Sport
30 April, 2026
Glossop shines on national stage
MORTLAKE cricketing export Annabelle Glossop was part of the Victorian women’s team that recently took out the National Indigenous Cricket Championships.
The Victorian women won the title for the very first time with a 58-run win in the final of the Twenty20 competition over New South Wales at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena.
“It was a great thrill to win, especially as Victoria had never won before and we had finished last the year before,” Glossop said.
Glossop took out the Player of the Match award in the final where she hit 21 from 19 balls, took 3/18 from four overs with her off-spin as well as taking a catch.
“I enjoy Twenty20 cricket, but obviously there’s a bit of luck involved as well.
“If you bowl tight lines it works in your favour, but then there’s the batters that try and manipulate the crease and stuff, which is harder, but it’s a good test.”
Bowling those tight lines paid off in the final, with two of Glossop’s wickets being bowled and the other LBW.
But it was her spectacular catch in the final that gained the most attention.
Positioned at deep backward square leg, a skied ball from New South Wales’ Maddison Spence saw Glossop make good ground to take an outstretched one-handed catch before falling backwards with the ball safely secured.
The clip of her catch went viral, posted all around the cricketing world on various platforms.
“I got told that they showed it on the IPL (Indian Premier League) coverage, though I don’t know if that’s true or not.
“I got a couple new followers out of the coverage, not a heap, I didn’t really expect anything to be honest,” Glossop laughed.
Glossop enjoyed playing alongside Victorian WNCL cricketers Ella Haywood and Emma Manix-Geeves.
“They were pretty handy to have on our team, even just for the knowledge.
“If they weren’t playing, it’d be still good to have them around, just sort of pick their brains and see how they go about their stuff.”
The indigenous tournament offered plenty of cultural experiences for the participants.
“It was pretty cool not only to just play cricket, but to see the culture up in Mackay.
“On the rest day there were activities, we did weaving, and the other group went on a walk, last year was the same sort of stuff, making headscarves and we had indigenous people dancing, then this year we had Torres Strait Islanders doing dances which was pretty cool.”
A busy 2025/26 season saw Glossop as an integral part of the Geelong Cricket Club’s women’s premier first 11 team, the team losing the grand final to Melbourne.
Glossop’s bowling was impressive, claiming 14 wickets at an average of 24.64, equal second in the bowling aggregate.
“We’re still developing at Geelong, half our team is under 18, it’s good to have youth coming through and there’s other good young kids also developing in other grades.
“I can’t really complain about it I guess with being in the ones for three years, to be in two of the last three grand finals is pretty cool.”
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