Oswestry hosts county-wide celebration of women and girls’ cricket
Over 70 players participate in celebration of female cricket
Oswestry Cricket Club’s Women & Girls’ (WaGs) section hosted a hugely successful Women & Girls’ Softball Cricket Festival on Sunday, July 5, drawing 11 women’s and girls’ cricket teams from across Shropshire to its Morda Road ground.
The Softball Festival of Cricket, Culture & Community was exclusively sponsored by leading law firm Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors. Over 70 women and girls took part in the morning’s celebration of female cricket with the adult women from Condover CC, proving eventual winners. The team were rewarded with two brand new Women’s T20 World Cup branded softball bats.
Naomi Payne, Oswestry WaGs’ captain and Cricket Shropshire’s Women & Girls’ Development Officer was thrilled with the event. “It was a fantastic morning of women and girls’ cricket. We had women’s teams from Oswestry, Acton Reynolds, Bomere Heath, Broseley, Ellesmere and Condover Cricket Clubs. And we welcomed girls’ U11 teams from Oswestry, Shelton, Newtown and Ellesmere CCs.
“It was particularly pleasing to see so many young girls aged 11 years and under playing cricket against other developing girls’ sides. It was a super opportunity for them to get a feel of what proper cricket looks like and playing competitive matches.
“There was a big mix of ages taking part, from girls aged 8-9 years playing against girls a little bit older up to 11 years, and more than holding their own. And with seven adult women’s teams playing, we had young mums to women in their 40s, 50s even 60s playing. It was a truly wonderful celebration of female cricket and a fitting punctuation to the ICC’s Women’s T20 World Cup. Sadly, England didn’t win in the final, but what a showcase of women’s cricket we’ve enjoyed this summer to inspire the next generation.”
Oswestry WaGs Team Manager, Jools Payne, added: “It really was a superb festival of cricket, culture and community. We simply could not have staged it so well without the incredible support of our exclusive sponsor Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors. They went the extra mile and even provided chocolate cricket bats in the goody bags given to all the players.”
“There are so many people to thank after an event such as this, but solicitors, Kate Lawson and Tania McGee from Lanyon Bowdler were awesome both before and on the day. George Miah from the Simla generously provided a vast array of Indian food for our post festival Women’s T20 World Cup-themed lunch and final watch party, and local Oswestry businesses like Barkers, Booka Bookshop, Square One, Oswestry Approved Care & Support, Stonehouse Brewery and Max Spielmann generously donated prizes to our amazing raffle, all in aid of developing our Women & Girls’ section further.
“Our WaGs non-playing teammates pulled out all the stops to get the ground prepped and ready for a 9.15am start, Dave Hill the groundsman ensured the whole ground looked superb as always, and prepared four pitches for the fixtures, and Clubhouse Manager, Louise Murray and her parents did the most incredible job feeding around 90 players, officials and volunteers with a truly fabulous lunch. All in all, it was a terrific advert for women & girls’ cricket in the county and for Oswestry Cricket Club.”
The successful festival comes at the halfway point in the Oswestry WaGs’ season, which sees them top of both the County Softball and the County Hardball leagues and leading their Group C in the Anna Shore Memorial Cup Hundred competition.