Over the past weeks and months, Wiltshire Cricket and the ECB have been working tirelessly to put together an exciting year of opportunities, activities, fixtures and events that will provide Women & Girl’s with an exciting season of cricket!

The following article provides a brief description of the Women’s & Girls’ Cricket offers, available in Wiltshire during the 2024 season. Additionally, clubs are now able to enter each competition, activity, festival or event.

ENTER HERE!!!
(Deadline – WEDNESDAY 10^th JANUARY 2024)

Girls’ Cricket – Summer Playing Offers:

U9 Girls Cricket

Each year, we see more girls discovering cricket at younger ages and many of these girls would like to play more cricket, having perhaps been involved with an All Stars Programme or part of an U9s mixed section. Therefore, in 2024, many clubs with mixed U9s  or Girls U9s sections may like to provide more playing opportunities by attending the mixed U9s festivals, and where possible, U9s girls festivals.
Clubs may also choose to host their own U9s festival, as part of the countywide festival schedule.

Girls-Only Dynamos Cricket

In 2021, the ECB launched a new National Programme, known as Dynamos Cricket. This programme follows on from the hugely successful and popular All Stars Cricket.
All Stars Cricket offers an entry opportunity for children between 5-8 years old, whereas Dynamos Cricket provides a similar product for 8-11 years old, offering both an entry point into cricket, but also a progression from All Stars Cricket.

Dynamos Cricket caters for boys and girls, but many clubs across Wiltshire and the rest of the country made the decision to offer a "Girls-Only" Dynamos Programme, which proved to be very popular and for many clubs, created their first-ever Girls Section. In fact, clubs enjoyed this "Girls-only" offer, as it gave their teams an element of independence (i.e. their own kit bag) and encouraged more girls to play cricket!

In 2024, Wiltshire Cricket and the ECB will be supporting more clubs with Girls-Only Dynamos sections, following the huge success of these programmes across the country. In addition to this, Wiltshire Cricket will also be supporting mixed Dynamos sections, as we know that lots of girls play in these clubs too. Therefore, providing opportunities for these girls at U11 Girls festivals will play a big part in the summer of 2024.

U11 Girls Festivals (Soft Ball)

Soft Ball Festivals are a great introduction to cricket or a fantastic environment to gain match-play experience. The festivals are therefore a brilliant opportunity for young cricketers to come together and play fun, exciting and fast-paced games.

For clubs, festivals can be attended as stand-alone events or can complement U11 league fixtures throughout the season. The festivals typically provide opportunities for players of all experiences to be involved, but are focused around fun, enjoyment and learning opportunities.

Festivals will be 6-aside, pairs cricket and will be scheduled throughout the summer.

U11 Girls League (Soft Ball & Hard Ball)

The U11 Girl’s league will provide weekly opportunities to girls across Wiltshire, in small, localised groups. The league will be 8-a-side pairs cricket and will begin with a number of soft-ball fixtures before club’s progress into hard-ball cricket for the remainder of the season.

This league format was shaped from club feedback before the 2023 season, and following positive feedback from the teams involved in 2023, the league format remains similar for 2024, with additional fixtures for each team.

U13 Girls Festivals (Soft Ball)

The U13 Girls festivals provide a soft-ball offer for this age group, helping to introduce new players to the game and support players who may wish to gain more confidence before progressing into hard ball cricket.

The U13 Girls festivals are therefore focused on fun, learning and confidence-building. Festivals will be played as 6-aside, pairs cricket and will be scheduled throughout the summer. These festivals can be attended as stand-alone events or to complement the U13 Girls League.

U13 Girls League (Hard Ball)

Returning for 2024, the Under 13's Girls' League allows for each team to play a number of fixtures against teams from across Wiltshire. Where possible, fixtures will be determined based on locality to reduce travel distances and encourage participation. The league is a brilliant opportunity for the girls to play with and against their peers in 8-aside pairs cricket formats, played with a hard ball.

