A new season, new opportunities: UTS North Sydney Bears women ready to build
The UTS North Sydney Bears’ women’s program continues to go from strength to strength, with the 2026/27 season bringing exciting recruits from England, fresh coaching support, and a significant expansion of the club’s opportunities.
Since launching its women’s program in 2018/19, Norths has established itself as a strong presence in Sydney women’s cricket. Back-to-back Second Grade premierships in 2023/24 and 2024/25 demonstrated the quality of the program, while last season’s Third Grade semi-final appearance provided further evidence of the depth developing throughout the club.
Now, with the introduction of a Women’s Metropolitan Competition team for the first time, the Bears are taking another important step in creating opportunities for women and girls to play cricket, develop their skills and progress through the club.
International recruits add to the excitement
The Bears welcome four English recruits, including Phoebe Howe and Bella Clein, who join the club from the Surrey pathway in the UK via the International Cricket Programme.
Their arrival adds fresh talent to the program and brings experience from the English county youth system. Both players will have the opportunity to contribute to the Bears’ ambitions while experiencing the unique challenges of Australian summer cricket.
Bella Clein on her Bears debut
They join a program that has already demonstrated its ability to attract international talent. Last season’s overseas import, Anna Buckle, arrived from Sussex and enjoyed an impressive year in Sydney. Her progress has continued back in England, where she made her Tier 1 debut for Surrey in the season just past. Buckle’s journey is an encouraging example of the opportunities available through the Bears’ program, both on and off the field. The club will be looking to provide Howe and Clein, as well as Beth Lewis and Martha Cunningham, with a similarly rewarding experience as they join their new teammates for the summer.
Second Grade looking to return to the top
Second Grade will once again be led by Kayla Robson, with Sharon Julien serving as vice-captain and Robbie Aitken continuing as coach.
Having won the premiership in each of their first two seasons, the Bears faced a different challenge in 2025/26. A number of personnel changes contributed to a slow start, but the side finished the season strongly to place sixth, narrowly missing the finals.
There were plenty of encouraging individual performances along the way. Kayla led the batting with 291 runs, including two half-centuries, while Bernadette Robson contributed 263 runs at an average of almost 44. Sharon was also a key contributor with the ball, claiming 23 wickets and providing an important presence in the leadership group.
Sharon Julien
With Kayla continuing in the captaincy, Sharon supporting her as vice-captain and an established core supported by new faces, including NSW Metro U19 squad member, Ameera Sodhi moving up from Brewers, the Bears will be aiming to turn their strong finish last year into a sustained push for finals cricket.
Robbie Aitken’s continued involvement provides important continuity as the group looks to build on last season’s progress. The focus will be on translating individual performances into greater consistency across the competition, while continuing to develop players ready to take the next step in their cricket.
Third Grade building on another finals campaign
Third Grade again demonstrated the strength of the club’s development pathway, finishing third on the ladder before bowing out in the semi-finals against Manly.
Under Evy McKay’s leadership, the team combined experienced players with emerging talent, giving cricketers of different ages and backgrounds the opportunity to contribute. The campaign included a series of strong performances and a particularly impressive bowling and fielding display in the semi-final, even though it was not enough to secure a grand final berth.
Anu Raj
Kellyn Coetzee led the side’s run-scoring with 279 runs, while Anu Raj added 265. The season once again highlighted the value of Third Grade as both a competitive team and an important development environment.
The challenge now is to build on that progress, with another finals appearance firmly within reach if the Bears can maintain the consistency they showed for much of last summer.
A new chapter for Brewer Shield
The Under-18 Brewer Shield side also enters the season with renewed ambition, with Zahra Dhillon continuing as captain, Akshadha Uppili as vice-captain and Roni Dhillon taking over as coach.
Zahra and Akshadha form the club’s spin twins, with the pair set to play important roles both with the ball and in guiding the next generation of Bears. Their partnership gives the side a strong foundation in its leadership group as it looks to build on last season’s experience.
Last season was a learning experience for a relatively young group. The Bears began positively with a strong win over Greater Hunter, but the campaign was marked by fluctuations in form before the side improved towards the end of the competition.
There were plenty of individual highlights, including an outstanding hundred Sharon Julien in the second T20 round. More broadly, the season provided valuable experience for a group continuing to develop within the club’s pathway.
The Brewer Shield team ahead of Round 1
Zahra’s leadership, Akshadha’s support as vice-captain and Roni’s coaching will be central to the next stage of that development. Brewer Shield plays a vital role in preparing young cricketers for senior Premier Cricket, and the Bears will be looking to build on the progress made last season while continuing to develop players who can contribute to the club’s open-age teams in the years ahead.
A landmark season for the program
The introduction of the club’s first Women’s Metropolitan Competition team is a significant milestone for UTS North Sydney. It creates another entry point for women seeking competitive cricket and broadens the pathway between community cricket, development teams and Premier Cricket.
The expansion reflects the ongoing work of the players, coaches, volunteers and wider club community in building a sustainable women’s program and creating more opportunities for women and girls to enjoy competitive cricket. With a growing player base, new talent arriving from England and pathways continuing to expand, the Bears are well placed to build on their success and take the next step in establishing UTS North Sydney as a leading destination for women’s cricket.