Developments in Women’s Cricket

This past year, the development of women’s cricket has soared. We have had an unprecedented growth in female membership, with 40 women signing up over Michaelmas and Lent. The hard work and commitment from Blues Captain Issy Routledge and the appointment of a dedicated coach for the women, John Phelps, has allowed us to train beginners and experienced players alike, and for the first time in CUCC history, we have been able to develop 2 women’s XIs – the Women’s Blues and the Wayfarers. During our season we’ve had an impressive 11 cricket and/or CUCC debuts, with some great performances from all.

We have also grown a more connected community across the Club, with male and female players coming together for social events, charity outreach work, and even training. Male players have enthusiastically committed to helping grow women’s cricket by assisting in training sessions and helping with recruitment efforts. Further to this, we are planning to reconnect with our alumnae for the first time, with an event planned on Sunday 11th June, the day of our 50-over game against Scottish Universities. All past female members of the Club are welcome to join us to watch the game and enjoy some drinks and baked goods after! Attendance is free but please fill out this form if you are intending to come, so we can assess numbers: https://forms.gle/tpHX7ASCSY6fhgiaA

A campaign was launched in Lent Term, targeted at colleges across Cambridge, to support the development of the women’s game at the University. Responses were heartwarming and encouraging, with many colleges leaping at the chance to support us in a variety of ways. We also announced our partnership with HerGameToo, a national movement dedicated to raising the profile of women’s football and cricket, increasing awareness about sexism in football and cricket and providing mechanisms to report incidents of harassment or discrimination. These moves, along with increased publicity of women’s cricket to female students in Cambridge, leave us hopeful that next year we can grow our numbers to even greater heights. We look forward to our Softball Festival on 13th June, an opportunity for female students of all abilities and experience levels to learn more about cricket and how they can get involved at CUCC.

Priyanka Patel

Co-President 2022-23