Wiltshire Cricket are delighted to welcome Xara Jetly as the first female overseas to represent a club in our county. Xara comes to Wiltshire bringing a wealth of experience, most recently representing Wellington Blaze playing in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield one-day competition and the Women's Super-Smash Twenty20 competition.  Xara has also captained New Zealand U22s in the Indoor Cricket World Cup at the back end of last year.

Whilst in England Xara will primarily be playing for Avebury 2s, as well as coaching and developing the women and girls’ offering at Avebury CC and Marlborough College.  She will also be representing Royal Wootton Bassett in the newly formed Women’s WEPL.

Earlier in the week, we caught up with Xara to find out some more about her ambitions whilst over here and ambitions for the future;

1) What made you want to play cricket in England?

I wanted to play cricket in England mostly because it is in the off-season period in New Zealand. England provides me with more playing opportunities with mid-week and weekend games. My coaches also told me that England would expose me to ALOT of cricket, good cricket. 

2) What goals do you have for when you play in England?

My goal is to play as many games as possible. My second goal is to inspire young girls in cricket here. I work with a sports psychologist. I have a mental preparation strategy for before, during and after games. I plan to implement this strategy as frequently as possible to ensure I am best prepped for my season in NZ. 

3) How does it feel to be the first women's overseas player in Wiltshire?

To be the first women's overseas player in Wiltshire is genuinely crazy and an honour. I love cricket and its growth on the woman's side of things. Fortunately, I am associated with Dominic Fry, a massive cricket game supporter. I am here today because of his ambition to grow the women's game. I have discovered many like-minded people in Wiltshire; what an environment to be in. 

4) What's different about cricket in England compared to cricket in New Zealand?

One significant difference between England and New Zealand cricket is the consistent mid-week games. There are few midweek cricket opportunities in NZ, only training during the week and games on the weekend. England has a lot of fresh, prepared grass wickets; there are plenty of them for club cricketers. Finally, I hardly get the opportunity to play with the men as I am playing for the Wellington Blaze most weekends in the New Zealand summer. It is excellent to train with the men and play alongside and against them as it proposes four significant challenges; 1. A bigger, heavy, red cricket ball. 2. Bigger boundary ropes. 3. Faster bowling. 4. Fantastic strikers! This will only improve my game, and England provides that for me. 

5) What aspirations do you have for your cricket in the future?

I aspire to represent my country, New Zealand. Not only do I want to wear the fern on my chest, but I want to be a role model for all women and girls in the sporting world. I use my social media platform as an opportunity to showcase my skills and my excitement about the game. I hope this increases my playing profile globally to provide young girls with more insight into cricket and how truly enjoyable cricket is. 

Whilst Xara is the first female professional overseas to come to Wiltshire, it's fantastic to see that opportunities for female cricketers are growing and Avebury are showing a great example of what is possible within W&Gs cricket!