Women and girls cricket: Horsforth’s rapid rise

Not so long ago, Horsforth Cricket Club had no women’s and girls’ cricket at all. Their rapid transformation since 2024 – with two softball sides and a hardball squad now competing – is one worth diving into.

In the middle, the results are already gathering momentum. Horsforth’s indoor squads reached their respective 2025 Finals Day and the women’s First XI retained their Division Three (Leeds) title last summer.

However, it’s the journey to this point that’s just as impressive as the string of victories on Play-Cricket. Deciding to start a women’s team is the (relatively) easy bit and one we’ve discussed before with Yeadon, Birstall Belles and Scholes.

Quite a few clubs have had the vision, followed by the usual admin, a leap of faith somewhere for players and then nurturing the right environment.

For some of the detail about Horsforth, I turned to Claire Secker who captained their Leeds Indoor League adventures this winter. The growth to three teams is eye-catching but hasn’t come without a few logistical speed bumps (happily overcome).

Lift sharing and double headers

Claire said: “It was definitely a constant juggle of pitches and team scheduling. While we were incredibly fortunate to have strong support from Horsforth Cricket Club and Horsforth Sports Club with pitches and facilities, coordinating everything for so many new teams simultaneously was a real challenge.”

Yet, the fact that more women were keen to play for Horsforth was the best kind of problem – and one many clubs would like.

Claire told me: “Everyone pulled together brilliantly. Teams organised lift-sharing and even walked to sessions to ease pressure on parking and traffic. We also cleverly scheduled ‘double headers’ on some days, allowing multiple games to happen back-to-back, which was a great workaround.”

Roses Cricket: Fully booked in 48hrs

In 2025, Horsforth held their inaugural Roses Cricket sessions; the all-girls Under 11 cricket programme, supported by the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation that was run by clubs across the county.

Capped at 24 girls, it was fully booked in 48 hours at Horsforth. Of course, not every club gets this kind of immediate take-up but there was careful thought given to the experience for the girls, as we’ll get to.

Claire said: “Honestly, we just knew there was a huge demand for a girls’ programme at the club, and it turns out we were spot on! Having such a fantastic sports hub at Horsforth Sports Club, with all our running clubs, rounders teams, and that massive girls’ football hub, really helped.”

She added: “News just spread like wildfire – we saw loads of girls from our juniors, their siblings, and neighbours all signing up. It was clear everyone loved the idea of getting and keeping young people active in Horsforth in an inclusive way. It was such a huge hit; we’re already planning a second ‘Roses Programme’ for a new group in 2026!”

All-female activators

Horsforth’s female cricketers were asked to run the Roses sessions and this was a key component. Claire reckoned that the women’s playing group recognised a need to future-proof the club, allied with being open about what volunteering commitments were realistic.

She said: “The brilliant thing was that everyone just pitched in and played to their strengths – whether that was running a full session, helping with coaching drills, or collecting wayward cricket balls! We made sure the ‘activators’ always worked in pairs for every session and even at festivals, so no one ever felt like they were on their own.”

Award-winning Jen – and 2026

Jen Lewis, the club captain (above), has since had recognition for her central role in Horsforth’s cricket success story. She picked up the volunteering category of the ‘Heart of Horsforth Awards’ presented by Chair of Horsforth Town Council, Gill Garvani and Katie White, MP for Leeds North West, at the Horsforth Christmas lights switch on 6 December.

While awards are doubtless welcome, the sense is that Horsforth are champing at the bit to evolve further. There are plans to establish Under 11 and Under 13 girls cricket teams for the 2026 season.

We are at an intriguing crossroads with the women and girls game in Yorkshire. It has seen massive development in a few short years. There is now a major restructure – including the move to three affiliated Regional Women’s Premier Leagues, commencing this season.

Nationally, the ECB aims to treble the number of girls cricket teams in England and Wales by 2026 – which makes this year something of a final sprint. Yorkshire, making up approximately 15% of the total number of clubs, is a region everyone has their eye on.

The final word belongs with Claire and Horsforth. Their story is a credit to everyone involved and will chime from Whitby to Worsborough Bridge.

In a year where the top two divisions of ECB Premier Leagues have to start a girls’ team, clubs lagging behind will be seeking inspiration – and it is not in short supply.

Claire’s message is simple enough: “My advice to other clubs is a resounding ‘go for it!’ You’ll find an incredible amount of support out there. Claire Ward from West Yorkshire Women and Girls League is an absolute legend and Katie Stewart, in her role at Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, is equally supportive. You genuinely won’t be left alone or struggle through it.”

She added: “It’s such an exciting time for women’s cricket, especially with the World Cup on the horizon, so there’s no better moment to give it a try!”