ECB National U13 Girls Club T20 Competition

This ECB Competition provides a national competitive offer for U13s Girls teams. The competition starts with localised groups within Wiltshire before progressing onto regional and national finals. In previous years, Wiltshire teams have seen some fantastic success in these competitions and in some years, the finals have been hosted at Lords Cricket Ground. This competition is definitely worth considering if your club has an U13 Girls team.

This competition requires direct entry to the ECB via the documents below.
The deadline for entries into ECB Competitions is Friday 9^th February 2024, with the draw being published on Friday 23^rd February.

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Letter

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Form

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Competition Rules

U15/U16 Girls League (Hard Ball) – New for 2024!!

New for the 2024 season! A league cricket offering for U15/16 Girls across the county.
This new league will provide T20 playing opportunities for U15 girls teams across the county, with some flexibility to include overage (U16) players in a team, to provide additional opportunities for the older girls at your club.

In addition to the league, teams will also be able to utilise the network and league contacts to add to the U15 T20 offer, with additional longer format games, if this would be of interest to clubs.
 

ECB National U15 Girls Club T20 Competition

Similarly to the above U13 Girls Competition, this ECB Competition provides a national competitive offer for U15s Girls teams. The competition starts with localised groups within Wiltshire before progressing onto regional and national finals. Last year, the finals were hosted at Lords Cricket Ground. This competition would complement the new Wiltshire U15 Girls League. The competition grows each year and we’d love to see more Wiltshire teams taking part.

This competition requires direct entry to the ECB via the documents below.
The deadline for entries into ECB Competitions is Friday 9^th February 2024, with the draw being published on Friday 23^rd February.
 

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Letter

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Form

Vitality Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Competition Rules

ECB National U19 Girls Club T20 Competition

The ECB U19 Girls T20 Competition is a national offer, in which teams are able to compete in local rounds before progressing to regional and national stages. This offer provides a further opportunity for girls in the older age group to play cricket with their peers and provides a Girls U19 T20 opportunity, adjacent to the Wiltshire U19 mixed T20 Competition.

This competition requires direct entry to the ECB via the documents below.
The deadline for entries into ECB Competitions is Friday 9^th February 2024, with the draw being published on Friday 23^rd February.
 

04 Vitality Girls U19 Club T20 Letter & Entry Form 2024.doc

05 Vitality Girls U19 Club T20 Competition Rules 2024.docx

Guest Player Registration Document.docx

Girls Cricket – Other Opportunities

Young Storm Champions Course

A course, in association with Western Storm, that introduces coaching, umpiring and scoring to Girls, aged 14 to 17. Throughout the day, the attendees will cover modules on coaching batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping, before learning how to officiate fixtures. On completion of the course, each attendee will leave with some Western Storm Merchandise and a volunteer log book to track their voluntary hours at their club. At certain voluntary milestones (E.g. 15 hours, 25 hours, 35 hours), the girls will receive more Western Storm merchandise, such as water bottles, power banks, hoodies and free tickets!

The course is a brilliant introduction to some key roles within cricket that not only benefit the girls, but also their clubs whilst they are helping with coaching or officiating.
In the past, Young Storm Champions have support their clubs with junior cricket and Women’s Soft Ball Cricket officiating.

Secondary Girls Programmes

Alongside the exciting club offers this season, Wiltshire Cricket are delighted to be working with Chance to Shine and The ECB to deliver a Secondary School Programme to approximately 8 schools within Wiltshire. The programme aims to introduce cricket to over 1000 girls, across Years 7, 8 and 9 and is inclusive of taster sessions, young leaders’ workshops, after-school clubs, community sessions and competition elements. Stay tuned on the Wiltshire Cricket social media pages to see how this programme is progressing.
 

Wiltshire Women’s & Girls Fixture Meeting – Thursday 25^th January

An evening where all participating Women's & Girls Clubs come together to schedule a season of fixtures. Each club will come prepared with available dates for home/away fixtures before networking with other clubs. This fixtures evening tends to save hours of email exchanges and has proved very useful in previous years. Some clubs will leave with a full season of fixtures and festivals scheduled.

