A TEENAGER whose dad played first class cricket in Sri Lanka has landed a coveted place on a cricket talent programme.
Venus Weerappuli, a pupil at Bradford Grammar School (BGS), plays cricket for Lancashire Women’s U15s and has now been signed to North West Thunder’s Emerging Player Programme, comprising female cricketers from Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.
The 13-year-old, from Baildon, only started playing cricket just before her ninth birthday and was accepted into Lancashire Cricket Club Girls’ team just a year later having started out playing for Esholt’s Under 11 Boys’ team. She was recently named Lancashire Women’s Player of the Month after scoring a maiden century against Warwickshire.
Her talents have been honed, in part, by dad Ajantha, known as AJ, a spin bowler who played first-class cricket for Sri Lanka and was a member of the country’s National Academy. He also played semi-professionally for different clubs across the world until a hand injury cut his career short in his mid 20s. AJ and family settled in England before Venus was born and he is now a full-time cricket coach with his own business, AVD Cricket Coaching Academy.
He said: “Cricket has been my life, but I never forced it on Venus because I really wanted her to come to me and say I’d like to have a go. She had a big interest in it but didn’t show signs of wanting to play until much later. It’s wonderful to see how much she’s progressed and how much she loves it.
“People tend to think of cricket as a man’s game, but I think women are proving that they are more than talented enough to be as good as the men, and one of them is my daughter.”
Venus describes herself as a ‘genuine all-rounder’ though she has a talent for spin bowling like her dad. She balances her studies at BGS with practising at the nets five to six times a week.
She said: “I used to watch my dad coaching in the holidays and I wanted to try it. I was the only girl there at the time but there’s quite a few girls today. Now, I want to be the best in the world – and hopefully better than my dad!
“There’s lots of banter at school because I play for Lancashire and not Yorkshire but it’s all good fun.”
As well as her Lancashire commitment, Venus plays cricket for BGS in both mixed and girls’ teams.
BGS has been offering cricket to girls for several years with mixed teams and separate girls’ teams. Year 8 pupil Lizzie Pickles and Year 9 pupil Erin Grange both play for Yorkshire. The school recently invested £4m in its sports facilities, including new all-weather outdoor cricket lanes and nets, and recent alumni includes Yorkshire County cricketer Will Luxton.
Dr Simon Hinchliffe, headmaster at BGS, said: “Venus has excelled in her cricket at BGS and it’s wonderful to see her hard working paying off as she joins the North Thunder’s performance programme. It’s very well deserved. She follows a long line of talented cricketers at BGS.”
AJ added: “BGS is the best place for Venus, not just for the cricket but for all sports. It’s made a big difference to her life coming here. Doors have opened because of it.”
Venus attends the school partly due to financial support from Cricket Beyond Boundaries (CBB), which supports talented young cricketers.
John Wilson, co-founder of CBB, said: “It’s a delight to read of Venus’ successes on the field (both for BGS and at representative level). We’re also thrilled that she is making the most of being a part of the warm learning community of BGS, reminding us all how much is on offer at this wonderful school. We’re confident Venus will be an inspiration for others who learn and play with her, and for those who hear and read about the fine example she is setting.”
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