By Roy Ward
DANDENONG Cricket Club sensation Alana King hopes to put other rising cricketers into a spin this season.
The 16-year-old Clarinda leg spinner has been given a Vic Spirit rookie contract for this coming season and is already into fitness sessions alongside the best women’s cricketers in the state.
King, a leading junior cricketer, was blown away when she got a letter from Spirit officials during winter inviting her to take up a rookie contract.
She had trained with the side on occasion last season but didn’t think her time had arrived.
“I was gobsmacked. I opened the mail and saw they wanted me to be part of the squad,” she said. “I had no idea. I didn’t expect it whatsoever.”
King’s selection comes after she had spent countless hours improving her leg spin over the past year.
She didn’t start out as a leg-spinner. Her first bowling role was as a medium-pacer.
“I was a medium-pacer, then changed to off-spin and back to medium, then I gave leg spin a crack.
“I don’t know why I tried it. Some coaches showed me a few times here and there how to bowl it and it just skyrocketed from there. I’m told I have a natural technique.”
Although King is a little unsure about what her rookie role will entail, she aims to make the most of the extra coaching and the chance to train alongside some of her idols including Dandenong teammate and Australian team player Sarah Elliott.
Earlier this year King took part in an international cricket tour to Singapore with girls’ cricket group Cricket Without Borders, which organises overseas tours for keen female cricketers.
The tour party included a mix of country and city players aged between 15 and 19. The team played in a tournament against senior women’s teams from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Japan, among others.
The teams played a series of matches and had a celebratory dinner at the end of the competition. The tour group also joined the Singapore team for a special afternoon tea at the Australian High Commission in Singapore.
King said the experience was an eye-opener for her and her teammates, seven of whom had never left Australia before.
“It was a great experience – well organised and I had a few unexpected experiences as well.
“The standard of cricket was really good as well, considering I’d never heard of Thailand playing cricket before.”
King said she and her teammates mixed with their opponents during rain breaks and during the end-of-tournament dinner, even though many of the players didn’t speak each other’s languages.
“Everyone from the other countries were so friendly.
“Even though they didn’t speak much English, when it rained we would go and chat with them or play games and learn a few words of their language as well.”
