Ahistoric first in Limestone Coast sport will take place this summer with a new women’s Twenty20 cricket competition.

The South East Female Open Age Cricket League will give women of all ages the opportunity to pad up in their own tournament.

North Sportsman’s, Mil Lel, South Gambier, Naracoorte and Bordertown are all set to field full sides in the six-round season, which begins at the start of next month and finishes before Christmas.

South Australian Cricket Association South East club and participation officer James Dunn played a major role in creating the competition and said it was a significant moment for South East sport.

“I don’t think there has been another women’s cricket competition (in the region),” he said.

“In the past we have only had women’s games, but they weren’t structured seasons.

“Last summer there were only two teams from Bordertown and Naracoorte and we wanted to take women’s cricket more seriously so it is not just a hit and giggle.

“The girls wanted a proper, structured competition, so we got to work and we ended up with five teams which is fantastic.”

The proposal for a female competition started to gain momentum in 2019-20 with Naracoorte and Bordertown playing a three match series, while the Australian women’s national team also reached new heights.

In front of over 86,000 fans at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia won the ICC women’s T20 World Cup for a fifth time against India.

The national team led by Meg Lanning has continued its golden run this summer by winning 21 consecutive one-day games to equal the world record set by Ricky Ponting’s iconic men’s ODI side in 2003.

Dunn said hard work from the likes of Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt in the inspiring Australian side and Limestone Coast cricket club members were crucial elements to generate interest around the new competition.

“We have had a few women come out of nowhere deciding they want to play cricket and the extra exposure on TV has been really important,” he said.

“The Australian team has been on recently, which is why it is really exciting to have a standalone women’s competition because it gives all girls something to aspire to and think I can smack the ball like Alyssa Healy.

“It has been great to find three teams in Mount Gambier after we could not get any last year, which shows the hard work of local club people putting their hands up.”

Dunn said lots of intense planning since last summer had been put in place with the goal to provide a welcoming and learning environment.

“I sat down with the Bordertown and Naracoorte captains at the end of last season and we planned out a timeline,” he said.

“We did not want to clash with any other sports to risk losing players, so we think we have found a nice little window of opportunity.

“We decided Twenty20 was the best way for girls to get in, have a bat, bowl and have fun.”

A post-season structure has not been confirmed yet, but a finals day has been proposed.

Games played during the six minor rounds will be spread across the Limestone Coast with two in the same area each week to create a vibrant atmosphere.

Players will even get the chance to test their skills on turf wickets and Dunn said the opening round in Naracoorte would be a momentous occasion.

“It is just really exciting to have these opportunities for females in the South East,” he said.

“We have tried things in the past that haven’t worked out, but you can’t let that get you down and you need to keep trying new things and here we are now with five open age teams.

“The female side of the sport is so important for the growth of cricket and to finally get a structured competition is so rewarding.”