The Parkes High School open girls cricket side continues to bat well above their average when it comes to the Marie Cornish Combined High School (CHS) knockout competition, with the girls smashing both Dubbo College and Blayney High School last Thursday to once again progress further.
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Earlier this year, before COVID-19 cruelled their hopes of being crowned the NSW champions, Parkes were declared winners of the Western Zone after defeating Blayney before securing a top four finish with victory over Hay High School.
The side is on track to continue their upward trajectory after a 110 run win over Dubbo College on Thursday morning before bowling out Blayney in the afternoon for just 77 runs in a ten wicket win.
Marites Woods, Maddy Spence and Abi Simpson starred for Parkes across the two games, with Woods hitting 71 runs off 75 balls in addition to taking 3/38 from her six overs.
Simpson struck a powerful 45* (35 balls) in the second game in addition to taking 3/41 from her full allotment of eight overs across both games, with the junior hockey star possessing enviable power.
It was Spence though who showed why she is held in such high regard in the NSW representative scene with an incredible 136* off just 65 balls against a hapless Dubbo bowling attack.
She followed that up with a spell of searing pace against Blayney later in the day that not only netted the youngster 3/7 but broke the middle stump (pictured), such was the speed of the perfectly delivered seed.
Both Spence and Woods will be representing the Western Zone in the NSW CHS Girls Cricket Championships in February, where they will be competing for a spot in the first and second XI CHS sides.
Spence managed to get selected in the second XI after last February's tournament despite being much younger than her many opponents, but unfortunately COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the tournament, where the two CHS XI's go up against the Combined Catholic Colleges and Combined Independent Schools sides each March.
Woods, who is captain of the school for 2021 alongside Zayne Ehsman, is a natural cricketer with a 360 degree batting arc who attacks the game with flair and gusto.
In her final year of high school, she will be looking to go out with a bang, and she is one to watch at the higher school cricket level given her solid all-round game.
Pictured (left to right): Back - Kieran Duncan (coach), Holly Duncan, Julia Dunn, Abi Simpson, Jolie Norman, Jordan Moody, Maddy McCormack, Nina Richardson-Bartley, Marites Woods. Front - Amanda Lowe, Holly McColl, Maddy Spence, Olivia Thompson, Teagan Smede.
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