Spotlight: Selina Solman – Vanuatu Women’s Cricket Team Captain

“Mi kam blong save kriket long wan taem we i no gat ol klab blo ol woman or domestik kompetisen blo ol woman. Mi stat go long ol sesen from ol brata blong mi oli wantem mi blong joen, be afta wan praktis nomo, me tingting seh, ‘Wow, wanem kaen boring spot ya,’ mekem me mi stop go.

Long sem taem, netbol klab blong famili blong mi, Sumanettes, i stap lukaot ol man blong joen long ol miks tim. Mi traem blong pulum brata blong mi, Nalin, blong joen, be hem i talem stret seh, ‘No, from yu no joen long kriket.’ Mi harem seh me mas Karem ol boy kam play, mekem mi disaed blong traem kriket bakagen.

Mi traen strong mo mi traem blong joen long fes women’s nasonal tim blong wan kompetisen we oli bin holem long Vanuatu long yia ya, be from mi bin niu, mi no bin mekem seleksen. Be samting we i mekem mi kambak bakagen, hemi from ol man insaed long kriket komuniti oli mekem mi harem se mi no defren long olgeta—oli stap treatem mi olsem wan ikwal. Ol famli tu oli help bigwan blong enkarajem mo sapotem mi blo kontinu.

Long neks yia, long 2014, mi mekem nasonal tim mo mi travel i go long Japan blong fes international kompetisen blong mi. Afta lo hemia nao ol opportuniti e wokem kam.
I impoten tumas blong mifala i givim recoknisen long ol man mo woman we oli stap mekem bigfla wok blong mekem spes blong ol yang femel atlet mo ol narafala tu we oli no atlet, blong oli gro long ol eria we oli gat intres long hem. Mi no bin save kasem ples we mi stap long hem tedei sipos i no bin gat sapot ya.”

#yutriseup #yutyumimekemjenj #yutriseupspotlight #equalitymatters

“I was introduced to cricket at a time when there were no female clubs or domestic competitions. This was back in 2013. I started attending sessions because my male cousins encouraged me to join, but after just one practice, I thought, “Wow, what a boring sport,’ and stopped going.

Around the same time, my family’s netball club, Sumanettes, needed male players for the mixed teams. I tried to convince my cousin Nalin to join, but he refused, saying, ‘No, because you didn’t join cricket.”

Determined to help my team, I decided to give cricket another shot.

I trained hard and even tried out for the first women’s national team for a tournament hosted in Vanuatu that year, but since I was new, I didn’t make the cut. What kept me coming back was the inclusive attitude of the men in the cricket community. They never made me feel like I was less than anyone else— instead, they treated me as an equal.

The following year, in 2014, I made the National team and travelled to Japan for my first international tournament. From there, the rest is history. It’s so important to acknowledge the men and women who continue to create spaces for young female athletes and non-athletes alike to grow in the areas they’re passionate about. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that support.”

#yutriseup #yutyumimekemjenj #yutriseupspotlight #equalitymatters