Continuing our series of articles about Women and Girls’ cricket, next up is a visit to Earlswood CC to find out how women and girls’ cricket has been incorporated into every aspect of club life.
It is over a decade since Amy Weir and Emily Perrin stepped out onto the pitch at Earlswood to represent the Earlswood U11 boys’ team. Fast forward ten years and both women, now graduated from university, have been part of a journey that has seen women and girls’ cricket flourish as one of the core pillars of Earlswood CC. Amy Weir is a member of the club’s management structure as Head of Women and Girl’s Cricket, with a remit to develop women and girls’ cricket for all ages and abilities in line with club strategy. There is even a separate female changing area at the ground, appropriately named ‘Girlswood’.
From just Amy and Emily starting out in the boys’ teams (joined soon after by Marie and Sian Kelly), Earlswood CC now has a thriving women and girls’ section:
- Girls’ teams at U11, U13 and U15,
- A women’s team,
- About a dozen girls each week playing in the club’s Saturday teams,
- A number of female coaches, and,
- In Hannah Pettigrew, a female captain of the club 5th team.
In the space of a decade the transformation has been impressive. Earlswood CC Committee member Neil Thorne remembers vividly those first U11 matches where Amy and Emily played. “When Amy and Emily played in the junior sides, the boys could see them scoring 50s and taking four or five wickets in a game, and they understood Amy and Emily were in the team as good cricketers. This acceptance has run through the club over the last decade. We purposely set out as part of our club strategy to establish a culture which is accommodating to women and girls’ cricket. Amy Weir and Emily Perrin are excellent role models and have encouraged other female cricketers to make the move to Earlswood CC, as people could see they would get opportunities here.”
Earlswood CC has considered and covered every aspect of women and girls’ cricket. From 50:50 girls and boys participation levels in All Stars, all the way through to the softball sessions Amy runs for older women, every age group and need is catered for. What stands out most, perhaps, is the opportunities Earlswood CC has given many young women to play in their Saturday sides over the years. As well as Amy Weir and Emily Perrin, the list reads like a roll call of Warwickshire Women and age group cricket over the last decade – including Amy Dixon, Katie Brown, Maddie Church, Jess Crawley, Hannah and Lottie Pettigrew, Liv and Freya Plester, Ffion Purviss, Laura and Natasha Smitten, Holly Whitfield, and of course Marie and Sian Kelly. All have benefitted from participation at a club where so many women are encouraged to play for and are accepted in Saturday sides – playing what would have been traditionally called ‘men’s’ cricket.
Amy Weir talks enthusiastically about the progression she has seen in the game. “We used to get so many comments when we first played alongside the men, but it’s much better now we have many more women and girls playing in our teams and in opposition teams. There is progression for everyone, whether they want to play women’s cricket or with the men. Our coaching is also geared up for everyone to make the transition into hardball cricket if they want to.”
So, how are the next Amy Weirs and Emily Perrins coming along? The girls at U11s training are hugely enthusiastic about their cricket and all jump up and down, offering their positive comments at the same time!
- Freya (aged 10) – “I love it here. I like batting and scoring 6s and 4s.”
- Hannah (aged 10) – “I like cricket a lot. I started playing because my friends were playing, and I love batting.”
- Swamini (aged 8) – “I played cricket at home. Then I came to Earlswood, and I have made new friends. I like batting and bowling.”
- Gwen (aged 7) – “I love playing with my friends. I have fun and All Stars is great.”
- Morwenna (aged 5) – “I like bowling and knocking the wickets over.”
The future looks bright for the continuation of a great tradition of women and girls’ cricket at Earlswood CC. Remembering how Amy Weir and Emily Perrin walked out to play as under 11’s and the first girls at the club, the rate of change over the course of a decade has been incredible. As a result of the support given to Women and Girls’ cricket at all levels, Earlswood CC has developed a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading clubs in the West Midlands for inclusivity. Congratulations to everyone involved and continue the great work.