CRICKETERS GO FOR COUNTY
This year is a big change for the Girls’ Division Cricket Club, with the cricket squad entering Lancashire County Games and playing friendlies between Turton and Bury. Numbers are booming in the lunch time club, with around 40 Year 7 and 8 girls participating, really showing the growing popularity of cricket in school. As well as this, before Christmas and Easter there was a club running after school as well, and although not many schools in the area have a Girls’ Cricket Club, the team have powered through this and have planned a match against Thornleigh.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
In an interview with Ms Farrimond-Goff, who is in charge of the Girls’ Cricket Club, she said that she felt it was a fantastic opportunity and a great way to get girls into cricket and to give them a chance to play a sport they might never have played before. Ms Farrimond-Goff also stated there was major potential for the future as “5 years from now the hope is they will be playing against the MCC”.
The girls from the Cricket Squad also stated that they joined the club for fun, but now they developing their skills immensely and one of the girls stated that their favourite thing about the club is probably the people at the club, as “everyone is kind and are always there to help you learn how to play.” She also said that you don’t need any experience. “Just come along, it’s all about fun!”. In the future she is looking forward to be moving onto outdoor cricket instead of indoor and cannot wait to improve her skills!
THE MORE THE MERRIER
Following on from this, there are many cricket clubs in the Bolton area including: Heaton Cricket Club, Farnworth Social Circle, Horwich RMI and of course Bolton Cricket Club, which would be happy to welcome you, as many of these clubs have female members taking part. So there really isn’t any reason not to get involved in this wonderful game, either in school or in your own time.
FAMOUS FEMALE CRICKETERS
There are many famous female cricketers, such as Sarah Taylor, who are inspirational role models for today’s budding cricket stars. These women show young girls what they could achieve if they continue to develop their skills. Sarah Taylor was one of the finest Professional wicket-keepers and two-time World Cup winners for England, but retired from international cricket in September 2019 and is now a wicket-keeping coach. Another cricketing idol is Mithali Raj, an Indian cricket player who is ODI captain of India Women’s National Cricket Team. Ellyse Perry is an Australian sportswoman that has not only represented her country in Cricket, but also Football. She was also the first player to amass a combined 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in the T20’s Ladies’. These cricketing greats make it clear that there shouldn’t be any reason why women can’t enjoy the same success in this sport at the highest levels as men have.
The future of cricket at Bolton School looks bright, and we hope this motivates you to maybe give cricket a go, if you haven’t already. It’s fun and you’ll have a chance to make new friends. You may even have the potential to be a future cricketing superstar!
By Anika Patel