Wiltshire’s Women’s & Girls’ Cricket Offers for the 2022 Season

December 10, 2021

The 2022 Cricket Season has started to take shape and with a full cricket season expected, there is certainly no shortage of Women's & Girls' Cricket on offer in 2022! Over the past weeks and months, Wiltshire Cricket and the ECB have been working tirelessly to put together a year of opportunities, activities, fixtures and events that will provide numerous cricket offers for female cricketers of all ages.

The following article provides a brief description of the Women's & Girls' Cricket offers, available in Wiltshire.
Additionally, clubs are now able to express an interest in participating in each competition, activity, festival or event.

EXPRESS AN INTEREST HERE!
(Deadline: 9th January 2022).

Wiltshire Cricket would also like to thank PensionBee for their support of Women's & Girls Cricket in Wiltshire. Their support goes a long way to ensuring bats and balls are accessible to Women & Girls across the county!

Women's & Girls' Winter Playing Offers in 2022

Under 11's Girls' Indoor League (NEW):

From February, the Wiltshire U11 Girls' League kicks off with a number of teams taking to the indoor hall. The league is an 8-aside soft-ball, pairs-cricket competition, that encourages participation and development. Each player will have the opportunity to bat, bowl and field each game. The league takes place over 3 weekends, with an additional 2 weeks of friendly fixtures prior to the competitive games, allowing for coaching opportunities.

Under 13's Girls' Indoor League:

The Under 13s Girls League takes a slightly different format to the Under 11s, in that it will be competed over 2 weekends in April. The dates will be organised as 'indoor festivals' and will allow for multiple fixtures in quick succession. Whilst the final details are still being planned, the U13s indoor league provides a great opportunity for the girls to play some cricket before the summer season gets underway.
If your club is interested in the U13 Girls Indoor League, please complete the "Expressions of Interest Form".

Women's Indoor League:

The annual Women's Indoor League returns in 2022 after skipping 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Women's Indoor League always proves to be very popular, with 11 teams partipating in the 2022 edition. The format follows the 8-aside pairs cricket rules and encourages players of all abilities and experiences to be involved, whilst maintaining a "socially competitive" ethos. The competition starts on Sunday 9th January and concludes in March, with a 4 team Finals Day to decide the Women's Indoor League Champions for 2022.

Women's Indoor Cup (NEW):

A brand new competition for 2022, where Women's teams from across Wiltshire will be competing in a 6-aside competition, following the traditional indoor cricket regulations. The Women's Indoor Cup is designed to provide a more competitive offer for Women's Cricket clubs and teams will compete in knock-out fixtures, with the victors progressing to a 4-team finals day on Sunday 3rd April.

Girls' Summer Playing Offers

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 2022, Girls-Only Dynamos Cricket will also be an option for cricket clubs and could perhaps be the start of a girls section at your cricket club!
For more information about Girls-Only Dynamos Cricket, please complete the "Expression of Interest" form or contact [email protected].

Under 11s Girls' League & Festivals (NEW)

In 2022, Wiltshire Cricket are delighted to introduce a brand new U11s Girls Cricket league, which will provide weekly opportunities to girls across Wiltshire, in small localised groups. The league will begin with a number of soft-ball fixtures before clubs are given the opportunity to progress into hard-ball cricket, if they feel their teams are ready.
The outstanding contributions and ideas from several Girls clubs during the winter months have helped to shape this league, aiming to provide equal opportunities for boys & girls, whilst keeping travel distances reasonable across the league.

In addition to the league, there will also be several opportunities for Under 11 Girls teams to participate in county-wide festivals, offering a number of fixtures on the same afternoon. These festivals are a fantastic option for clubs who may not be able to commit to regular fixtures or travel distances. They also provide brilliant developmental and coaching opportunities for the teams, in a social, fun and enjoyable environment!
Time to start the music and the BBQs!

Under 13's Girls' League & Festivals

The Under 13's Girls' League is a county-wide group, which allows for each team to play a number of fixtures against teams from across Wiltshire. Where possible, fixtures will be determined based on locality or arranged in a 3-team festival day 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, with the option of a soft ball or a hard ball.

The Under 13s Festivals also follow a similar format to the Under 11s, in that teams from across Wiltshire are able to come together for a morning of fast-paced, exciting and sociable fixtures. Each team will play against 2 or 3 opposition teams, with many clubs also offering music, refreshments and on occasions, some trophies and medals.

