30th April 2024
| Mark Frost
Report from Keri Chahal:-
It was good to recently host and welcome our First Minister, Vaughan Gethin to Ynystawe Cricket Club.
The club showcased their junior girls section and were supported by Clydach CC’s girls section. Shana Thomas of Ynystawe CC commented;
"The development of girls cricket has come so far in such a short space of time. It was fantastic to welcome the First Minister to Ynystawe; show him our facilities, to share our progress and the plans in place to create a more welcoming environment for girls, including the imminent refurbishment of our changing rooms to be gender neutral, thanks to an ECB County Grant.
We, along with so many other clubs in Wales, offer girls the chance to start their cricket from being an All Star and Dynamo and then into U11s girls softball. We’re fortunate to keep their interest going by either introducing them into our women’s section or into playing hardball cricket in the junior age groups. As a club not offering girls-only hardball yet, we are fortunate to team up with Clydach Cricket Club who can offer our girls that opportunity.
Girls keep coming back and enjoying what the game has to offer; the fun, the friendships and of course being able to play.
We’d like to thank the First Minister for his visit, his support for the girls game in Wales and, importantly, the chance for the girls to bowl at him"
The First Minister got in the spirit and had a bat and was impressed by the standard of the girls bowling and also the clubs wider facilities.
Our South West Wales' Area Manager Keri Chahal also endorsed and added to Shana’s comments;
"A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes ensuring girls get the opportunity to take up our game.
Local clubs have worked with us and have been pro-active in developing girls sections and teams.
With the support of the South Wales Junior Cricket League we now have structured girls league cricket in the area at U11’s, U13’s & U15s age groups.
The expressed desire for cricket is to be a fully gender neutral game and with the evidence on display at Ynystawe Cricket Club we are certainly on that journey.
A big thanks to Shana and the Ynystawe Cricket Club to setting up the day and for all the girls who took part".
Ends…