Laura Scheiwe hits 1,000-run landmark for Doncaster Town

Laura Scheiwe, who swapped an Australian winter for a spell at Doncaster Town, has crossed the 1,000-run threshold for the season.

Across all competitions, her tally of 1,044 runs and counting at an average of 52 with three hundreds and six fifties marks her out as a top player in Yorkshire.

The 18 year-old from Warwick, Queensland, is Doncaster Town’s first female overseas signing ever and the move has been the catalyst for a change in fortunes.

Placed second at the time of writing in the Premier Division of the Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League, Doncaster Town have crucial games to round off the league season away at Wrenthorpe (25 August) and at home to Rockingham Colliery (1 September).

Queensland to Doncaster (via Facebook)

So, how did the move come about? Well, there was a stroke of luck involved. A chance conversation in a Facebook group led to Doncaster Town offering Laura to come over to England where she has been sponsored at the club by the Leach family.

Acclimatisation has included getting to grips with a wet and cold summer where temperatures have been below what Laura is used to even in an Aussie winter.

“I’ve never been overseas before. This was a pretty big move out of a small town in Australia. I think I’ve bought seven jumpers with me since I moved here and it does not come off me!”

I was curious how deciphering the Yorkshire accent has been: “It has taken a while to get used to. I’ve been working at the bar at the cricket club and trying to hear them is very difficult but I’m slowly getting used to it!”

Batting development in Yorkshire

Laura arrived in Yorkshire having played women’s first-grade cricket in Queensland for Ipswich Hornets, primarily as a bowler:

“Back home, I was more of a bowler so I’ve only really developed in the last six to 12 months where I’ve scored a few runs.”

Her debut for Doncaster Town Women’s 1st XI saw 119 not out off 95 balls against Sheffield Collegiate at the Eco Power Oval. She has scored consistently against all of the teams, punctuated with innings of note in the Yorkshire Cricket Southern Premier League on Saturdays.

Learning curve

A key part of the education of a summer in Yorkshire has been the conditions with Laura used to the faster, bouncier tracks in Queensland: “At home, you can play back foot shots with ease. Here, it’s get on the front foot, low and slow. Very difficult to play on and very different.”

It’ll doubtless benefit her game and the impact she’s had in South Yorkshire and the top women’s league has been significant.

Shell Styring (below) is captain of Doncaster Town Women’s 1st XI and has been very impressed with how their star signing has taken to life in Yorkshire.

Captain’s seal of approval

“She settled in straight away and had the best of both worlds at our club. She got the nurture she needed as an 18-year-old a long way from home from the more experienced (older) players and made good friendships with the youngsters in the team who went with her to the cinema and eating houses, I believe wagamama was a big hit!”

One of the observations from Shell of their new recruit has been the way Laura’s attitude has galvanised others to believe they can.

“Laura’s performances on the pitch have been nothing short of outstanding, batting, bowling and fielding, she is head and shoulders above any player I have played with and her attitude towards her cricket has rubbed off on a lot of us.”

Tellingly, despite only being 18 and part of a team in a country she’s never been to before, there’s been a confidence from Scheiwe that others have bought into. Shell told me:

“She has given us more confidence and belief in ourselves as individuals and as a team. She has helped iothers with their batting and bowling, spending time with them outside the normal training nights to improve their game. Laura takes her game very seriously and it shows what can be achieved with hard work and dedication; I can see her going a long way in the game.”

Overseas signings

The success of this signing echoes that of Sessay Emeralds who have Otago Sparks batter and wicketkeeper Olivia Gain for 2024. Gain has 549 runs at an average of 91 – and also scored 110 for Sessay in Division Three of the Nidderdale League.

It’ll hopefully pave the way for more clubs bringing over overseas players to improve their women’s league sides and lend that experience, as it’s been proven to work for decades in senior league cricket.

I was reminded of an interview with Beth Mooney (above) I did way back in 2015 when she was playing for Wrenthorpe. She credited her club cricket as valuable grounding and I recall a scintillating knock at Harrogate where Beth batted with Lauren Winfield (as she was then).

Focus on the positives

How we approach the game and reflect on it is something that Scheiwe has brought to Doncaster Town.

Shell said: “Whether it’s an Aussie trait or a Laura trait, one of the things I noticed early on was that she focusses on the positives from any performance.

She added: “Generally as Brits, we look at what didn’t go well and how to make that better and learn from it. Laura does that but her main focus is on praising the good things in a performance which has given us all more confidence.”

For Scheiwe, she’s delayed her return to Australia – where there’ll be a club move to Gold Coast Dolphins – so she can play for Doncaster Town in the Yorkshire Women & Girls League’s The Hundred Finals at Headingley on Sunday 15 September.

Sessay, Saxton, Doncaster Town and Sheffield Collegiate will battle it out over the 100-ball showpiece. Over the 12 rounds of The Hundred, Sessay Emeralds finished top while Scheiwe averaged a mighty 327, having only been dismissed once.

The Hundred Finals Day

Previous knocks of 75 not out and 103 not out on a single day in The Hundred has shown her adaptability to new formats but the greatest takeaway from Scheiwe’s time in Yorkshire has been volume and immersion in the game:

“From a development perspective, I’ve had a lot of balls thrown at me! I’ve moved in with a cricket-mad family and having lots of hours in the nets has been great. Having a chance to have long innings in the middle has really helped me develop as a player.”