In her own words, Chloe Piparo is ‘just a country kid’.
Just a country kid who has captained Australia at the under-18 level, scored a century for her country, skippered her state and become a Perth Scorchers stalwart playing in all seven seasons of the Women’s Big Bash League.
Now on the eve of the WBBL|07 Final, Piparo is keen to add some key silverware to the trophy cabinet.
“I’m excited, I’m not nervous yet but I might be come Saturday. I’m just trying to enjoy it and lap up the experience of playing a Final at home,” she said.
At just 14 years old, the Bunbury-born batter began the journey to Perth to play at Tuart Hill. Two hours each way, several times a week, the whole-family commitment was assisted by a scholarship from WA Cricket facilitating the development of young female talent.
“It was really massive for my family to have some support to drive up and down,”Piparo said.
“The scholarship was really beneficial for me to to continue to be able to play and not worry as much about the money side of things.”
From Perth, Piparo didn’t look back.
The scholarship paved the way to a season in England, an eye-opening experience that helped her game grow. Back home, under-17 state selection lead to a domestic debut during the 2011-12 season.
“I just encourage anyone to get into cricket because there is a lot of support there for women and girls through WA Cricket and the WA Cricket Foundation. It’s a great sport to be in,” she said.
And as the Perth Scorchers eye off their first WBBL title and Perth prepares to #FillTheFurnace at Optus Stadium, Piparo knows the next generation will be watching.
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” she said.
“Cricket’s there now for little girls to see us playing on the television and in the big stadiums so it’s really exciting to see that growth.”
The WA Cricket Foundation is committed to empowering the next generation of young women through cricket.
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