By Jim Allnatt
Seventeen-year-old Skye Bowden made her official Auckland Hearts debut in the Super Smash Cricket T20 Tournament at Lincoln last week against Central Districts.
Skye has played for Howick Pakuranga Cricket Club since she was 10, starting in the Under 12 soft ball grade and moved quickly up through the grades into the premier side of which she has been a member for three years.
Skye’s talents as a medium pace out-swing bowler and all round batsman were recognised at a very early age and she has represented Auckland in Under 14, Under 15, Under 18 and Under 21 before joining the wider Hearts squad last season.
It has always seemed to be only a matter of time before Skye became the first of the current Howick Pakuranga Premier Women’s Xl to become a fully fledged Hearts player and, after being 12th man for the first three games in Lincoln, she was selected to play.
Skye said,” I love playing for the Hearts as you learn so much from all the players and it’s really challenging. “
Skye is grateful to her father Dan for his encouragement and coaching. “He’s always been there especially when things are tough.”
Skye also plays indoor cricket so she doesn’t have an off season and excels in the sport too.
She plays Super League and after representing New Zealand in the age grades, played for the New Zealand Women’s team in the World Cup at Dubai this year.
Asked how the two sports fitted in with each other. “That by playing indoor is to play all year round and indoor helps with my eye-hand coordination because everything happens so quickly and I have learned to play more aggressively,” said Skye.
