Laura Wolvaardt

Career

Aged 11, Wolvaardt was selected to play for the Western Province U-19 girls' team. In October 2013, she made her first appearance for the Western Province women senior team in a Twenty20 match against Boland women, scoring 13 runs from 18 balls. She made her limited overs cricket debut for Western Province Women in a November 2013 match against Boland, scoring 4 from 14 balls. That December, 13-year old Wolvaardt was invited to play for a South Africa Women's U-19 invitational team; Wolvaardt had been the top scorer in the 2013 Cricket South Africa Under 19 Girls Week. She was later named the 2013 Cricket South Africa under-19 female cricketer of the year. In 2014, Wolvaardt again participated in the Cricket South Africa Under 19 Girls Week, representing Western Province. Wolvaardt has captained the South Africa Women's U-19 side, and in February 2016, she made her Women's One Day International debut in the opening match of a three-match series against England aged 16. In the second match of the series, she scored her maiden half century in a 114-run partnership with Trisha Chetty. She also played in a match against West Indies, and scored 10 in an opening partnership of 33 runs. Wolvaart scored 46 in Western Province Women's final match of the 2015/16 Women's Provincial League, as they won the title for the fourth consecutive year.

Wolvaardt became the youngest centurion, male or female, for South Africa in international cricket. As a 17-year old, the opener struck a match-winning 105 against Ireland Women to wrap up a 67-run victory in Malahide, Ireland.