Credit to Photosport NZ for the photo

Story courtesy of College Sport Media

Kate Chandler was enjoying a few days of well-earned rest last week before heading back to school to start year 12 at Wellington Girls’ College.

Kate spent much of January in South Africa with the New Zealand Women’s U19 cricket side that made the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup for the first time.

New Zealand lost to eventual champions India in their semi-final, and Kate said it was a productive tournament for her and the Junior White Ferns team.

“It was pretty special for us to make the semi-finals,” said Kate, “we probably didn’t have the semi-final that we wanted, but it was good to make it that far.”

“Personally it was great to play a couple of games, and to see the team play well in the lead-up to the tournament in early games,” said Kate who the 2022 College Sport Wellington Girls’ Cricketer of the Year.

Kate, a leg-spinning bowling all-rounder, was one of four Wellington players in the squad. The others were Georgia Plimmer, Tash Codyre and Antonia Hamilton. 

In two noted personal contributions she took 3 for 8 against the West Indies and then 2 for 21 and a run out and a catch in their Super Six fixture against Rwanda.

The team had two warm-up games and had about 10 days to train together and acclimatise on the high veldt in South Africa.

“The heat was pretty intense, especially in the first week whilst we were adjusting to it and it got up to 35 degrees on some days.

“A couple of the pitches ended up turning more and getting lower and slower as the tournament progressed.”

This was Kate’s first cricket trip overseas.

Prior to going away with the New Zealand U19s, Kate spent the first part of the school holidays playing for both her school at the National Secondary School Gillette Venus Cup finals and for the Wellington U19s at the national provincial tournament.

She captained her school team at the Gillette Venus Cup national secondary school girls' tournament at Lincoln in the week before Christmas.

Wellington Girls’ were fifth behind Auckland winners Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, but Kate was the leading run scorer in the tournament with 167. This included scores of 59 and 55 and a knock of 37 off 32 against champions EGGS.

The future of the WGC team is promising too. “We’ve got a young team at the moment, a lot were year 9 and 10 last year, so hopefully a few players will be coming through to the U19s level and higher in the coming years.”

Wellington won the National Women’s U19 tournament that was played at Lincoln from 4-10 December.

Kate enjoyed a productive tournament personally. She played in six of seven of Wellington’s matches, comprising three 50-over and three Twenty20 games, taking wickets in every game and consistently scoring runs at the top of the order with scores of 39, 42, 67*, 36, 33 and 38.

She started bowling leg-spin in part because of two of her three older brothers who were doing the same. There is no shortage of people in Wellington for her to learn off, with several slow bowlers in the Wellington Blaze squad around her, not least international leg-spinner Mellie Kerr. Both coaches Lance Dry and Luke Woodcock are former spinners too.

For the rest of this season, she will re-join the Blaze squad and link up with her Upper Hutt club team.

A well as cricket, Kate plays hockey in the winter as a midfielder.

She was in Wellington Girls’ squad that won their fourth consecutive Wellington Premier 1 hockey title last year an went on to finish seventh at the National Federation Cup in 2022.

Kate says that at this stage she enjoys both sports equally. “I say that in the summer cricket is my leading sport and when it comes to wintertime hockey takes over. But I don’t think I can pick a favourite.”

Secondary school sports supporters can look forward to hearing more of Kate Chandler over the next two years and beyond.

Article added: Friday 10 February 2023