Have bat will travel! Good luck to Emma (Fordyce) who is playing out in Australia. That is a first for us with her the first female cricketer from the club to play a season abroad over the winter.

She is playing with the Bentleigh Cricket Club Women's 1st team in Melbourne with her side already having reached their upcoming T20 Grand Final after being unbeaten in a series of regional wins and she has been awarded her 1st XI cap alongside her fellow players also making their debuts.

On Sunday, Emma opened the bowling and the batting, for the first time, in their final group 8-wicket win which was reduced to 10 overs-a-side due to an Australian 'wet'.

And her advice from Oz to young girls at the club starting out to play cricket here is "to give it a go, because you never know what could happen and cricket can create some amazing opportunities!"

Emma did give it a go by starting out here and playing junior cricket for us and for our #AshleighBuilding Women's team and she has also helped coach our youngest Stars cricketers. She was awarded the Club's Most Improved Female Player in 2021. She has been involved in the Cricket Scotland Pathway System, including touring with Scotland U15s to play tournament cricket in England, and has been training with their age-group squads.

Emma has been enterprising and self-motivated in pursuing cricket opportunities where she can and a final school year of planning and a UK Sports Exchange Program has taken her for a sporting gap year in Australia.

This winter in Melbourne will give her the opportunity to play and train consistently with regular women's cricket and will benefit her game greatly and, more importantly, she is "really enjoying" her experience abroad!

And if you do want to try and follow her and get into cricket, then ...

NB: Our Autumn Women and Girls Club sessions are currently taking place indoors on Mondays at St Joseph's College Sports Hall and are suitable for starters. Just contact us at womenscricket@dumfriescricketclub.com

#ChooseCricket #WomensCricket