Women’s cricket has come on leaps and bounds over the past ten years or so. From being a sport that is not commonly played amongst girls to a sport that is now widely played in schools for girls at grassroots level, it is truly great to see the sport’s evolution. And It’s now one of the fastest growing women and girls’ sports.
History
One of the first matches in women’s cricket can be dated back to July 1745 that took place between Bramley and Hambledon in Surrey. The first county match saw Surrey take on Hampshire in 1811, with participants ageing from 14 to 60 years old.
Women’s cricket spread internationally many years later. The International Women’s Cricket Council was founded in 1958 to coordinate the game in Australia, India, Pakistan, England, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
The first cricket player in both the men’s and women’s game to record a century and ten wickets in a Test match was Australian Betty Wilson against England in 1958.
The Women’s Cricket Association handed the running’s of England’s women cricket over to the ECB in 1998, and later in 2005, the International Women’s Cricket Council was integrated under the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee was formed to cover matters on women’s cricket.
Opportunities for all levels and ages
Women’s cricket is now widely played. The increase in grassroots cricket for girls in schools has opened up many opportunities for girls in the sport and has encouraged them to give the sport a go and try something new.
From all-star to England star
All Stars Cricket is a beginner’s programme into cricket for children aged 5-8, and they’re guaranteed 8 weeks of fun cricket activity and skills development. It’s designed to introduce children to the sport and teach new skills, help make friends and have a great time. There are over 2,200 clubs and centres registered to run All Stars, making the game more accessible for young children.
Dynamos is a great next step for children who graduate from All Stars Cricket and is an introduction for 8–11-year-olds. It is a social offering for children and is focused on developing fundamental skills to help with movement which is then applied to an exciting game of countdown cricket.
School and club cricket has provided girls with many opportunities, allowing them to develop their skills and gain the opportunity to progress to a more advanced level. County cricket allows girls to take that next step and with The Hundred and other women’s fixtures becoming more widely available for the public to watch on television and more accessible to attend in person, the profile of the sport has really boomed. The Hundred has given women’s cricket the global platform that it truly needed and has brought so much excitement, new fans (even cricket novices) and has become a talking point for many, inspiring younger generations along the way who have great role models to look up to.
The England Women’s Cricket Team have seen enormous success in recent years. From their 2017 World Cup victory to coming runners-up in the 2022 ICC World Cup final to Australia in New Zealand.
The team are producing some exciting cricket and are sure to continue to inspire young children and girls all over the world, helping to produce the cricket stars of the future.
Women’s cricket T20 is finally making its Commonwealth Games debut this summer and at one of the world’s leading cricket venues – Edgbaston Stadium. This is a fantastic step for Women’s cricket and a great opportunity for some much needed exposure. Edgbaston is renowned for hosting regular men’s ODI’s, Test Matches and T20 internationals, so it’s fully prepared to host large crowds – 25,000 spectators in fact!
Meeting England’s best
Let’s take a look at some of the England Women’s Cricket stars – the role models for the next generation of sporting stars.
Heather Knight
England women’s cricket captain Heather Knight began her cricket journey when she was eight years old. After seeing her older brother play the game, Heather decided to take it up too and joined her local club, where she was the only girl in the team – but this didn’t worry her at all and showed her male opposition that she was every bit as worthy as them to compete, performing fantastically and shocking those around her with her play.
Since England claimed the 2017 Women’s World Cup title, Heather and her England teammates have been inspired at the increased interest in the women’s game and the number of girls that have been inspired themselves to get into the sport. Heather recognises that professional women’s cricket has progressed so much in recent years but never forgets where the game started and the women who made it possible for women to compete today, perusing their passion and overcoming obstacles along the way. Knight hopes to continue to push down the barriers that remain in women’s sport and encourage even more young girls to take up the game.
Nat Sciver
Nat began playing cricket when she was a teenager in Surrey, at school, at Epsom College progressed to play in Surrey’s Academy and then for the Surrey County team before playing for the England Women’s Academy. Her England debut was made in 2013 when she was selected to play in the limited-overs series against Pakistan. The first to take a hattrick in a Women’s Twenty20 International match, Sciver is now one of England’s stars. Alongside her teammate, Heather Knight, Nat achieved the highest 3rd wicket stand in Women’s Cricket World Cup history in 2017, and went on to claim the World Cup title with her England team.
In the 2022 edition of The Hundred, Sciver will be playing for Trent Rockets – we can’t wait to watch her!
Watch some exciting, thrilling and edge-of-your-seat action in The Hundred as the women’s teams will go head-to-head to claim the 2022 title. Discover our hospitality packages for The Hundred now and watch the stars from some of the best seats in the house.
