After a year of uncertainty in sport, women players from across central Queensland will take to the pitch for their first cricket match this year.
Key points:
- Women’s teams from across Central Queensland will go head-to-head in Rockhampton
- Ovarian Cancer Australia says four women are diagnosed with the illness every day
- The organisation says ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all cancers afflicting women, and demands for its services have doubled this year
The inaugural Women’s SummerSlam Charity T20 has attracted some of the region’s best and brightest and has been made possible by Cricket Queensland and Brisbane Heat.
Players are driving and flying in from Emerald, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Mackay to take part in the match on Saturday night.
Player and coach Alyssa Kelly said the excitement within the teams was electric.
“It’s obviously good to play in the men’s, but when we get to play in the women’s competition it’s just so much better,” she said.
Kelly has been playing cricket since she was six years old. Now 17, she said the women’s competition was just as fierce as any men’s league.
“It’s really great to see girls from all over jump in and participate in it all,” she said.
“We need these girls and we need this fun.”
Putting a spotlight on ovarian cancer
But it’s not just about the love of the game.
The seven-a-side teams are going head-to-head to help hundreds of Australian women diagnosed each year with ovarian cancer.
Local businesses from across central Queensland will be sponsoring the teams, donating $1 for every run made and $10 for every wicket.
All proceeds will go to Ovarian Cancer Australia for research and to support those diagnosed.
Ovarian cancer is the eighth-most-common cancer in Australia. Four women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day. Three out of every four will die from the disease.
Kelly said the teams were happy to be able to raise awareness of the disease.
‘Deadliest of all cancers afflicting women’
The CEO of Ovarian Cancer Australia, Jane Hill, said the charity match was heartening to see amid the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m so excited. It’s great to see so many getting behind women’s cricket and at the same time supporting women impacted by ovarian cancer,” Ms Hill said.
She said Ovarian Cancer Australia’s work had doubled this year, with more women accessing its support services and oncology nurses.
Ms Hill said, like many others this year, Australian women living with cancer had felt incredibly isolated.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all cancers afflicting women, with a five-year survival rate of 46%.
Common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating of the stomach, feeling full after eating a small meal, changes in bowel habits and abdominal or pelvic pain.
Ms Hill said the not-for-profit organisation was grateful to the players of the Rockhampton Renegades and the Yeppoon Scorchers.
