Inverleigh’s Chloe Sewell eyeing Premier Seconds premiership with Geelong
A teenager awarded player of the match in Geelong’s 2022-23 Premier Thirds grand final defeat recalls the ‘devastating loss’ as she prepares for another shot at premiership glory.
Geelong cricketer Chloe Sewell admits losing last year’s Premier Thirds grand final on ladder position was a bitter pill to swallow.
But 12 months on, the Inverleigh teenager has another shot at premiership glory when Geelong women’s Premier Seconds play Melbourne in a grand final on Saturday.
After drawing against Carlton in the final over of last year’s Thirds’ grand final, Geelong stunningly lost on ladder position, with Sewell, 15, crowned player of the match after reeling off a stunning 5-26 in seven overs.
“It was hard to get over,” Sewell said of last year’s grand final loss. ‘But I’m excited to come back this weekend.”
Now a key member of the club’s second XI, Sewell said its semi-final win against Carlton was “surreal”, considering it put little expectation on ultimate success due to the club’s promotion to Premier Firsts this summer.
“Considering the twos team is mostly a brand new team that hasn’t played premier twos before, we’ve gone really well, same as the other grades too,” she said.
“We were so excited to be back playing a grand final.
“For a lot of the girls, it’s their first Premier cricket grand final, and some of the girls have come from the threes’ devastating loss last year.”
Sewell, who came up through the club’s Puma Academy, is enjoying playing a higher standard of cricket in the seconds.
“It really makes you think about your game a lot more, and making sure you have a clear plan,” she said. “Otherwise you will get punished if you don’t.”
The teen is playing a consistent role with the bat, averaging 17.36 from her 12 innings, though a hip injury has limited the medium pace bowler’s input with the ball until recent weeks.
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“My role in the team, we focus on partnerships. I like being that person who ticks the strike over,” she said.
“Just training really hard on working the singles and playing against spin.”
Sewell, who aspires to make a first XI debut, said batting partnerships would be crucial for Geelong in its grand final against Melbourne, as would early wickets and pressure in the field.
Originally published as Inverleigh’s Chloe Sewell eyeing Premier Seconds premiership with Geelong
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