Girls playing with boys?

[Langeveldt]

What's the point of this argument exactly? I mean, I get what you're saying, but are you suggesting that she shouldn't be able to play if she's good enough to make the side?

The reason male players can't qualify for girls sports teams is because they tend to have a natural advantage in size, strength and so on. That's perfectly obvious and nobody is going to disagree with you there. The reason this girl shouldn't be allowed to play in a co-ed school's first team is...?

You've lost me.

Surely if women want equal rights they should put up with the downside of that too? Whilst I agree with the girl playing cricket, you can't say that men shouldn't be allowed the same luxury of playing literally for whoever they can get into..

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Surely if women want equal rights they should put up with the downside of that too? Whilst I agree with the girl playing cricket, you can't say that men shouldn't be allowed the same luxury of playing literally for whoever they can get into..

What does equal rights have to do with it though? It's not a men's cricket team she's trying to get into, it's just the school side. If she's good enough to play for the school side, why wouldn't she be included? And I don't see where the "downside" that is being avoided is, as boys can presumably get into all the school teams as it is, unless they're specifically girls sides.

If you're suggesting there shouldn't be girls teams in any sport, that seems like a pretty ridiculous argument. As Jamee said, an adult can't play in the under 12s because he's not under 12, and it's basically the same situation with the girls sides. They are there so that female players can play cricket in a competitive environment without having to compete with male players who are at a significant advantage. That argument doesn't apply to the school side, as she's competing on the same level.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I just believe that male and female sport should be seperate - doesn't the school have a girl's team? And Robin Marlar was concerned about the bad publicity if the girls get hit - do they bowl bouncers in Aussie schools cricket? Of course the PC brigade slagged Marlar off for what he said - thank god this site allows free speech!!

It may be that the school has a girls team (though my school certainly never had a girls cricket team, as there simply wouldn't have been enough interest, so I'd say not), but if she's competing on an equal level with the male players she's probably a fair bit above that standard. And if there isn't one she's playing cricket for the school in the only way she can.

Whether the school has a girls side or not, she's not playing for the boys cricket team, she's playing for the school. Meaning presumably that she is among the best 11 cricket players in the school irrespective of gender. It seems utterly pointless and childish to exclude her from the side based on her gender.

And frankly, who cares if she gets hit? She's playing competitive cricket and that's a risk of the game, but there's plenty of protective gear and it's fairly rare that someone gets seriously injured in school level cricket, at least by being hit with the ball. The "protection" argument just sounds like a dodgy excuse to me.

 

[Jamee999]

I'm sure that if she's good enough to play First XI cricket she can look after herself on a cricket pitch.

 

[Poker Boy]

It may be that the school has a girls team (though my school certainly never had a girls cricket team, as there simply wouldn't have been enough interest, so I'd say not), but if she's competing on an equal level with the male players she's probably a fair bit above that standard. And if there isn't one she's playing cricket for the school in the only way she can.

Whether the school has a girls side or not, she's not playing for the boys cricket team, she's playing for the school. Meaning presumably that she is among the best 11 cricket players in the school irrespective of gender. It seems utterly pointless and childish to exclude her from the side based on her gender.

And frankly, who cares if she gets hit? She's playing competitive cricket and that's a risk of the game, but there's plenty of protective gear and it's fairly rare that someone gets seriously injured in school level cricket, at least by being hit with the ball. The "protection" argument just sounds like a dodgy excuse to me.

Well cricket fans know that -what I think Robin Marlar was worried about was that the English press would latch on to that and people who don't know about cricket would wonder why she was put into that situation - giving the game bad publicity. Anyone that knows about what passes for the press in Britain would know they would just say a girl got hit - why was she playing? They wouldn't care if she was good enough. IMO surely the solution is to set up girls teams - and is there mixed teams in Aussie schools in other sports?

 

[Langeveldt]

What does equal rights have to do with it though? It's not a men's cricket team she's trying to get into, it's just the school side. If she's good enough to play for the school side, why wouldn't she be included? And I don't see where the "downside" that is being avoided is, as boys can presumably get into all the school teams as it is, unless they're specifically girls sides.

If you're suggesting there shouldn't be girls teams in any sport, that seems like a pretty ridiculous argument. As Jamee said, an adult can't play in the under 12s because he's not under 12, and it's basically the same situation with the girls sides. They are there so that female players can play cricket in a competitive environment without having to compete with male players who are at a significant advantage. That argument doesn't apply to the school side, as she's competing on the same level.

All I'm saying is, if a guy wanted to play for the SCHOOL netball 1ST XI - I'm fairly sure he'd be told where to go.. Hope I'm wrong, but wheres the fairness in that?

 

[Mister Wright]

All I'm saying is, if a guy wanted to play for the SCHOOL netball 1ST XI - I'm fairly sure he'd be told where to go.. Hope I'm wrong, but wheres the fairness in that?

I don't really think so. Considering netball isn't really a physical contact sport like league or sumo wrestling and not an atheltically demanding sport like basketball (not trying to denegrade netball, just making comparisons) I think it would be a fairly even playing field for a bloke to be playing netball.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Netball is a pretty different case as the sport has been pushed as the girls alternative to basketball in schools for decades. A better example would be a sport like chess with a genuinely level playing field that people from either gender can theoretically compete in.

