Author: Raf Nicholson

OPINION – Women’s County Cricket: Knowingly Undersold?

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CRICKETher travelled all the way to Edmonton today to see Middlesex against Berkshire, only to see the match abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Was it raining? Nope. It may have rained last night, and a little this morning, but all afternoon there has been bright sunshine across London.

Yet no play for Middlesex Women.

Why? Because Edmonton Cricket Club do not currently possess fully-functioning covers. The last set were vandalised months ago, and the new ones have not yet arrived.

Which meant that, overnight, the pitch was covered with leaking, ragged old tarpaulins – and so much water got through the holes that, even at 11 o’clock this morning, it was obvious that the teams would be unable to play at all today.

This was incredibly frustrating – for the fans, who had travelled miles to be at the game, and even more so for the players, who were clearly chomping at the bit to get out there and start their season.

I guess you could argue that today was no one’s fault except for the idiots who vandalised the covers in the first place.

Maybe. Except…would the staff at any men’s county ground in the country have to go through months of insurance paperwork and bureaucracy before their covers were replaced? Would any men’s county season ever start without all grounds having fully-functioning covers?

Would the ECB even let that happen?

The problem is, this isn’t an isolated incident. It happens every year, and the ECB never seem to do anything about it.

Just last year, Sussex’s match against Berkshire at Wokingham was cancelled because the bowlers’ approaches hadn’t been covered at all the night before. It rained overnight, but we had a full day of bright sunshine – yet no cricket for either team.

I could go on.

The ECB claim they are making women’s domestic cricket a priority. The change this season to a white ball and coloured clothing is supposed to be an example of that.

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Hardly. When CRICKETher turned up at Edmonton today, the black covers for the sightscreens – put up in preparation for the white-ball game today – didn’t even fully cover the screens. I guess they couldn’t afford bigger ones? Hardly a shining example of commitment to domestic cricket by the ECB.

The way I see it is this.

Either:

  1. The ECB don’t know that this is going on and it’s actually the fault of the cricket boards, who are failing to provide adequate funding / pitches for their women’s county teams.

Or:

  1. The ECB do know that this is going on, but they aren’t bothered enough about women’s county cricket to do anything about it.

If it’s 1), then we need to work together to bring any incidents like this one to the attention to the ECB. Please do report them to CRICKETher, and we will do so.

If it’s 2)…well, I guess I’m just hoping that it isn’t 2). Because if the ECB want women’s cricket to thrive, it’s not enough just to focus on those 18 contracted players at the elite level. We need women’s county cricket – which is, after all, the next level below international cricket (at least until those elusive franchise do or don’t appear) to be played on good quality pitches. We need fans to feel like everyone is working together to provide a good spectacle for them. And above all else…we actually need some cricket to be played.

Today was not a good day for women’s cricket. I can’t think that the ECB would disagree with that, at least.

Disappointment at Edmonton as Middlesex-Berkshire Game Abandoned

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Players and fans alike were left disappointed earlier today when one of the opening games of the 2015 Women’s County Championship – Middlesex v Berkshire at Edmonton Cricket Club – was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

While the rain had largely disappeared by the time play was due to begin at 11am, it was announced shortly afterwards that the pitch was unplayable after the overnight downpour seeped through holes in the covers.

Newly-appointed Middlesex captain Izzy Westbury, due to lead the Meatballs out for the first time today, said that she was disappointed with the abandonment and hoped to rearrange the fixture later in the season.

Fans who had travelled to watch the game – one from as far away as Ipswich – were equally frustrated.

Edmonton do not currently have fully-functioning covers as their last set were vandalised and they are still awaiting the arrival of new ones.

Berkshire have the chance to redeem their disappointing start to the championship tomorrow in their fixture against Surrey at North Maidenhead CC.

Charlotte Edwards hints at retirement date

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England captain Charlotte Edwards has strongly hinted on twitter that she intends to retire in the wake of the 2017 World Cup.

In a tweet sent yesterday to current head of women’s cricket at the ECB, Clare Connor, regarding the London Marathon, Edwards stated: “Totally got this!! #2018”

It is unlikely that with her current commitments as captain – England Women were awarded professional contracts in February last year – Edwards would be able to consider taking part in the London Marathon until after she retires from international cricket.

Edwards, who is now aged 35, has previously stated that her aim is to keep playing for England until the 2017 World Cup, which is due to take place in England. This, though, is the strongest evidence yet that she intends to retire in the wake of the tournament.

It would certainly be a fitting way to end a career which began in 1996, when Edwards was just 16 and women’s international cricket was still being played in skirts. She has been a prolific run-scorer ever since, and remains a mainstay of England’s batting, having amassed (to date) 1645 runs in Tests, 5812 in ODIs and 2299 in T20s.

She took over the captaincy from Connor in 2006, and recently led England out for the 200th time, making her the most long-standing captain in the history of English cricket.

Batwoman: Heather Knight Rises!

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CRICKETher was excited to be present at Finchley Cricket Club last Friday, April 17, for the official launch of the UK’s first ever range of women’s cricket gear – Cricket Deal Direct’s Heather Knight Cricket Collection.

The exciting new range features bats, batting pads, gloves, wicket-keeping pads and gloves, as well as kit bags. These high-quality products have all been designed and manufactured specifically for girls and women by SM.

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England vice-captain Heather Knight is the face of the new collection, and was present at Finchley for the launch. Speaking exclusively to CRICKETher, she expressed her enthusiasm for the range:

“It’s quite novel to me to be the face of a brand, but it’s really cool to have my name on the bats! And it’s brilliant that SM and Cricket Deal Direct have chosen to invest in women’s cricket. They’ve noticed the growing game, and brought out a specialised range to represent that growth.”