Women’s Cricket – Summer Playing Offers:

Women’s Soft Ball Festivals

Women's Soft Ball Festivals have been at the heart of Women's Cricket in Wiltshire for 5 years and have brought over 300 people into the game, many of which are now playing in Women's Soft Ball and Hard Ball Leagues. The Women's Soft Ball Festivals are social, relaxed, friendly, and centred around participation and 'having a go'! Each club offers a unique spin on their own festivals, with some offering food, drinks, music, "Champagne Moments" and much more!

Each Women's Soft Ball Festival is free to attend, and beginners are encouraged in a supportive environment. Throughout Wiltshire, there are usually 10-13 festivals scheduled throughout the season, in all corners of Wiltshire making these an accessible option for anyone wanting to participate in cricket. A brilliant starting point for new Women’s Clubs!
 

Women’s Soft Ball League

The Women's Soft Ball League was formed as an extension to the Women's Soft Ball Festivals, following similar rules (8-aside, pairs cricket) but providing individual fixtures against local clubs. The Women's Soft Ball League is one of the most popular Women's Competitions in Wiltshire and remains "socially competitive", allowing players to feel welcome regardless of cricket experience.

This league is a great introduction to more regular fixtures and compliments the Women’s Soft Ball Festivals throughout the summer. Fixtures are localised as much as possible, depending on number of entries. New teams are always welcomed into the Women’s Soft Ball League, with all teams understanding the ethos of this league, which is very much an introductory opportunity for teams and players to experience more regular fixtures.

Women’s 100-Ball Cup (Soft Ball)

Following the continued success and growth of The Women’s Hundred, Wiltshire Cricket is delighted to be running a Women ‘s Soft Ball 100 Ball Cup for the 2024 season, after piloting this competition in 2023.  This will be a knockout tournament following the Countdown Cricket format of the game. 

Women’s Hard Ball League – Pairs (Re-introduced for 2024!)

Following feedback from clubs and players, we are delighted to be re-introducing a Pairs-Cricket division to the Women’s Hard Ball offering. This will be a ‘development’ league, focused on providing opportunities for clubs transitioning into hard ball cricket, or for those wishing to gain some further confidence with hard ball cricket.
This division of hard ball cricket follows the same match format as the Women’s Soft Ball League, meaning it’s a great stepping stone for clubs who would like to transition towards Hard Ball T20 Cricket. Some clubs may also wish to enter this competition to provide further playing opportunities for less experienced cricketers. County Cricketers, or those who have previously represented a county squad will not be permitted to play in this competition.

Women’s Hard Ball League – T20

Building upon the Women’s T20 Playing Opportunity from 2023, we’re delighted to offer a Women’s Hard Ball T20 Cricket league for the 2024 season. This league provides regular playing opportunities following the standard T20 rules.  This league provides a short-format version of the game that promotes a more competitive fixture than the pairs-cricket league, but still offers a fantastic social and supportive atmosphere. The T20 league also encourages players of all abilities to take part, including those who represent a County Squad or perhaps those who have previous cricket experience.

The Women’s T20 League follows the traditional ECB T20 regulations, but will be a 9-aside competition, with the option to mutually agree to play with 11 players, if available.

Women’s Hard Ball League – 35-Overs (NEW FOR 2024!!)

Perhaps one of the most exciting developments for Women’s playing offers in Wiltshire during 2024 season. We’re delighted to be introducing a longer format of Women’s Hard Ball cricket, which bridges the gap between our local short-format offers and the newly established Women’s WEPL League. This 35-over league provides further playing opportunities for teams across the county and may act as a ‘feeder’ league into the Women’s WEPL league, as this offer continues to develop.
This competition follows the traditional ECB playing regulations for one-day cricket and will be played as 11-aside fixtures, but with some flexibility in this. Players of all experiences can play in this competition.
This competition will be played on the 10 allocated “Club Sundays” alongside the Women’s WEPL games, meaning clashes with County Age Group fixtures are avoided, which should support player availability.