ECB National U13s and U15s Club T20

These ECB Competitions (formally Lady Taverners Competitions) competition provides a national competitive offer for Under 13s and Under 15s Girls teams. The competition starts with localised groups within Wiltshire before progressing onto regional and national finals. In recent years, Wiltshire has seen some fantastic success in these competitions, with the most recent being South Wilts CC who finished 3rd nationally in the Under 13s competition in 2021.

This competition requires direct entry with the ECB via the entry forms below.

Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Competition Rules 2022.docx

Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Form 2022.xls

Girls U13 & U15 Club T20 Entry Letter 2022.doc

Under 15's Girls' Fixtures (NEW)

Across Wiltshire, there are far fewer Under 15s Girls Teams but this certainly shouldn't restrict their ability to play cricket against their friends and peers. As a result, Wiltshire Cricket will offer as much support to clubs as possible to ensure that their Under 15s Girls are able to find fixtures against other clubs or provide opportunities for players to come together for one-off events, where they are able to play cricket with and against one-another.
If your club would like some support with arranging cricket events, fixtures or activities for your Under 15s Girls, please don't hesistate to contact [email protected].

Under 19's Girls' Club T20 Competition (NEW)

Following the outstanding success of The Hundred this season and the subsequent interest in Girls' Cricket, an opportunity has arisen to launch a new ECB competition. This competition bridges the gap between U15s and the National Women's Club T20 Cup Competition and provides an alternative to the mixed-gender Vitality U19 Club T20, that is already popular across Wiltshire.

The competition will culminate with the National Semi-Finals and Final being held at the end of August with the winner also receiving complimentary tickets to the Women's Eliminator match of The Hundred competition.

This competition is directly managed by the ECB and competition entry is via email to [email protected] or [email protected].
The deadline for all entries is Friday 11th February 2022, with the fixture draw being released by Friday 25th February.

For more information and entry forms, please see the documents below:

04 Girls U19 Club T20 Letter & Entry Form 2022.doc

05 Girls U19 Club T20 Competition Rules 2022.docx

Women's 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.

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.

The league is usually split into 3 local groups (East, West, South), which helps to keep fixtures within a reasonable distance. In previous years, the South group have also played across county borders, in the Hampshire league to provide additional fixtures, closer to home. The Women's Soft Ball League concludes with a County Finals Day, which is becoming an integral part of the Women's Cricket Calendar.

Women's Hard Ball Championship (Pairs Cricket)

The Women's Hard Ball Championship was introduced in 2021, alongside the Women's Hard Ball Premier League.
The Championship follows the hard ball, pairs-cricket format that bridges the gap between the Women's Soft Ball League and the Wiltshire Women's Premier League. Players are able to gain confidence with hard-ball cricket and given an opportunity to contribute to each game, thanks to the pairs-cricket format. Teams consist of 8 players with fixtures tending to be played on a weeknight, but with flexibility to 'get the game on'. The Women's Hard Ball Championship has a social ethos, where teams are considerate and supportive of players, who are perhaps trying hard ball cricket for the first time or playing socially. The Women's Championship doesn't offer a Finals Day, as this best supports the social and supportive ethos of the competition.

Women's Hard Ball Premier League (T20)

The Women's Hard Ball Premier League has become the 'top tier' of Women's Cricket in Wiltshire. The League promotes a more competitive fixture than the Women's Championship, but still offers a fantastic social and supportive atmosphere. The Premier League also encourages players of all abilities to take part, including those who represent a County Squad or perhaps those who have had previous cricket experience.

The Women's Premier League also follows the traditional ECB T20 Regulations and culminates towards a County Finals Day, with the top 3 teams from Wiltshire progressing to a regional 100-ball Finals Day, with teams from Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset on Sunday 11th September.

Glos/Wilts 35-over League (NEW - TBC)

A brand-new league for the 2022 season for clubs who would like to participate in longer format fixtures. The league is primarily managed by Gloucestershire Cricket Board, but the excellent partnership beween GCB and Wiltshire allows for Wiltshire Clubs to be included within the league to form a Glos/Wilts League.

This competition is likely to be competitive and high quality, since County Players from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire will have the option to be 'allocated' to participating teams, alongside experienced existing members from those clubs. As a result, the league will bridge the gap between the Wiltshire Premier League and County Cricket.