There was certainly a buzz of excitement at Finchley on Friday, as Heather signed bats from her new range, then conducted a Q&A session with a group of eager young girls, who might yet be the England stars of the future.

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England’s Heather Knight conducting a Q&A at Finchley

Here at CRICKETher, we loved the look and feel of the new range. And it’s great to see products which are aimed specifically at women, given that many female cricketers are still struggling with kit that’s been designed for use by men. Heather agreed:

“The bats are great. They’re not too different to your standard ranges, but a little bit on the lighter side, and the pads and gloves are slightly smaller.

“I remember when I was playing under-11s, playing with these massive pads and not being able to run! It’s massively important to get kit that’s right, and I’d always choose small men’s pads previously. So to have a specialised women’s size is ideal. I’ve tried them out and they’re the perfect size for me. I’m not that tall, so it’s good to have that need for women met.”

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Another great thing about the HK Collection is the price. Cricket Deal Direct source their equipment directly from the manufacturer, which means they are able to offer customers extremely competitive prices; the HK Collection is no different. Bats, for example, start from £125 for the HK5 range; the top-of-the-range model which Heather herself uses, the HK Exclusive, costs £245.

And it’s pretty clear that Cricket Deal Direct know what they’re talking about when it comes to women’s cricket. They’ve proved themselves keen supporters of the women’s game since the company was established in 2012, providing sponsorship for several county players, including Middlesex’s Sophia Dunkley and Cath Dalton, who both used their SM bats to great effect last season.

This season they will be supplying the shirts, balls and stumps for the new Middlesex Women’s Cricket League, which is being hosted at Finchley CC on Friday evenings throughout the season, and is especially aimed at women who are new to cricket. They are also helping to launch a new women’s league based in Northants.

And, as Managing Director Ian Anderson explains, they are committed to expanding the Heather Knight Collection over the coming months. In particular, working closely with Heather herself, they hope to develop a range of cricket clothing specifically for women to complement the current products. CRICKETher will be following developments with interest, and will of course keep you informed when the new range hits the marketplace – hopefully by the start of the 2016 season.

For now, the Heather Knight Cricket Collection will be available to order online from early May, from www.cricketdealdirect.co.uk.

The CRICKETher Guide to the Women’s County Championship

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WHAT?

The Women’s County Championship was instituted in 1997 to replace the old Area Championship, which was played over a long weekend at Cambridge.

It’s a 4-division domestic competition, run on a similar basis to the men’s county championship. There are, though, some key differences:

  • The matches are all 50-over games. There is no multi-day domestic women’s cricket in England.

  • It isn’t professional, or even semi-professional. All players (outside of the contracted 18 England squad) play simply for the love of the game. In most cases they are actually paying to play, because they have to fund kit and travel costs themselves.

  • Thought Berkshire were a Minor County? Think again! In the women’s championship they play in Division 1. The men’s and women’s games developed separately historically; therefore counties don’t necessarily play at the same level in both games.

WHEN?

It’s played over six weekends between May and September. The full schedule is here.

WHO?

Division 1 – Berkshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Yorkshire.

Division 2 – Devon, Durham, Essex, Ireland, Scotland, Somerset, Staffordshire, Wales, Worcestershire.

Division 3 – Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Netherlands, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk.

Division 4 South & West – Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Wiltshire.

Division 4 North & East – Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northumberland.

WHERE?

Women’s county matches are rarely played at the men’s county grounds (though Kent, Sussex and Surrey are all playing at least once at their men’s grounds this season, as are many of the division 3 counties, including Northants, Derbyshire and Hampshire). They can sometimes be held in fairly obscure places, but the pitches are generally of good quality – and you can still watch right from the boundary edge.

Again, you can find full details on the full schedule, here.

HOW MUCH?

Women’s county matches are usually free to attend (though Kent are charging £5 entry this season for home games). The players will be paying more to play than you would to attend!

WHO WINS?

You’d think it would be the team with the most points, right? Not necessarily. There are a maximum of 18 points available per match (10 points for a win, and up to 8 bonus points). Then, at the end of the season, the number of points a team finishes with is averaged out, based on the number of games they have completed. (Matches are often cancelled and it can be difficult to rearrange them.) The winner is the team with the highest average.

This means that it is possible for a team to finish the season with a higher number of points but not top their division. For example, in 2014 Lancashire gained 109 points and Somerset gained 113 points in total. However, Lancashire topped Division 2 and were promoted because one of their matches was cancelled and they therefore finished with a higher average.

WHAT DO THEY WIN?

A cup.

WHO GETS RELEGATED?

Last season, there were play-off matches. This year the bottom two teams in Divisions 1 and 2 will be automatically relegated, and the top two teams in Divisions 2 and 3 promoted.

TEAMS TO WATCH?

Kent and Sussex have traditionally been the “Big Two” – no other team has won the championship since 2002. Kent have 5 contracted England players in their squad, and were last year’s winners.

WHAT ABOUT TWENTY20?

There is a separate women’s Twenty20 competition which is based on round-robin leagues.

The Twenty20 winners also get a cup. A different cup, though.

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2015?

This is the first year that teams will be playing with a white ball and coloured clothing, despite the fact that the women’s county championship has always been a one-day competition.

WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?

Some of the men’s county websites have information on their women’s sides, though this is a bit hit and miss! Your best bet is to follow CRICKETher throughout the season, as we will feature news and match reports. Both Martin Davies and Don Miles also cover women’s county cricket on their blogs, so do check those out as well.