Cloncurry, Winton women make a power play for cricketing glory

Jamie-Lee Strang and Grace Abdy were members of the Queensland Country women's cricket team that won the women's section of the Australian country cricket championships last week, and both were subsequently named in the national team, along with Tara Staines from Monto and Mikayla Wrigley from the Sunshine Coast.

Going undefeated in all 12 of their games at Newcastle, the Brolgas defeated their Victorian rivals in the last over of the thrilling T20 final last Wednesday, chasing a score of 5 for 151.

The Queensland country men's team, the Brahmans, were also victorious in their competition after finishing level with NSW and Victoria on 18 points.

They had to defeat the ACT in their last match, and have a better nett run rate, to win.

The Brolgas' coach Anthony Clark has been coaching women's cricket for the last 14 years and said the women's final was the best game he'd ever seen.

"We looked down and out but we didn't panic," he said. "Guts and determination is what got them home."

'Clarkie' put some of that down to the resilience his team had developed as girls in a traditional male sport.

For example, 18-year-old Grace Abdy, who hails from Hillside, 50km north of Cloncurry, went to boarding school in Townsville and played in the city's boys competition there.

"My father's always been a bit of a cricket nut," she explained. "At home when there wasn't much to do on weekends, I was always playing in the backyard with him and my brothers."

Being the only girl at the Wanderers Cricket Club was challenging at first but Grace said she grew to enjoy it.

"My club really got around me, and it gave me the opportunity to play in a lower grade men's competition," she said.

"It's different to playing with women, there's a lot more banter and competition.

"They bowl faster and hit harder - I had to adjust."

Now playing in Brisbane after moving there last year for university, she took 16 wickets at Newcastle, as did her team mate Jamie-Lee Strang.

According to Jamie-Lee's proud father Graham Strang, she played for Queensland Country two years ago as a batswoman and wicket keeper, being one of the top run scorers then, and taking four stumpings, but was picked as a bowler this time round.

While Graham spent many years in the Winton district, living at Enryb Downs on the road to Corfield before buying and running the North Gregory Hotel, Jamie-Lee, who was born at Longreach, spent her first five years in the town before the family moved to Toowoomba.

"Long story short, all my kids had to play a team sport," Graham said.

"She was grumpy about it but picked cricket for some reason.

"The first year, she didn't like it but then it just clicked for her.

"I'm glad because I have a bit of a passion for cricket."

Since then, cricket has taken Jamie-Lee, 19, to England and Ireland on contract, winning a premiership with Leigh, a Lancashire club, then another premiership with Balbriggan, north of Dublin.

"She finished school and got on a plane to England in the middle of COVID," Graham said. "She wants to make the big time, state, national and international cricket."

Both she and Grace were announced as members of the Australian country women's team at the end of the championships at Newcastle, and handed their baggy greens, but the irony is that there's no international competition for them to play in now.

"The women's Big Bash League shows them what they can aim for," Graham said. "Jamie-Lee's club is at the Gold Coast so she's driving the two-and-a-half hours from Toowoomba to train, and back, each week."

Grace said she was aiming to play in the women's Brisbane Heat team eventually.

"I'm just going to train as hard as I can and see where it takes me," she said.

Queensland Country Cricket Association president Kev Maher said the result in Newcastle had been outstanding for the state.

"We've not won both men's an women's competitions in the same year before," he said. "In the men's final game, a couple of bowlers were out of the squad with injury so those that were left had to dig deep."

Matching the women's figures, four Brahman team members were selected in the national country team - Sam Lowry, Townsville, Logan Whitfield, Rockhampton, Clay Beames, south east Queensland, and Matt Wilkins, Far North Queensland.