Sunday will see the first grand final of the Wangaratta and District Cricket Association's Under 15 All Girls Cricket League, with Rovers United Bruck set to take on Wangaratta Magpies at Wareena Park.

The league has been running within the WDCA since 2023-'24, initially with four teams (Rovers United Bruck, Beechworth Wanderers, Yarrawonga-Mulwala and Benalla), then expanding to five last year with the entry of City Colts, and remaining at five this season with the inclusion of Wangaratta Magpies and the departure of Benalla.

While the first two seasons were contested with 'stage one' games, where wickets counted to the score of the bowling team but the batter faced their allocated balls before going out, in 2025-'26 players face 20 balls and retire if they don't go out, and are playing with a harder ball.

It's also the first year of finals for the league.

Semi-finals were played last Sunday, with Wangaratta Magpies (8/101) defeating Beechworth Wanderers (6/81) at North Wangaratta, while Rovers United Bruck (3/147) defeated City Colts (3/53).

Bec Feldtmann, chair of the all girls competition sub-committee, said it was a great development for the competition to be staging finals.

"We're actually leading the way, as there are not a huge amount of leagues running girls' competitions yet; we have a long way to go, but the enthusiasm is there now," she said.

"We are planning at this stage to run under 12 and under 16 competitions next season, and possibly open age, depending on interest.

"If people are keen, we encourage them to keep an eye on local clubs' socials in the lead-up to next season, and to reach out to the clubs."

Bec encouraged locals to drop down to Wareena Park on Sunday from 9am to watch the league's first grand final, in which players like Wangaratta Magpies' captain Siddhi Patel and co-vice captain Bridie Kay, and Rovers United Bruck's Layla Hill, are looking forward to taking part.

Asked what she loved about cricket, Bridie - an all-rounder who not only bats and bowls, but also keeps wickets - simply said: "It's everything".

The North East Knights representative is indicative of the female talent making the most of the pathway offered by the All Girls Cricket League.