus Women's Under-19 Nationals in which CD Under 19 finished with the silver medal, just one point behind the champion Wellington.

Current WHITE FERNS Fran Jonas, Georgia Plimmer and Izzy Gaze have been included in New Zealand’s squad made up of players who recently toured India with the NZ Women’s Development team, and those who starred at the Gillette Venus Nationals in Lincoln.

The ICC’s eligibility criteria outline that each player of a participating team must be under the age of 19 on 31 August 2022, born on or after 1 September 2003.

NZC High Performance Coach and former WHITE FERN and Central Hinds alumna SARA MCGLASHAN will coach the NZ U19s and be assisted by fellow former players Donovan Grobbelaar and Central Stags alumnus TARUN NETHULA, the trio having already worked together on the recent NZC Women’s Development tour to India.

“I’d like to congratulate all the players selected.” McGlashan said.

“Representing your country at a World Cup is a huge honour and I know the entire squad is excited about the opportunity ahead, especially with it being the first tournament of its kind for women.

“I think we’ve got a strong squad for this World Cup with a nice mix of youth and experience.

"For many of the players, this will be their first time travelling overseas to play cricket, so they’ll certainly benefit from the experience of Fran, Georgia and Izzy, the natural leaders in this group.”

A captain for the side will be confirmed in due course.

New Zealand Under-19

Women’s World Cup Squad 2023

Emma McLeod (Central Districts)

Olivia Anderson (Auckland)

Anna Browning (Auckland)

Kate Chandler (Wellington)

Natasha Codyre (Wellington)

Izzy Gaze (Auckland)

Antonia Hamilton (Wellington)

Abigail Hotton (Canterbury)

Bree Illing (Auckland)

Fran Jonas (Auckland)

Kayley Knight (Northern Districts)

Paige Loggenberg (Otago)

Georgia Plimmer (Wellington)

Izzy Sharp (Canterbury)

Tash Wakelin (Northern Districts)

Article added: Tuesday 13 December 2022