Heat headed into Christmas break with strong WBBL record
Monday 25 January 2016 16:56, UK
Kate Cross on snazzy socks, bumper Women's Big Bash crowds and inner-city beaches as she spends Christmas in Australia...
It seems a very long time since I last checked in with everyone, which means I have a lot to talk about. So here we go:
The Heat is on
Team Teal had a relatively poor start to the Women's Big Bash League campaign against the Melbourne Stars at Junction Oval back in early December. We didn't play very well on the day and that, combined with being unable to get Meg Lanning out, made for a pretty bad day on a cricket pitch.
However, the following weekend we had a trip to Perth to play four games in three days, coming out of the weekend with three wins and giving Heat a real confidence boost.
Perth was also where Grace Harris made history in scoring the first ever WBBL ton, which was nothing short of spectacular. She got there off just 52 balls with some of the smartest batting I've ever seen. So we had our first win on the board - which meant we got to sing the team song!
Lucky socks do exist
You might have heard a little bit about Grace and her funky socks. Each game she will pull out a special pair of socks to wear. And special is exactly what they are!
If she gets a duck then she will retire a pair and we won't see them again. I think she wore ones with cupcakes on the day she scored her ton, so she definitely needs to wear them more often. Here is an example for you:
Alongside Grace at the top of the order we also have Beth Mooney who has hit some unreal form so far in the WBBL. She has scored five fifties so far and with Grace has accumulated almost 400 runs in opening stands within five matches.
This is a pretty impressive achievement and a huge confidence boost seeing them smash the opening bowlers everywhere.
Growing the game
The Brisbane Heat were the first team to have a televised game which we played at the Gabba before the men's team had their first game. We had close to 2,500 people in the ground watching and apparently peak viewing got up close to 400,000 which is incredible. The support women's sport it getting is quite overwhelming. And long may it continue.
We played 10 games and won six ahead of the Christmas break, which we would have happily taken at the start of the competition. Our next game is televised on New Year's Day in Hobart at the Bellerive Oval which will be another big weekend for us.
The group is full of confidence and we have found everyone has chipped in at different times contributing to our wins. I was really pleased to see my partner in crime, Lauren Winfield, score some runs and see us over the line at the WACA in Perth, and also to see roomie Jess Jonassen find some form in the first televised game at the Gabba. Not a bad place to do it!
Off the pitch
Alongside things going well with the team, I am really enjoying my time with the Queensland girls. They have all made a real effort to make Lauren and myself feel welcome and they have even found some time to show us around in our limited time off.
The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast are a short drive from Brisbane and we have found some gorgeous spots, including Rainbow Bay - and only in Australia could you find a beach in the middle of a city centre. As you can see, Brisbane is a decent little spot!
Crossy
