Samantha Arnold Life Member #24 - Penrith Cricket Club

Penrith Cricket Club | August 06, 2025

Penrith Cricket Club is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the endorsement of Samantha Arnold for Life Membership – a historic moment as the first female player put forward for this honour in our Club’s history. Announced at our AGM – Monday 28 July 2025.

Career

Samantha (Sam) Arnold is the current longest-serving continuous playing member of the Women’s Squad at Penrith Cricket Club. She first played for the Club in its Brewer Shield team in 2011/12 and has played continuously since then, making her First Grade debut as Cap #3 with the Club’s inaugural First XI in 2014/15.

In her playing career with the Club, Sam has reached more milestones than any other female player.

She has:

• taken 110 wickets
• made 3569 runs
• taken 56 catches
• played 219 games.

She has also won the Women’s:

• Cricketer of the Year award (2021/22)
• Fielder of the Year award (2019/20 and 2023/24)
• Most Improved award (2018/19)
• Spirit of Cricket award (2015/16).

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In addition, Sam assumed the Women’s First Grade captaincy in 2021/22 and captained the team to its inaugural NSW Sydney Cricket Association (SCA) First Grade Premiership in 2022/23. She still holds this position.

When Sam achieved the milestones of 100 wickets, 3000 runs and 200 games in season 23-24, she was widely applauded within the Club and also throughout the Sydney premier cricket community.

The following is a selection of comments from the Facebook post celebrating her milestones, along with her record of leadership:

• ‘Marvellous achievement for a wonderful person and a great cricketer.’ (Morris Iemma, Campbelltown Camden District CC)
• Congratulations Sam. You are a wonderful ambassador for your club & ambassador for this great game we all love. A truly great person who is admired by everyone across Sydney Premier Cricket. Well done on these great achievements.’ (Russel Grimson, Sydney CC)
• ‘Champion cricketer. Champion person.’ (Peter Tait, Umpire)
• ‘Well deserved, congratulations to a great team player.’ (Stephen Costello, NSW PSSA Life Member; former Penrith CC Women’s First Grade coach)
• ‘Yay Sammy A! You are a Super Star & not just as a cricketer, captain & club member but as a person! Congratulations, Sammy!’ (Kim Hinkley, former Penrith CC Women’s Coordinator)
• ‘Congrats, Sam, awesome achievement.’ (Geoff Sullivan, Penrith CC)
• Congratulations Sam!! Outstanding leader! (Paul Grosse, Penrith CC)
• ‘What a leader of our great club! Absolute champion.’ (Glenn Bradley, Penrith CC)

In addition to her playing and leadership achievements for the Club, Sam’s cricketing excellence was recognised with a Thunder WBBL contract in 2019/20.

Sam has also represented Australia in indoor cricket, FUTSAL and Oztag.

Services to the Club

Sam’s work for the Club extends beyond the playing field with an exemplary record of service. She:

• is Club Captain of the Women’s Squad (2019-)
• is a member of the Women’s Sub-committee (2022-)
• is a member of the Women’s Selection Panel (2022-)
• always takes a turn on the carpark roster and in other Club fundraising activities
• has been a Player Representative on the Management Committee.

In these capacities, Sam plays or has played an invaluable role in administering the three teams in the Women’s Squad; supporting the development of junior players; role-modelling a professional, club-oriented approach to training and playing; and fostering and strengthening club spirit.

In particular, Sam takes her junior development role very seriously. She holds a Community Coaching Accreditation, and she makes a point of working on skills and attitude with our junior players. Indeed, our junior and underage players enjoy a rare level of access to Sam as their First Grade captain. Additionally, Sam is always highly involved in the Club’s female cricket outreach activities, such as winter development programs and Junior Girls Cricket Days.

The evidence of Sam’s efforts in relation to club culture and spirit can be seen in the award of Spirit

of Cricket to Penrith Cricket Club women’s teams in season 2023/24.

Services to cricket

Sam’s service to cricket goes beyond the Club. She currently sits on the Women’s Subcommittee of the SCA, where she helps to shape the policy and practices that ensure a high-quality competition for hundreds of female premier cricketers across Sydney.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that the Sydney women’s premier cricket environment is competitive and fast-moving, with players constantly moving clubs. In this environment, it is increasingly rare to encounter one-club career players like Sam. It is even more remarkable to encounter a player with such a distinguished playing career and an outstanding record of dedicated

club service. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of the honour of being the first female player and club veteran to be inducted into life membership of Penrith Cricket Club. I therefore commend this nomination for life membership to you in the highest possible terms.

Nomination speech as presented by Catherine Pratt at Penrith's 52nd AGM

Clip from the Captains Circle on BeaconPoint Cricket with Paul Ryan - setting the field for left arm swing bowlers