Defying the odds: How Jemma Astley conquered cricket again

This article is by James Buckley and appeared in The Newcastle Herald on October 26 2026

In partnership with Toyota

Jemma Astley averaged a staggering 341 last season, but she has never described herself as a 'natural' with the bat.

For 20 years she's terrorised opponents with ball in hand, but two horror injuries in more recent times forced the Stockton and Northern Districts captain-coach to retool her cricketing kitbag.

Rather than succumb to the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) she sustained, soon after recovering from a ruptured syndesmosis ligament, Astley quickly learned she could contribute just as much on the cricket field with bat in hand.

"I was actually always a bowler," Astley said.

"I could bat all right but it definitely didn't come naturally. I actually had a bit of a shift, I had some major injuries happen in the last six years so I've had to adapt.

"The bowling hasn't quite agreed with me as much coming back recovery wise, but batting seems to have taken off.

"It's funny how you get knocked down and you can't do the things you used to. You've got to learn to adapt and do other things better."

The 29-year-old knocked down her share of bowling attacks last season, crafting four half centuries in seven visits to the crease, while suffering just one dismissal.

Unsurprisingly, she was named Newcastle's women's cricketer of the year - a remarkable recovery from the horrific run of injuries she sustained on the footy field in her mid-20s.

"I ruptured the syndesmosis ligament in my right ankle, that ligament holds my two [lower leg] bones together," Astley said.

"I was non-weight bearing for a few months, had to do the ankle mobility and strength. Then probably about a year later I ruptured my ACL in the same leg.

"It's now three years down the track since I've done it and you still face little bits here and there, little biomechanical things, because you've been compensating for this and that."

Astley grew up in Anna Bay and began her cricketing journey at under-8s level where she was "always the only girl" on the team.

By the time she was a teenager she'd attracted interest from Sydney premier-grade clubs, and was recruited by Northern Districts which often meant a near four-hour round trip from Port Stephens to play at weekends.

As part of the NSW Breakers under-15s squad, she mentioned to one of her coaches she was Aboriginal which led to her selection in the NSW team which played each year in Alice Springs in the Imparja Cup - Australia's largest Indigenous cricket festival.

From there she was picked twice to represent Australia - in 2016-17 and 2018-19.

That took Astley to India and England, where she represented the Aboriginal XI women's team at venues like Trent Bridge and The Oval.

"It feels like it was another lifetime ago, it was really cool to go there and see what their cricketing culture is," Astley said.

"We're playing in different climates and on different pitches, it was really cool."

Astley still plays in the NSW Premier Cricket competition, but has since moved to the Greater Hunter Coast Crushers which has significantly reduced her road travel each weekend.

She represents the Crushers at the weekend, and is gearing up for another Twenty20 season with Stockton and Northern Districts - set to begin on Wednesday, November 4.

And Astley is already eyeing off more runs in her trademark role as second drop.

"My team definitely helps me in that sense, they're never like 'you can open the batting' they're always pretty accepting of me going in at four," Astley said.

"The biggest thing I've learned in my game is to just time the ball.

"I guess for some people it can be overhitting but I think for me it's just finding the connection with the ball and it seemed to work for me last season."

• This content has been produced in partnership with Toyota