Jacinta Goodger-Chandler
YOUNG East Ballarat cricketer Jacinta Goodger-Chandler will be part of Victorian indigenous cricket history when she travels to Alice Springs for the 2013 Imparja Cup.
For the first time ever, the Victorian team will consist of three girls, including Goodger-Chandler and twins Ebony and Kiara Cuskelly.
Heading north in February, the girls will combine with female indigenous cricketers from other states to play in an invitational team created by Cricket Australia.
Just recently, the girls joined the boys in their first training session ahead of the national tournament.
Fifteen-year-old Goodger-Chandler took the opportunity to fine-tune some of her skills against the best male indigenous cricketers in the state.
“The boys are really serious about cricket,” Goodger-Chandler said.
“I was nervous about coming out to bat, but I calmed down after the first ball. It was a really good experience.”
Currently playing in the Victorian Women’s Cricket Association premier seconds for Napoleons-Sebastopol and having recently represented Victoria at the under-15 national championships, Goodger-Chandler is aware of what it takes to be involved in competitive cricket.
For the past two years, she has also represented Central Highlands in the under-14 state championships and did so again in this season’s under-16 carnival.
For the future, Goodger-Chandler hopes to play for Australia, but for now, her focus will turn to the Imparja Cup where she and the Cuskelly twins will take a significant step in Victorian indigenous cricket.
Wendouree all-rounder Grant Bell will also make his debut at this year’s Imparja Cup, which is held between February 17-24.
