WBBL young guns Chloe Aisworth, Ines McKeon to lead WA at U19 Female Championships

WBBL young guns Chloe Ainsworth and Ines McKeon will lead WA’s bid for glory in the U19s National championships next week. After a debut Big Bash campaign that saw her score 122 runs for the Melbourne Stars, McKeon has been handed the captaincy for the home tournament. Ainsworth also comes into the tournament in rare form, having been crowned the WBBL’s Young Gun and confirmed her position as one of the league’s most dangerous bowlers. She has proven a knack for dismissing big names and swinging the new ball, having racked up 27 scalps at 19.18 in 23 matches for Perth Scorchers. The pair will be hoping to use the Championships as a launching pad to earn a spot at next year’s U19s World Cup in Malaysia. Promising pair Veronica Keen and Morgan Pires will also be hoping to put their name up in lights. Keen captained WA’s Indigenous Championship team last summer and is a core member of Aboriginal Talent Academy, having been in the WA Cricket pathways since the age of 12. Pires has also earned a strong reputation through her junior exploits and featured for the Scorchers during the Spring challenge. Natasha Kelsey, who was on the verge of a WNCL debut last month, has also been named in the talent-laden squad that will hope to push for a title. The action kicks off on December 2 with the historic WACA Ground playing a key role, hosting the final.