The Ireland Under-19s Women’s squad left for a preparation camp in South Africa on Sunday in advance of their participation in the inaugural ICC Women’s Under-19 World Cup, with captain Amy Hunter was speaking after the final training session at North County prior to departure.
Hunter, 17, who plays for Malahide, and who has 24 caps already for the senior Ireland Women’s squad, was recently named captain of the Ireland Under-19s squad. She said: “I was pretty honoured to be asked to captain the side by Glenn [Querl]. I am excited by the prospect and am glad Glenn is backing me with the captaincy.”
About the squad’s preparation, Hunter said: “We’re here at North County today having a final training session before we head off to South Africa on Sunday.
“Since mid-September we’ve been able to have a number of national weekends. The squad have also had a few fitness tests, so we’ve luckily been able to have a lot of preparation. We now fly to Johannesburg on Sunday and have a week-long prep camp.
“We’ll play a few warm-up games then before getting into the competition itself.”
About the importance of an Under-19 World Cup, she said: “It’s an important opportunity as it bridges the gap between underage cricket and senior international cricket – it gives the players the chance to perform on the world stage and gives them a chance to better understand what international cricket and world cups are all about.”
The Ireland Under-19s Women’s squad is: Amy Hunter – captain (Instonians/Malahide), Siúin Wood – vice captain (YMCA), Zara Craig (Eglinton), Georgina Dempsey (YMCA), Rebecca Gough (The Hills), Abbi Harrison (Waringstown), Jennifer Jackson (Eglinton), Joanna Loughran (Leinster), Niamh MacNulty (Merrion), Aimee Maguire (The Hills), Kia McCartney (Coleraine), Ellie McGee (Rush), Julie McNally (Clontarf), Freya Sargent (Clontarf), Annabel Squires (Merrion).
Featured Image: Ireland U-19 captain Amy Hunter from Instonians/Malahide
Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
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