Felton to help lead WA side

Albany-bred cricketer Hannah Felton will be part of the leadership group for the WA Country XI women’s team at next month’s Australian Country Cricket Championships in Toowoomba.

Felton has been selected to represent WA for the third time and has been named deputy vice-captain in the squad of 14 players.

Emily Johnston will captain WA and is supported by vice-captain Meg Thompson and Felton, and Western Fury stalwart Angele Gray will again coach the side.

Felton is one of two Great Southern products picked for the women’s championships, joined by Mt Barker fast bowler Georgie Middleton.

Middleton, right, plays for Melville and will also head away on her third tour with the WA team.

In 2018, Middleton won All-Australian selection as a 16-year-old at the championships, taking four wickets at an average of 22.8 in the Twenty20 format.

She has made 81 runs at 13 and taken six wickets at an average of 11 for Melville in the WACA A-grade women’s competition this year.

Felton, who played for Royals locally, is now with South Perth and competed at the championships this year in Shepparton.

This season Felton has made 165 runs in the WACA women’s B-grade competition to go with 10 wickets at an average of 14.1.

She made 17 runs and bowled three overs and took five catches in the 2019 campaign.

Great Southern players Jeremy Wood, Nathan Crudeli and Coen Marwick were last week named in the 14-man men’s side. Albany’s Tim Edmunds is coach of the WA men’s team.

Teams travel to Queensland early next month ahead of the championships that begin on January 5 in the women’s division.

The women’s division will play Twenty20 games across the carnival.