I have loved cricket since I was a child and can remember my dad taking me to a test match at Edgbaston. When I was eleven or twelve I was a keen spectator, and went to test matches every year, but I didn’t get the opportunity to play cricket myself as in those days rounders and tennis were the summer sports for girls. In 1995 my husband Clive and I went on our first date at the Old Trafford test match to see England v West Indies (Dominic Cork took a hat trick). Pretty soon I swapped from going to watch cricket with my dad to going with my husband!

When our daughter Laura started to play cricket aged eleven, as the only girl at Leamington amongst the boys, she played girls’ matches for a number of different clubs. One day Laura was playing at Four Oaks Saints CC alongside Lynne Longhorne, who had herself taken up cricket as an adult. I was inspired by seeing Lynne play and the fun the women had in that game. A seed was sown then to start playing myself. I was also very keen to experience playing alongside Laura in a team. That following winter I joined in with Laura’s winter training.

At first, I liked batting best. Then I thought it would be useful to bowl and be able to contribute two or three overs in a game for a team. I had some 1:1 sessions with Marie Kelly to work on my bowling. Having a desk bound job, I enjoyed the physical challenge of learning to bowl and play cricket.

I was determined to play hardball cricket, but in a fun environment. At that time, the problem was that if you were over 15, new to cricket and wanting to play hardball, it was hard to find a team. Most women’s hardball teams were for more established players or girls from the County squads. At Leamington CC, we set out to create a team where women and girls can come and play hardball cricket in a relaxed environment when they are starting out.

We have collaborated with Berkswell CC Women and Kenilworth Wardens CC in the past to get the numbers to make it work. In fact, in one match we played at Kenilworth there was a lady playing for the opposition who was 67 years old. I thought to myself, “If she can do it then I can do it”. You are never too old to start. I know a lot of mums who think they’re too old to start playing cricket but really they’re not. We would welcome them at Leamington, even just for a first net or taster session.

Laura is very cool with it. She was the captain of the team, so I think she enjoyed telling me what to do. It was a reversal of our roles. I also think it was a comfort to her as the captain that I was there as a mature adult (as well as being her mum) to support her if a difficult situation arose.

Typically. it was always dads and sons playing cricket together but now it is common to see mums and daughters playing too. My husband Clive has been supportive of both of us and there was one occasion where we all played together in a team. All three of us have worked with Warwickshire to gain our coaching badges and we all coach in the girls’ section at Leamington. Laura also coaches in the club’s All Stars sessions.

It’s been a team effort, with everyone involved in junior cricket at Leamington CC, especially Mark Davison, head of junior cricket. To comply with Covid regulations, our junior cricket nights are now spread out over the week, with the girls training on Thursday nights. We have a girls’ softball section, but there are also opportunities for girls to progress into hardball and also to train or play with the boys if they so wish.

We have used a variety of methods to grow the women and girls’ section:

• Softball festivals. We are quite focused on the social side and playing for fun. Softball festivals raise the profile of women’s cricket and give female family members the opportunity to come to the club and play for fun in a way that wasn’t possible traditionally.
• Specific girls’ coaching day with Bethan Ellis. We held a coaching day for beginners or women and girls with some cricket experience, coached by local cricketer Bethan Ellis who has played for Warwickshire and in the Kia Super League.
• Winter nets. Pre- Covid, we hired a school hall over the winter and ran our own dedicated sessions for women and girls, which proved to be popular.
• Social media. We have a dedicated Twitter account for Leamington CC Women and Girls.
• Word of mouth. Informal word of mouth between women, parents and girls is a factor in our growth. We find that if one girl comes to training the next week she might bring a friend, then a few more come along, and soon you have a whole group from the same class.
• All Stars graduates. Leamington runs an All Stars session which introduces many girls to cricket and then they graduate into our girls’ section.

All these factors have combined well and as a result we now have over 35 women and girls coming to training regularly on a Thursday evening. We want our net sessions to be fun and we want to build a team spirit.