She will be the only female playing first grade. And Bective skipper Adam Jones believes that retired former international Leonie Coleman may have been the last female to manage the feat – back in the 1990s. 

Jones described 15-year-old Jess – who starred for Tamworth at the Walter Taylor Shield in Armidale this week – as “an exceptional talent”.

“I’m impressed with Jess as a cricketer, full stop .. she deserves her spot and I think she’ll do some really good things in cricket and I think she won’t be out of her depth playing first grade, for sure,” he said.

“I think she’ll play first grade pretty regularly the next couple of years.

“It’s a pretty special occasion for her and her brother … It’s a special moment for the club as well to have a 15-year-old girl play first grade with her brother, who’s only 18.”

Jones said pace bowler Lachlan was about the same age as his sister when he made his top-grade debut for Bective. 

Jones doubts that another former international from the region, ACT Meteors captain Erin Osborne, played first grade in Tamworth before leaving the city.

“There’s not too may that have [played first grade] – very few and far between,” he said.

Jess has played a mix of third and second grade this season. She also played for the Cricket Australia XI at the under-18 nationals last year and will represent ACT-NSW Country at the under-15 nationals in Adelaide on January 17.

Her promotion to first grade came after the loss of several regular first-graders for the City clash including Coby Cornish, James Haling, AJ Pretorius, Cooper Barnes and Ian Hobson.

Jones described Jess as a medium-pace bowler and a “fairly aggressive batswoman”.

“She’s an impressive cricketer,” he added.