NSW Country has finished as runners-up at the U16 Female National Championships in Launceston, falling to Queensland by eight wickets in the final after an outstanding week-long campaign.
Country girls impress at U16 Nationals
NSW Country had been one of the teams to beat all tournament, going unbeaten through the early rounds before suffering their only loss in Round 7 to VIC Metro by nine wickets. By then, however, they had already secured their place in the decider.
In a special moment ahead of the final, the squad received well wishes from coaches, support staff and several senior players, including NSW Breakers captain Lauren Cheatle, fellow country product Phoebe Litchfield, sending her message from India, and outgoing Australian captain Alyssa Healy.
Batting first in the final, NSW Country were bowled out for 129. Lily Railz top-scored with 22, while Sophie Buckley (18) and Maisie Miller (16) made valuable contributions, but the side was unable to build the partnerships needed to post a bigger total.
Queensland’s chase was built on a strong opening stand, with Abbie Trevethan (34) and Lucy Logan (53*) getting their side off to a fast start. Ayaka Stafford (21*) joined Logan to guide Queensland home inside 30 overs and secure the title.
Meanwhile, NSW Metro finished their campaign on a high, defeating Victoria Metro by 19 runs in the third-place play-off. Aurora Mavros produced a brilliant knock of 62 from 47 balls, while Jorja Horan was unlucky to fall short of a half-century, run out for 41. Milla Bruce led the charge with the ball, claiming three wickets to help secure the win.
NSW statistic leaders | 2026 U16 Female National Championships:
NSW Metropolitan leading run-scorers
Sarah Bawcombe – 216 runs | 30.86 average
Jorja Horan – 169 runs | 24.14 average
Auror Mavros – 165 runs | 27.5 average
NSW Metropolitan leading wicket-takers
Diya Sambrane – 12 wicket | 9.17 average
Diksha Chowdhary – 10 wickets | 12.3 average
Natalie Williams – 8 wickets | 7.88 average
NSW Country leading run-scorers
Ava Dragovic – 169 runs | 24.14 average
Maisie Miller – 153 runs | 51 average
Charlotte Shoemark – 139 runs | 23.17 average
NSW Country leading wicket-takers
Maisie Miller – 12 wickets | 10.17 average
Cosette Thomas – 10 wickets | 14 average
Jennifer Matin – 8 wickets | 9.38 average
Cricket NSW would like to congratulate and thank our high-performance staff for their preparation and dedication to helping our pathways players be at their best for the National Championships.
See all the results from the tournament HERE.