QC Foundation Backs Scholarship

Since 2014, the former Queensland and Australian captain has awarded the Jodie Purves Young Cricketer Development Scholarship to a regional and rural female cricketer to support their cricket and education endeavours.

With the backing of the Queensland Cricket Foundation, the 12th recipient of the $2500 scholarship is Childers product Catherine White, a fast bowler who plays for the Sunshine Coast Scorchers in the KFC Queensland Premier Cricket competition.

White, who was chosen in the Queensland Fire squad for the first time last month, is in her final year of schooling in at St Luke’s Anglican College in Bundaberg along with her twin brother.

She regularly leaves her home near Biggenden with her parents in the early hours of Sunday morning to play Premier Cricket for the Scorchers.

The right-arm pace bowler started her junior cricket career in Bundaberg.

She was a Queensland Under-19 representative this summer, with the Maroons finishing as runners-up at the national titles in Perth, and played for the Queensland Country Brolgas at the Australian Country Championships in South Australia last month.

Purves, who played four Tests, 180 List A matches (with 67 ODIs) and 102 T20 games (featuring 37 T20Is) in her career, originally sourced and funded the Scholarship to support rural and regional female cricketers.

The Toowoomba product, who played 99 one day and 58 T20 games for her State, was the first Queensland woman to captain Australia when she took over from Karen Rolton in 2009.

She took Australia to a second successive ICC Women’s World Twenty20 title in 2012 in Sri Lanka and then led her team to the ICC Women’s World Cup triumph in India less than six months later.

Purves, a member of the Queensland Cricket Women’s Hall of Fame, said she was delighted to again partner with the QC Foundation and its many generous donors to deliver her scholarship.

“With women’s cricket continuing to grow in rapidly around the world, it’s very rewarding to be able to support one of our upcoming young players from regional Queensland,’’ she said.

“Catherine is an exciting player and benefits from a wonderful family support network as they regularly make the lengthy round trips from the North Burnett to play with the Sunshine Coast Scorchers in the Katherine Raymont Shield.”

“I’m very thankful for the ongoing support of the Queensland Cricket Foundation as they invest in our future stars,” she said.

The Scholarship has been backed in part by funding through a $3000 donation to the Queensland Cricket Foundation from the Brisbane Airport Corporation.

The Queensland Cricket Foundation exists to fundraise and invest in activity that makes cricket more accessible.

The JPYCD Scholarship aligns to the Foundation’s second pillar of its key aims, to support Female, Multicultural and All-Inclusive cricket programs.

In 2024, the Queensland Cricket Foundation has raised funds from the annual Summer of Cricket Lunch, Corporate Sponsorship Donations, Bullsmasters Golf Day and Allan Border Field Picket Sales.

Previous Scholarship holders include current WBBL Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire players Charli Knott, Lucy Hamilton and Bonnie Berry as well as Ruth Johnston (Qld & Hobart), Josie Dooley (SA & Renegades) and Amy Hunter (ACT).

Knott, Hamilton and Berry will prepare this week for Sunday’s Women’s National Cricket League Final against NSW at Allan Border Field.

The decider will be a Day/Night match with the winner receiving the Ruth Preddy Cup.

JPYCD Scholars List
2014-15 - Charli Knott (Mackay)
2015-16 - Josie Dooley (Brisbane)
2016-17 - Renee Irvine (Wondai)
2017-18 - Ruth Johnston (Toowoomba)
2018-19 - Stacy Rockliff (Townsville)
2019-20 - Bonnie Berry (Mackay)
2019-20 - Lucy Hamilton (Bundaberg)
2020-21 - Amy Hunter (Kairi - Atherton Tableland)
2021-22 - Grace Collins (Maryborough)
2022-23 - Mahli Rea (Boyne Island)
2023-24 – Tarah Staines (Monto)
2024-25 – Catherine White (Childers)