{"id":10375,"date":"2026-05-14T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/?p=10375"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:22:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T14:22:07","slug":"nine-year-old-star-shines-as-womens-and-girls-cricket-enjoys-record-breaking-start-to-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/2026\/05\/14\/nine-year-old-star-shines-as-womens-and-girls-cricket-enjoys-record-breaking-start-to-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine-year-old star shines as women’s and girls’ cricket enjoys record-breaking start to the year\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A budding nine-year-old cricketer is the star of a new video shining a light on the army of volunteers who lie behind the making of every player.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s and girls\u2019 cricket reached new heights in 2025 with over 1,000 new teams playing the sport – and this year already looks set to be even bigger, with more fixtures already played and scheduled than at the same point last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With England Women about to begin a World Cup campaign on home soil the ECB is aiming to get a record 500,000 women and girls playing cricket this year, alongside recruiting 500 new volunteers as Young Champions of Change and supporting 300 female leaders in the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now nine-year-old Edie, who is taking the game by storm at her club, Oakamoor CC in Staffordshire, is the star of a new ECB video championing the heroes behind every cricketer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video captures the boom in participation, particularly for women and girls, which is happening across the country and puts the unsung volunteers from the club into the spotlight \u2013 people like Edie\u2019s mum and dad, her siblings, her coaches and the ground staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After filming for the video during the Easter holidays, Edie said: \u201cI love playing every week down at Oakamoor. We\u2019re one big family at the club and my mum and dad, and my brother and sister Charlotte and Will, are always there helping out or playing. The coaches Amy, Jason, Alex, Nick and Dilesh are the best and that\u2019s why me and my teammates love it so much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gemma Barton, the ECB\u2019s Head of Strategic Growth, said: \u201cIt has been a privilege to feature Edie and Oakamoor Cricket Club in such an important year for women\u2019s and girls\u2019 cricket as we are set to host the ICC Women\u2019s T20 World Cup next month.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we heard about Edie, we thought she\u2019d be a fitting star for this video and so it proved to be. Her love of cricket, her family and her club all shine through and she\u2019s a brilliant example of how our sport brings families and communities together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe video also gives deserved profile to those volunteers at the club, without whom, we would not be seeing the growth in the women\u2019s and girls\u2019 game that we have. So, to all those volunteers, coaches and ground staff at Oakamoor, across Staffordshire, and across the rest of England and Wales who make cricket happen, we want to say a big thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ICC Women\u2019s T20 World Cup in England and Wales comes at a time where recreational cricket is providing a strong platform from which to grow the game, thanks to continued investment from the ECB and its partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n