Softball cricket takes off at Whitley Bridge in their first year

Natalie Liddell, captain of Whitley Bridge Cricket Club women’s team, talks to Cricket Yorkshire about how it all started – and has proved so popular in their first year.

It’s a tale of the rapid rise of softball cricket in Eggborough, allied with funding support and building excitement.

Natalie told me: “Our cricket club has been running a financial loss over the last couple of years and being aware that the ECB/YCB are keen to encourage women and girls cricket (with financial support), we decided to try and start a ladies’ softball team in 2024.”

Prosecco cricket was an idea floated across counties, since evolved, to provide a fun, relaxed environment for women to try the game and socialise with a glass of fizz at the same time.

Whitley Bridge Cricket Club’s early attempts at forming a women’s squad faltered with only a handful of attendees.

Many clubs may have found the same along the way. It’s not necessarily an easy sell to a new audience and like it or not, the image of club cricket can sometimes be serious, expensive and formal.

Happily, the Prosecco + softball cricket experiment proved popular and soon others wanted to give cricket a try.

Natalie said: “We’ve increased in numbers ever since, with mums, friends and family having a go and loving it, resulting in 21 ladies signing up to the team over the season, all of varying ages from 14 upwards.”

She told me how her son and daughter played for the club while Natalie would help out with scoring or teas, only having a hit in family day events.

Now mum and daughter can turn out together at the same club, alongside friends. Natalie credits another player Nikki (Keep) as the driving force in bringing Team Liddell to Whitley Bridge and then suggesting a women’s team.

Meanwhile, the softball format is not short of competitive edge and the women and girls’ section at Whitley Bridge graduated to weekly Monday training and then friendlies and matches with other local women’s teams (that often included a BBQ, music and bar).

It chimes of finding your home in a sport along with the right format and a balance between competition and fun. The women’s cricket scene in Yorkshire has some catching up to do and the signs are that many are keen to play all-year-round.

Heading indoors

From January, Whitley Bridge have been involved with the North and East Yorkshire Indoor Cricket League, taking on cricket clubs from York, Bolton Percy, Heslington and others in the eight-team competition (North 2 division).

The start of March sees a final home game against University of York Women before the prospect of outdoor cricket and perhaps more league action. It’s a far cry from the first, tentative days of starting out with a handful of players wondering if anything would ever get off the ground.

Credit undoubtedly goes to those behind the scenes organising training, games, socials and being the glue that binds a squad together. There has to be a welcoming environment too and by the sounds of it, Whitley Bridge have that sorted.

Join Whitley Bridge CC women’s squad

Natalie rounded things with a casual appeal for players and opposition teams to join the party: “We’re looking forward to the better weather to be able to get outside training again but also to host and play some more fun, competitive games.”

“So, if there are any ladies out there looking to join a team or any other novice women’s softball teams looking to play another team, give us a shout!”

🏏 More info on women’s cricket at Whitley Bridge CC is on their Play-Cricket website, along with a contact for Natalie.

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