At Cricket Mentoring, it’s all about the athletes! As mentors and coaches, our focus is on helping aspiring cricketers become the best they can be. We are desperate to see the people that we mentor reach their full potential, on and off the field. Over the last few years, we’ve started working with some highly skilled young cricketers, who are doing great things on the field and have potential to go a very long way in the game.

Last month, The West Australian newspaper published an article that featured some of the best young male cricketers in Western Australia, titled, ‘The 10 rising West Australian cricket stars to watch‘. This week, they’ve published another article titled, ‘The 10 rising West Australian women cricket stars to watch‘, which features some of the brightest up and coming young female cricketers in the state.

Of the 20 ‘rising stars to watch’, we are incredibly proud to call 7 of them (3 boys and 4 girls) Cricket Mentoring athletes. Teague Wyllie, Douwtjie Hoogenboezem, Jake Egan, Molly Healy, Georgia Wyllie, Sienna Ryan and Chloe Ainsworth are exceptional young players that we’ve been coaching and mentoring over the past few years, as we help them develop and progress towards their goals. While we think that they can all achieve incredible heights in the game, they are all still very early in their journeys, and have a long way to go. However, this sort of recognition will help support their belief that their dedication and hard work isn’t going unrecognised. 

[CM ambassador and Australian under 19 squad member, Cooper Connolly was also named in the list of boys.]

Let’s get to know each of our 7 future stars in more detail…

DOUWTJIE HOOGENBOEZEM

Douwtjie has always been a very elegant left-handed batsman. He represented Western Australia at under 12 level, but missed out on selection at under 15’s and since then, has been working incredibly hard at his game to bridge the gap on his competition.

“For Douwtjie to be recognised as one of the top 10 rising stars and one of only 6 batters (the other 4 mentioned were bowlers), shows how far he has come. His improvement is certainly no fluke nor by luck. He’s worked incredible hard to get to where he is, and making his first-grade debut last season at the age of 15 shows how good he has become.” – Scolls

JAKE EGAN

Like Douwtjie, Jake was overlooked for the Western Australian under 15’s, despite being one of the best batters in the state for his age. As all good players do, Jake has worked incredibly hard at his game and is letting his bat do the talking. He was rewarded with selection in the Western Australian under 17’s, who went on to win the national title.

“Jake has been one of the youngest batters playing 1st grade for the past two seasons, and has shown glimpses of what he’s capable of. Jake’s incredibly strong and can hit the ball hard, but also has a decent technique and thinks deeply about the game. With all these assets combined, we think he can be a 3 format player at the highest-level if he continues to work hard and develop.” – Scolls

MOLLY HEALY

Not many cricketers make their first-class debut at the age of 16, which shows Molly’s quality! While a lot of people in WA cricket see Molly as a bowling all-rounder, it’s her batting that has us excited!

“Molly has a combination of a ‘good eye’, decent technique and raw power, which makes her so exciting and dynamic. Sometimes when I watch her bat, I forget how old she is, as her stroke-play and power certainly outweighs her age. If she can stay fit and continue to develop, she could be one of the world’s best all-rounders.” – Scolls

GEORGIA WYLLIE

Georgia Wyllie has developed on and off the field enormously in the past couple of years and has an incredibly exciting future ahead of her. As a left-arm seamer, Georgia could be a genuine top-order batter or front-line bowler, and will probably go on to be both.

“I don’t think Georgia fully realises how good she is and can be, just yet. Her attitude has always been brilliant, her skill is improving every week, and as soon as she starts to believe in herself even more and fully trust herself, she will be unstoppable. She’s a competitor who will get the best out of herself and I’m sure will forge a long career in the game.” – Scolls

SIENNA RYAN

Sienna is a quiet achiever. She has been in the Cricket Mentoring program for about 12 months, and her batting and belief in herself has come on a lot in that time. While she’s known for her fast-bowling right now, we believe that she will surprise a lot of people with her batting in the future.

“Sienna is a gun who listens and learns well, and has improved so much in a short space of time. She may not be considered a batter right now, but it won’t be long until people recognise how good she is with the bat. While her technique and strength are a work in progress, she has a great eye and hits the ball cleanly when she commits to her shots.” – Scolls

CHLOE AINSWORTH

As the youngest selected, Chloe could potentially be the best out of the whole lot if she continues to develop and progress her skills and understanding of the game. She still has a lot to learn about the game and what it takes to consistently perform at her best, but she’s certainly performing above most of her peers around the country.

“If you told me Chloe was 21 when I was watching her bat, I would believe you. If you dropped her into a state set up right now, I reckon she wouldn’t look too far out of place. Her technique is still quite raw and something we’re constantly developing and working on, but her ball striking is elite. She hits the ball harder than most kids (boys or girls) her age.” – Scolls