Women’s 100-Ball Cup (Hard Ball) (NEW FOR 2024!!!)

Following the success and positive feedback from the 2023 Soft Ball 100-cup, we’re pleased to be introducing a hard-ball version of the summer cup competition. This knock-out competition provides further competitive opportunities for clubs across the county, where players of all experiences are welcome to participate.

Women’s West of England Premier League (WEPL)

The Women's West of England Premier League (WEPL) has become the 'top tier' of Women's Club Cricket in the Southwest.

In 2023, eight clubs from across Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire agreed to merge with WEPL to form only the second Women’s Premier cricket league in the country, having closely watched the success of the East Anglia Premier Cricket league (EAPL) and their support of a Women’s structure within a premier league. An additional club (Cheltenham) has joined the league for the 2024 season.

The competitive 40-over league, featuring the use of pink balls and coloured clothing, was established as a direct result of the tremendous growth in the number of girls and women playing cricket across the region. Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset are now developing league offers locally to become ‘feeder’ leagues into WEPL in future seasons, creating a full pyramid structure for Women’s Club Cricket.

Matches will be played on up to 10 allocated Sundays that do not clash with any County fixtures, supporting player availability and growth of the game.

The nine participating members are: Golden Hill, Frenchay, Dumbleton, Cheltenham (Gloucestershire), Bath, Taunton Deane, Bridgewater (Somerset), and Royal Wootton Bassett, and Devizes from Wiltshire.

ECB National Women’s Club T20 – Cup & Plate Competition

This competition is an ECB-managed, open-age competition, which starts in May with localised rounds. The fixtures take place on the same dates as Women's County Fixtures, presenting an opportunity for all club cricketers to enjoy a national competition alongside their club league programme. Clubs are also able to invite 4 guest players from other clubs to form a team, ensuring a full team can be raised.
The competition follows a "knock-out" cup format, starting locally and leading to regional and national rounds.

The entry for the 2023 season is managed directly by the ECB and requires clubs to complete entry forms and email them to [email protected] or [email protected].

The deadline for entry into this competition is Friday 26^th January, with fixture being published by Friday 2^nd February. Please see the below documents for information about how to enter.

05 Vitality National Women's Club T20 Cup & Plate Letter & Entry Form 2024.doc

05 Vitality National Women's Club T20 Cup & Plate Competition Rules 2024.docx

Women's Guest Player Registration Document.docx

Wiltshire Senior Women’s Team

In 2023, Wiltshire became the first county to offer a Senior Women’s County Team. We are therefore looking to grow this offer further in the 2024 season, by providing training opportunities and additional fixtures. Over the winter, Wiltshire Cricket and Wiltshire Seniors are reaching out to neighbouring counties to support the growth of this offer. We would therefore encourage clubs to share this opportunity with players at your club as we look to grow the Wiltshire Senior Women’s squad. The team aims to provide opportunities for players aged 45+, but we would welcome players aged 40+ to join the squad.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Women’s Cricket – Other Opportunities

Wiltshire Women’s & Girls Fixture Meeting – Thursday 25^th January

An evening where all participating Women's & Girls Clubs come together to schedule a season of fixtures. Each club will come prepared with available dates for home/away fixtures before networking with other clubs. This fixtures evening tends to save hours of email exchanges and has proved very useful in previous years. Some clubs will leave with a full season of fixtures and festivals scheduled.

Umpiring & Scoring Workshop

By popular demand, Wiltshire Cricket will be delivering a “Women’s Officiating Workshop” in 2024, tailored to provide training, confidence and understanding for players and volunteers within the Women’s & Girls game. The short workshop will introduce umpiring and scoring skills to attendees, whilst providing opportunities to gain confidence and the skills to officiate Women’s & Girls fixtures during the 2024 season. In addition to this, formal opportunities for umpiring and scoring courses will also be provided for those wishing to gain a qualification, although, this is an optional addition.

