AUSTRALIA’S best junior female cricketers have descended upon Ballarat for a week of cricket that will see all states in the nation pitted against each other.The Cricket Australia Under-18 Female Championships start today, in what will be the first time the event has been held in Ballarat.Almost 100 top junior girls will go to battle over the next week, all with the aim of winning the national champion crown for their state.New South Wales will undoubtedly go in as the side to beat, having won the previous seven championships, as well as 11 out of the the 15 titles in the tournament’s history.All states will be represented, plus a side from the ACT.The Victorian side will also have a special Ballarat flavour to it, with Napoleons-Sebastopol cricketer Sarah Tatchell to debut for the under-18 side.She is one of just three cricketers in the 13-strong list to play cricket outside of Melbourne.The championships were held in Ballarat in 1996-97, in what was the first time they were ever held.Since then, they have been held in Victoria just twice more – in 1999-2000 in Melbourne and in Geelong in 2003-04.Victoria will start its campaign today with a 50-over match against ACT at the Western Oval, starting at 10am.TODAY’S MATCHESNew South Wales v South Australia (Northern Oval)Victoria v ACT (Western Oval)Queensland v Western Australia (City Oval)Tasmania bye