 

[Mister Wright]

Netball is a pretty different case as the sport has been pushed as the girls alternative to basketball in schools for decades. A better example would be a sport like chess with a genuinely level playing field that people from either gender can theoretically compete in.

There are a lot of girls that play basketball. However, I think a lot of men would have trouble playing netball. There's just far too much to think about while you're playing it.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

There are a lot of girls that play basketball. However, I think a lot of men would have trouble playing netball. There's just far too much to think about while you're playing it.

I think, given equal playing numbers, men would probably be better at the sport. We played netball at school a bit in PE and the guys always dominated, even though a handful of the girls played for the school and so on. It's obviously not as physically demanding as some other sports though, so who knows.

Either way, where there's not a clear difference in basic capability I've got no problem with unisex teams, and if this girl is good enough to make the cricket team it certainly qualifies. Same goes for younger players making the team in older youth divisions and so on.

edit: By the way, I was referring to the origins of netball as a girls alternative to basketball, and the fact that it was a compulsory sport for girls in many schools in Australia for decades and so on, not suggesting that girls don't ever play basketball.

 

[Mister Wright]

Either way, where there's not a clear difference in basic capability I've got no problem with unisex teams, and if this girl is good enough to make the cricket team it certainly qualifies. Same goes for younger players making the team in older youth divisions and so on.

Agree on that one...

edit: By the way, I was referring to the origins of netball as a girls alternative to basketball, and the fact that it was a compulsory sport for girls in many schools in Australia for decades and so on, not suggesting that girls don't ever play basketball.

Ok. Didn't know that re: compulsory. Do you know which country invented netball?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Ok. Didn't know that re: compulsory. Do you know which country invented netball?

Wouldn't have a clue really.

 

[Nate]

Barker`s team is crap simply. Should be allowed to play mind.

 

[Nate]

Only if the school commitment isn't on a Saturday, i.e. during school time. And cricket at schools that don't play on Saturdays would be a shokcingly low level

Bad, bad call. Some schools, most definately, but that`s a very general statement. I captained our school second XI for a few matches, and we could`ve won the odd game against Barker. Not often, but a decent shout at it.

 

[superkingdave]

we had an end of year netball tournie at uni between 2 netball teams, men's football, rugby and hockey and women's rugby, football and hockey. All 3 years it was Men's football vs Men's Rugby in the final, not really through skill though.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Which women would get into any County XI? Very, very few, if any is the answer. It's pretty hypothetical too, because it's seemingly never going to happen.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Which women would get into any County XI? Very, very few, if any is the answer. It's pretty hypothetical too, because it's seemingly never going to happen.

None, which is why there aren't any. I'm not particularly familiar with the rules over there, but surely if a county wanted to sign a female player they would be able to do so.

 

[Mahindinho]

we had an end of year netball tournie at uni between 2 netball teams, men's football, rugby and hockey and women's rugby, football and hockey. All 3 years it was Men's football vs Men's Rugby in the final, not really through skill though.

Put a team of male athletes on a netball court, and they're likely to throw the ball harder, be the first to loose balls, etc.

Even if they're not as skilful, physical superiority* has a decent chance of winning out. That's why men shouldn't play in competitive ladies' teams. Unless it's an official "mixed" competition with equal numbers of each *** per team, etc.

* Not always a given, mind. I shared a table in a pub once with the SA Commonwealth Games netball team (it was during Manchester 2002), and they were some...formidable...women

As far as getting hurt goes, well, cricket is a non-contact sport. Getting hit by a ball is going to hurt more from an 80mph paceman than a 60mph female bowler (pacewoman?! How fast do the top-level women bowl, anyway?)...but that's a relatively occasional hazard** and there's a fair degree of protection there.

** Compared so, say, a girl playing men's rugby, where she's going to get mashed in the tackle every few seconds.

Well, my arguments all boil down to the "women playing with men is like a 14yo playing U17 games, so there's nothing wrong with it" school of thought. Anyone who subscribes to the "well, why shouldn't men be allowed to play in netball teams?" viewpoint is never going to see it my way, just like I don't see it in theirs.

 

[andmark]

Ian Healy's niece has been picked in the Barker College 1st XI, she is the first girl to be picked to play in a major private girls 1st's in NSW. Some old boy from Barker has stirred up abit of controversy by saying that she should not have even been allowed to try out for the boys team.

Here is an article from todays Daily Telegraph



Personally i think its fantastic for girls cricket that she has made the team, and she will probably do very well for them. But alot of people would say that if a girl can play in a boys cricket team why caant a boy play in a netball or softball team, surely that would only be fair? What do people think?

Its because shes a Healy surely but boys should play with girls

 

[PhoenixFire]

None, which is why there aren't any. I'm not particularly familiar with the rules over there, but surely if a county wanted to sign a female player they would be able to do so.

To be honest, I'm not that sure either. I guess so, but not definetly.