A Trailblazing Journey: Australian Cricketer Beth Mooney's Inspiring Impact on Women's Cricket - Women's Day 2025 Special

Growing up in a small town in Australia, cricketer Beth Mooney’s path to the sport was far from typical. While most aspiring cricketers hone their skills in big cities like Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne, Mooney stood out in an environment with few opportunities for female athletes. Her passion for the game was ignited at home, as she watched men’s Test cricket on TV and emulated her older brother’s footsteps.

“I probably had a different experience to some, not all, just because I was sort of 3.5 hour drive to north of Brisbane in a town called Harvey Bay. And, I watched it a lot on TV at home, the, the men’s Test cricket, and, just fell in love with the game,” she recalls.

From an early age, Mooney had to step out of her comfort zone. Playing alongside boys and, later, men, fast-tracked her development and honed her skills.

“In Harvey Bay, I was one of 2 or 3 girls total that played, so I had no choice but to sign up and play, play with the boys on weekends and then, and try my luck in making all girls teams for, for representative cricket, because that’s all that was on offer then,” says Beth insisting that the challenges early on helped her become a tougher sportsperson.

“The experience itself, got me out of my comfort zone a lot and challenged me a lot in terms of skill set, because I moved up pretty quickly to playing first grade men’s cricket. As a 14-year old playing (against) blokes who were 30, bowling pretty quick and hitting the ball pretty hard. So, yeah, from my point of view, I think it helped fast track my development, for sure,” she says.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Beth Mooney (@bethmooney6)

Despite being one of the few female cricketers in her town, Mooney never felt out of place. The men she played with treated her as one of their own, ensuring she felt included and protected on the field.

“I didn’t really have a negative experience, because it was just normal to me to be in the change room with the blokes, getting dressed, that they were getting dressed in front of me. So it kind of just became pretty normalized. And that’s probably a credit to the team that I played for. They really took me under their wing and, made me feel like one of their own and really defended me on the field as well, if I was getting sledged or not looked after,” she adds.

So, transitioning to women’s cricket came with its own set of adjustments. The game required different tactics, but what Mooney truly cherished was the camaraderie among female players.

“To be honest, the skill level was slightly down. I probably got stretched a lot playing in the men’s game. You know, transitioning to an all-girl team, and thinking that the bowling was a lot slower and the batters didn’t hit it as hard, but, I think there was a lot more tactics that went into the women’s game, just because we can’t hit it as far or bowl as fast as the men. But really, I just craved that friendship and the camaraderie of of the women’s game where I was with like-minded people.”

Mooney has witnessed first-hand the transformation of women’s cricket, particularly with the advent of franchise leagues such as the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she plays for Gujarat Giants. She recognises the significant impact these tournaments have had in expanding opportunities for young female cricketers worldwide. And so playing in the WPL, Mooney sees her role not just as a competitor, but as someone responsible for growing the game globally.

“You know, as an Australian player, any opportunity we get to come in the WPL and help the domestic players there, learn about the game and, and get better at the game, is something that we take pretty seriously and, and understand that we’re in a very privileged position to be able to do that,” she adds.

While Mooney prefers to remain low-key, she acknowledges the importance of engaging with fans and young aspirants.

“So if, you know, I was out doing a running session in, Baroda last week at 7 in the morning and there were two young girls running laps around the oval as well. And, they rushed over and asked me for a photo, and I could have easily said, no, but I thought that was a pretty important moment to, to say yes and, and recognize that, that they were just young players trying to make their own way in the game,” she says.

Despite all the improvement and the increased popularity, if there’s one thing that frustrates her, it is the constant comparison between men’s and women’s cricket.

“I just don’t like that it’s compared to the men’s a lot. I think, You know, it’s, it’s a different game. There’s different tactics involved, You know, and, and I just wish that people that had all these opinions about women’s versus men’s sport would go and watch a women’s game, and they will probably come away and, and be really impressed and, and want to watch more of it, to be honest,” she concludes.

.freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }