MILDURA West Cricket Club’s star Demi Zanoni says she “hopes for the best” as she prepares to play in three Sunraysia Cricket Association (SCA) competitions this summer.
Zanoni, who was also selected in June to be part of the Under-16 Female Victorian Country squad, will play for Mildura West’s Premier and Under-17 women’s sides and compete in Mildura West’s Under-14 boys’ side.
Reflecting on her past experience, Zanoni didn’t feel fazed by the workload because all competitions had “very similar attributes about them”.
She also said cricket seemed “like an every-day job”.
“Practically every day in summer, I’m down here,” she said.
Having developed as a pace bowler and batter, Zanoni said her role would shift across competitions. In Premier Women’s she is likely to bat in the middle-order and bowl, in Under-14 boys she will focus on her pace bowling. In Under-17 women’s she will open the batting.
At 16, Zanoni is a veteran at Mildura West, having eight seasons under her belt. Alongside leading the side to back-to-back Premier titles, Zanoni said she wanted to improve as a person and a leader “taking on more leadership and more responsibility”.
Zanoni said she was already paying attention to others in her side and making herself available to her teammates.
“If I know something (at) the nets, I’ll point out to someone how they can improve. Or if they ask a question, I’m more than happy to answer.”
It has been a rewarding experience for Zanoni, who said teammates’ recognition of her insight had left her feeling like “a better person”.
While training has been halted by regional restrictions, Zanoni has been practising at home with a bowling machine, throwing at stumps in the backyard and practising catching – with help from her mother.
Despite the uncertainty about the coming season, Zanoli said she looked forward to the competition as many teams had “stepped up”.
“As soon as training is allowed, we’ll get back together. We’ll look at what we did last year and build off that, trying to repeat (it).”
Mildura West returned after an 11-year absence from the Premier women’s grand final to defeat Mildura Settlers last year, with Zanoni starring with the ball – picking up three wickets.
Lockdown restrictions have been a source of disappointment to Zanoni who, after arriving in Melbourne to begin training with the Emerging Under-16s Female Victorian Country squad last month, had to turn around and return home after two days. Still, she looks forward to being able to broaden her knowledge when she eventually returns to the squad.
“They really give me an insight that I’ve never seen before and just having people that are highly skilled there really helps.”
