Melbourne Stars fast bowler Holly Ferling is excited with the crop of youngsters that have exploded on to the scene this season, showing positive signs for the future of Stars’ cricket.
In the lead up to WBBL|05, the Stars marquee signing was new captain Elyse Villani from the Perth Scorchers – but the signatures of teenagers Tess Flintoff and Lucy Cripps also provided much excitement, after the pair impressed consistently throughout junior cricket.
With injuries and school exams hitting the squad early in the season, it gave further opportunity to Madeline Penna and Chloe Rafferty to join as injury replacement players – and the pair grabbed their chance with both hands.
“A season of learning for us, a new skipper Elyse Villani who’s come on and she’s been wonderful for the group and it’s a really exciting era with so many new players”, Ferling told SEN on Wednesday afternoon.
Ferling returned to the club for her second season, and she acknowledged a huge part of of why she loves the Stars is how central family is to everything.
“What drew me to the club is the culture. It’s all about family and for me that’s massive.”
The results haven’t been as forthcoming as the girls in green would have liked, however, as Ferling alerted, the unearthing of young talent is something that Stars fans should be excited about.
“A positive that’s come from it is that we’ve had the likes of Tess Flintoff and Maddie Penna, who have come in as injury replacements and have absolutely blown it out of the park with how they’ve bowled, and as youngsters, how they’ve conducted themselves on the field.”
Ferling, 23, has battled her frustrations this season. Following a successful pre-season back home in Brisbane, during the practice matches, she was diagnosed with stress fractures in her hip, which grounded her for a significant period. But as she told Cam Luke and Jordan Lewis on Wednesday afternoon, it’s all part and parcel of being a bowler.
She said: “It’s an unnatural action, it really shouldn’t happen. We shouldn’t put our bodies through it, but we do.
“I think every kid, when you sign up to be a fast bowler, knows at some point you’re going to spend some time on the sideline.”
Ferling returned to the Stars line-up for the fixture against the Sydney Sixers in late October, showing her experience with the new ball by bowling with an economy rate of 6.48 from her 25 overs so far in WBBL|05.
Ferling continued: “Personally, I’ve done quite well with my economy rates and do the jobs that I’ve been given the opportunities to do in the team.
“Opening the bowling, I’d love to be taking more wickets up the top to take the pressure off the team.”
The Big Weekend rounds out the WBBL|05 for the Melbourne Stars with two matches against the Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat.
