Twenty-one-year-old wicketkeeper-batter and 2020 Bradman Scholar, Matilda Lugg, has earned a contract with the Sydney Sixers for WBBL|07.
The Coffs Harbour product – who was chosen as Bradman Scholar from a nationwide pool of applicants in 2020 – has spent the last three years honing her craft with the ACT Meteors and will now get the chance to mix it with the best in the WBBL.
Having waited patiently for her chance over the last couple of years, Lugg was initially taken by surprise when she heard from (Sixers WBBL and BBL List Manager) Lisa Sthalekar, “I got a phone call out of the blue,” she said. “I was very shocked.”
The shock quickly turned to excitement, however, as Sthalaker explained that the Sixers were keen to get Lugg in the squad to work alongside frontline wicket-keeper, Alyssa Healy. “She basically said we need a back-up keeper and she asked me what my thoughts were on playing for the Sixers,” Lugg recalls. “Obviously my thoughts were very positive.” Back home at Coffs Harbour at the time, she was thrilled to able to share the news with her parents, “I ran out and shared the news with mum and dad straight away – there might have been a bit of squealing,” she said.
Matilda Lugg signs with the Sydney Sixers (Source WBBL)
Perhaps part of Lugg’s excitement derives from the fact that she will now be working alongside her long-time cricketing hero. “When I started playing cricket… she (Healy) was an idol of mine – she still is,” Lugg said. “So being in the same squad as her and learning from the best is such an awesome opportunity.”
Thrilled to have the chance to play alongside the likes of Healy and fellow Australian stars Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner, Lugg’s experience in the ACT/ NSW Country pathway system means that she already has a level of familiarity with some of her soon-to-be teammates, including Lauren Cheatle and Stella Campbell. This is a prospect that pleases Sthalaker; “it’s great to have those girls (from the NSW pathway) coming back through the WBBL,” she said.
To that end, Angela Reakes – her captain at ACT – is also part of the squad, something Lugg thinks is particularly exciting. “She’s a big mentor for me and a great leader,” she said. “I know she’ll be really supportive for me – it’s very special.”
Her addition to the squad is a great reward for consistent effort, and Lugg is proud when reflecting on her journey to the WBBL. “Being in the high performance set up for a while has had a big part to play in my development,” she said. “Having great players around, you learn a lot and I have loved working with all of my coaches.”
Keen to take it a step further this summer, she admits it will be different this time around. “When it starts in October and November, most of my ACT squad go off the Big Bash, so the last few years it’s been me back in Canberra training,” she said. “But this year I get to go away and experience that.”
Having already received messages of support from some of her new teammates, Lugg can’t wait to get into the action come October. “I’ve been in touch with a few of them already,” she said. “I’m just so keen to get in there and soak it up and learn as much as I can.”
In addition to her work on the field, Lugg has been balancing an increasingly busy university schedule. Currently completing a double degree in Development Studies/ Law at Australian National University, she feels it has kept her grounded as she pursues her cricketing dreams. “I love having my studies on the side,” she said. “It’s so important to have a balance and an outlet away from cricket.”
She plans to keep studying during the WBBL, and though she admits it will be difficult, it is something she is confident she is well prepared for. “Of course it will be a challenge to keep up with it when I’m away with the team,” she said. “But I have two years of balancing cricket and studies under my belt already.”
It was this duality between her sporting and academic endeavours that helped Lugg stand out to the panel as she applied for the Bradman Scholarship last year. The Scholarship, worth $15,000 over three years, is designed to assist young cricketers as they balance their sporting and academic pursuits at university.
Executive Director of the Bradman Foundation, Rina Hore is thrilled to see Matilda making progress and following her dreams. “I’m just so happy for her,” she said. “For me, it’s the fact that the Scholarship is working. She is able to balance her training with her studies and keep going with her education and her cricket.”
Applications for the 2022 Bradman Scholarship are open now
It concludes what has been a big week for past Bradman Scholars, as 2013 recipient Georgia Redmayne was also named in the Australian squad for the upcoming series against India. “Our scholars are showing such resilience,” Ms Hore said. “The Scholarship is doing what it’s designed to do, and we are all very proud of Tilly and Georgia.”
Awarded since 1990, the coveted Bradman Scholarship is available to one male and one female recipient each year as recognition of a blend of sporting, academic and personal qualities. Open to undergraduate students studying in Australia, it is designed to promote ideals of academic excellence alongside cricketing pursuits.
Applications for 2022 are open now and close 28 February.
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