Scotland Wildcats cricket team set off on Northern Irish tour and Huntly 17-year-old Ailsa Lister hopes to do her Stoneywood-Dyce club proud by making her full international debut in the Belfast T20 series
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TEENAGE cricketer Ailsa Lister hopes to make it third time lucky by achieving her Scottish senior international debut in a T20 series in Ireland this month.
The 17-year-old, a product of Huntly Cricket Club, is the only female player at Stoneywood-Dyce and has made several first-team appearances with the men at national league level.
She played for Scotland under-17s at the age of 13 and was chosen to represent the senior Wildcats’ women’s first team for a series of tour matches in La Manga, Spain, against the Irish national team.
However, the tour was twice postponed in November and March due to the pandemic, and will finally take place in Belfast next week.
Lister is part of a 14-strong squad and hopes to be selected for at least one of the four 20-over matches so she can make her full international debut.
“To be honest it would be unbelievable if I played,” she said. “I still can’t quite wrap my head around it.
“Even when I was playing for Scotland A, to pull on the shirt is unbelievable.
“It means so much to me and my family and my friends around me who have supported me through it.
“My mum and dad have transported me across the country at different times and the good thing is this tour is being live streamed as well, so they can watch it as well when we are away.”
Lister plays as wicket keeper for her club but is unlikely to play in that position, which is occupied by top Scottish player and team vice-captain Sarah Bryce.
Instead, her batting and fielding skills will be put to the test if she gets picked for one of the games played between May 23 and 27. Those talents have shone before, as she hit her first-ever century in a regional under-16 tournament at her old Huntly ground in recent times.
The Wildcats’ squad heads out to Northern ireland on Friday, two days ahead of their opening tour match at the Stormont cricket ground.
“I think it will be a great experience whether I play or not,” she added.
“If I wasn’t picked to be in the 11, it was still be great to learn from the more experienced girls and hopefully even if I don’t play, I will come back a better cricketer than I was when I went out.”
Lister has plenty experience of playing T20 from club cricket, and with Scotland aiming to qualify for next year’s World Cup, and possibly the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, some great opportunities lie ahead for women’s cricket.
She will be looking to impress new Wildcats head coach Mark Coles, the former Pakistan ladies international coach.
