Some friendships begin on the cricket pitch and last a lifetime. That was certainly the feeling when former and current Westlake Girls cricketers came together on 13 October to celebrate the school’s cricketing history.
With players representing every decade from the 1960s through to today, the reunion was an opportunity to reconnect, share memories and reflect on how much the game has meant to generations of Westlake students.
Cricket has a long history at Westlake. The first photograph of a girls’ 1st XI appeared in the 1959 yearbook, before Westlake Girls High School officially opened on 23 February 1962. That year also marked the school’s first 1st XI cricket team as an independent girls’ school.
Over the decades, Westlake has produced three White Ferns: Carol Oyler (née Duske), Class of 1965; Karen Burdett (née Plummer), Class of 1969; and Katie Perkins, Class of 2006, who joined us for the reunion.
One of the evening’s most special moments was recognising Beth Beever, whose involvement with Westlake cricket spanned an extraordinary 48 years, from 1965 until her retirement in 2013.
Beth was presented with flowers and a cricket bat signed by players, acknowledging the enormous contribution she made to the sport and the many young women she supported along the way.
As one former player put it, Beth quite literally was Westlake Girls cricket. Her passion for the game, enthusiasm and encouragement of every player, regardless of ability, left a lasting impression on generations of students.
Another highlight brought past and present together, with current 1st XI players interviewing a panel of former players: Helen Smyth (Class of 1973), Sarah Kelly (née Beaman, Class of 1989) and Katie Perkins (Class of 2006). Their conversation offered a glimpse into cricket at Westlake across the decades, from changing experiences on the field to the friendships and memories that have endured.
It was a lovely reminder that while the players, uniforms and game itself may have changed over the years, the sense of belonging to the Westlake cricket community remains.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the reunion such a special occasion, and especially to Beth for the extraordinary legacy she has left at Westlake Girls.
