Hope Hawks CC

Hope Hawks Cricket Club affiliated to Cricket Wales in 2011.  This in itself is not unusual.  What is unique about this club is its structure: it considers its home to be the whole of North Wales and it is the only affiliated cricket club that is exclusively devoted to ladies' cricket. 

The Club currently plays its home matches on a variety of grounds in North Wales, including Brymbo, Chirk, Colwyn Bay, Connah's Quay, Gresford and Northop Hall and aims to increase the number of grounds they use.  The Hawks play in Cheshire Women's League Division 3 (mainly on Sundays) and in the Cheshire T20 Western Division on Mondays.  The Club currently has one team and a squad of 29 players, 20 of whom are new to the game this season.

Players are recruited from far and wide - from Llanrwst in the west to Holt on the Cheshire/Flintshire border in th east and from Chirk in the south to Prestatyn in the north.  The Hawks' team of 4 professional coaches is introducing cricket to everyone interested in trying the sport free of charge, thanks to the support of the People's Postcode Trust, Sport Wales, Taylor Wimpey and First Hydro.  The Club's coaches attend sessions in high schools and hockey clubs in an effort to bring the game to more young women.  The success of the team has come through good coaching of the basics, but added to that is a fantastic team spirit that has meant whenever a game has been tight, the team has somehow managed to pull through. Five players have taken turns captaining the side this season.

The support of the People's Postcode Trust, Sport Wales, Taylor Wimpey and First Hydro has meant that all team clothing, coaching and equipment has been provided free of charge to the players, which has added to that team spirit and feeling of identity.

The Hawks will probably finish the season as Cheshire Division Three runners-up (out of seven teams) and losing semi-finalists in the T20 Plate (out of 13 teams). Eight victories out of 14 matches has been a tremendous return, in a year when we set a target of two victories.

Next year the Club intends to increase the number of female coaches at the club from one to four and attract sponsors again, so that cricket remains free for all of our players.

The most recent development has been the adoption of a additional title - in Welsh.  The Club is now known as Hope Hawks CC (Clwb Criced Cudyllod).