20th March 2018
| Mallory Gray
Women and Girls’ cricket is set to well and truly take off this summer, with 2017 being a tremendous year for female cricket. Spurred on by 11 successful festivals, Women and Girls’ Cricket is a huge focus for Cricket Wales and Glamorgan Cricket; having seen thousands of women and girls take interest in the sport.
Thrilled to see so many young girls and women trying their hand at cricket, Mark Frost, Community and Development Manager at Glamorgan Cricket and Cricket Wales says:
“England winning the Women’s World Cup last year has encouraged a real change in attitude towards women and girls’ cricket. Here at Cricket Wales, we are incredibly committed to making the sport open and accessible across Wales and look forward to a defining year for Women and Girl’s Cricket in Wales”.
2018
This Autumn, Cricket Wales recruited 6 new Officers across the country; a decision that will aid them in the promotion of Women and Girls’ Cricket. With plans to treble the number of cricket festivals this year, both Glamorgan Cricket and Cricket Wales expect another spike in interest.
Women and Girls’ Soft Ball
One of the most exciting updates is the new Women and Girl’s Soft Ball tournaments; a fun, engaging and new form of cricket that uses a soft ball.
With registration opening at the beginning of March, there has already been a fantastic level of interest. Last year, the tournament welcomes welcomed 9,200 players to 272 Women’s Soft Ball Cricket festivals. What was so great about this was that 60% of those that got involved were new to the game.
National Development Centres (NDC’s)
While a sport we generally associate with summer months, Cricket Wales are eager to keep the spirit of the sport alive throughout the year.
Cricket Wales runs girls National Development Centres (NDC) during the winter months in South East and South West Wales. Girls from North Wales can also take part in the North Wales boys NDC’s.
Girls NDC’s are open to anyone who wishes to keep their cricket activity going during the winter months. In the summer a full programme of NDC development festivals are held involving the players from all over Wales.
Wales age group squads
Wales Girls/Women’s Squads are run at U12, U13, U15, U17 and senior level. Squad sessions are held each October, Christmas, February and Easter in preparation for fixtures against English County Cricket Board opposition.
Each age group has a coach and an assistant that helps with the overall programme overseen by the Cricket Wales Performance Manager.