Gunnedah local Claire McGuirk will pad up for Combined High Schools at next month's All Schools Championships in Maitland after a strong performance for North West at the state carnival in Bathurst.
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McGuirk, who attends Oxley High School in Tamworth, was selected in the NSWCHS 1st XI team for the March 16, 17 and 18 tournament.
After missing the first day due to her involvement in the under-19s state challenge at Orange on Sunday and Monday where she was one of the Country Sixers' best performers with the bat, McGuirk led the way with the willow for North West scoring a 48 and 78.
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She also opened the bowling, and bowled well without getting the rewards manager Ryan Whitton said.
The side, which also featured Gunnedah High School's Mackenzie Keeler, and was a bit of a new-look and young team with five of the side playing at their first state carnival and six players in Year 8, finished ninth overall.
"We had a fairly tough draw with three Sydney teams in our first four games and the two grand finalists were two of the teams," Whitton said.
They picked up just the one win, that coming against South Coast, but were unlucky not to finish with at least one more.
"We missed out in our first game in a fairly close game; we probably should have won," Whitton said.
Of the younger brigade, he thought Warialda's Molly Armstrong particularly stood up.
"She really made significant improvements from last year, especially bowling - she was our second leading wicket-taker," he said.
"The game we won she got the first three wickets opening the bowling."
Two of those, he added, were girls that made the NSW team.
In that game, batting first North West made 78, Deni Baker top-scoring with 28. With Armstrong leading the charge they then rolled South Coast for 48.