Club-Specific Support Coach Courses

Wiltshire was the leading county across the whole country for having the highest percentage of female candidates on coaching courses in 2023, with a staggering 47% of our attendees being female. In total, Wiltshire were also the 8^th highest county for the total number of female coaches having gained a coaching qualification in 2023. These impressive statistics are a credit to the brilliant volunteers in Wiltshire, but also a result of many clubs accommodating a “Club-specific support coach course”.
 

The ”Club-specific” courses are delivered by Wiltshire Cricket Coach Developers, who arrange a convenient date to host a course, at your club, for your members. To receive this course offer, at least 3 attendees should be female and a minimum of 6 attendees is required. Further information about these courses will be shared soon, but we would be delighted to visit more clubs in 2024 to introduce coaching to more volunteers!

Coach Development Bursaries

In 2024, Wiltshire Cricket are looking forward to receiving an additional bursary allocation from the ECB to support female coaches through a coaching qualification. Further information about these bursaries is yet to be received, but we would be delighted to offer these bursaries to more female coaches who would like to support W&Gs Cricket across the county.

Coach Development Workshops

The above bursaries and club-specific courses are brilliant, but to have a real impact on W&Gs Cricket across the county, Wiltshire Cricket would like to support coaches with further learning opportunities to build upon the qualification and to support coaches with more confidence, skills and knowledge of various techniques, tactics and coaching ideas. Therefore, in 2024, several workshops will be planned for coach development to support W&Gs clubs in Wiltshire.

Coach Development Courses

Wiltshire Cricket continues to offer a comprehensive Coach Development programme throughout the year, with most courses taking place during the winter months. These courses include;

• Support Coach
• Foundation Coach
• Core Coach
• Safeguarding Training
• Club Safeguarding Officer Training
• First Aid

For more information about the upcoming and available courses, please visit: https://www.wiltshirecricket.co.uk/coaching-and-courses.html

“Coaching W&Gs Teams” Workshop

During the Spring, Wiltshire Cricket will be delivering an evening workshop focused upon coaching Women’s & Girls Teams. Within this workshop, the following topics will be covered:
- Is coaching W&Gs teams different to men’s and boys teams?
- How to manage games where teams have an experience imbalance?
- How to manage games when teams include County players and beginners on the same pitch?
- Developing your W&Gs teams off the pitch.
- Messages, comments and recommendations from players, coaches, managers and scouts in professional Women’s & Girls Cricket.
- Much much more!

Women’s & Girls Performance Cricket

The 2024 season is very exciting for Women's & Girls' Performance Cricket, with plenty of incredible sporting moments to come! These include, but are certainly not limited to:

- Wiltshire County Age Group Fixtures (U11s, U13s, U15s, U18s)
- Wiltshire Women's 1st XI Fixtures

*You can follow our W&Gs Performance Teams on TikTok (@wiltscccwomensandgirls) or Instagram (@wiltshireccc)

- Wiltshire Seniors (Details above)
- Western Storm Regional Academy Fixtures
- Western Storm Fixtures in the RHF Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup
- The England Women’s Home Series
- The Women's HUNDRED

What’s Next?

Women’s & Girls Cricket is continually growing and developing in Wiltshire and across the country – it’s an exciting time to be involved! Every year, more individuals and teams join the community and we’re looking forward to growing the game further in 2024! An exciting year ahead, with lots of opportunities!

At the start of this article, an entry form is available for ALL clubs to complete, which will then be used to formulate leagues, provide further opportunities and create a whole season of Women’s & Girls’ Cricket in Wiltshire. The deadline for completion is Wednesday 10^th January.

Wiltshire Cricket is looking forward to an action-packed summer of cricket and everyone is welcome to join us!

For more information about any of the above offers or if your club would like some support in establishing a Women’s and/or Girls’ section, please contact; [email protected]