The final details for this league are currently being finalised and will be confirmed in the early 2022.

ECB National Women's Club T20 Competition

Following the success of last year's ECB Women's Club T20 Competition, it's great to see this competition return in 2022. 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 2022 season is managed directly by the ECB and requires clubs to complete the below entry forms and email them to [email protected] or [email protected].

The deadline for entries is Friday 28th January, with the fixture draw being released on Friday 4th February.

Vitality National Women's Club T20 Cup & Plate Competition Rules 2022.docx

Vitality National Women's Club T20 Cup & Plate Letter & Entry Form 2022.doc

Courses, Events, Workshops and Activities

Wiltshire Women's & Girls' Fixture Meeting - Thursday 27th 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 exhanges and has proved very useful in previous years.
(Face-to-Face event depends upon covid-19 restrictions in January).

Young Storm Champions Course - Wednesday 1st June

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 coaching cover modules similar to those in a Foundation 1 course, before learning how to officiate fixtures. On completion of the course, each attendee will leave with a 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 costs £30 and 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.

Play-Cricket Website Workshop (NEW - TBC)

The Play-Cricket Website will become an essential part of cricket planning and fixtures during the 2022 season. All league fixtures will be required to use the Play-Cricket website, as this will automatically monitor and record results, league tables, player statistics and county-wide activity. In turn, this informs ECB planning and future funding for the Women's & Girls' game.

The Play-Cricket website has many capabilities and some may require a clear understanding of the tools and functions, hence, Wiltshire Cricket are currently considering a Play-Cricket workshop to support volunteers with this understanding. If you are interested in this workshop, please complete the 'Expression of Interest' form at the top of this article.

Secondary School Girls Programme

Alongside the exciting club offers this season, Wiltshire Cricket are delighted to be working with Chance to Shine to deliver a Secondary School Programme to 3 schools within Wiltshire. The programme aims to introduce cricket to over 400 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 in Term 4.

Female-Only National Programmes Activator Training (NEW)

All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket relies on an inspiring volunteer workforce to deliver the energising, thrilling and supportive national programme sessions. With many clubs offering 'Girls-Only Dynamos' and with nearly 30% of all participants being female, it would be fantastic to see a wealth of inspiring, female role models as National Programmes Activators in 2022!

Becoming an activator is really straightforward and has a huge positive impact on the experience for Wiltshire's Young Cricketers, regardless of previous cricket experience. Every activator brings unique skills to the sessions, whether this be energy, motivation, support, care or people-management skills.

To become an activator, there are 3 simple prerequisites;
a) Attend a free, 3-hour activator training session.
b) Complete a few quick, e-learning modules and 'Safeguarding Young Cricketers' Qualification (Free)
c) Hold a valid ECB DBS check. (Free for volunteers)

Wiltshire will be offering numerous Activator training sessions in March and April, 2022, but we are delighted that we are also offering a "Female-Only Activator Training" on Sunday 3rd April, 10am - 1pm. (Venue is likely Calne Leisure Centre).

If you are interested in this course, please complete the relevant question on the "Expression of Interest" Form or contact [email protected].

Female-Only Foundation 1 Course (Summer)

Following on from the success of the 2021 "Female-Only" Foundation 1 course, where we saw several new female cricket coaches become qualified to deliver cricket sessions across Wiltshire, we are really pleased that there has been some initial interest in running another female-only Foundation 1 Course in 2022!

The Foundation 1 course provides candidates with the skills, confidence and qualifications required to lead coaching sessions at their club. The course consists of several e-learning modules and 2 face-to-face days, which cover the coaching foundations for batting, bowling and fielding, along with some key coaching tools and ideas.

The course dates and venues are yet to be decided, but Wiltshire Cricket have started to collect some expressions of interest for the course and we would like to hear from anyone who is interested in completing a Foundation 1 Coaching Course.

If you are interested in the ECB Foundation 1 Course, please complete the relevant Questions on the 'Expression of Interest' form above or contact [email protected].

(Note: There is also a mixed Foundation 1 course running in April for everyone. Further details can be found here).

Scoring & Umpiring Workshops

As the Women's & Girls' Cricket Playing offers continue to grow, so too does the need for scorers and umpires to support the growing game. Scorers and Umpires are essential personnel and sit at the heart of cricket activity.

With this in mind, Wiltshire Cricket are currently considering a workshop to support female scorers and umpires, who may be interested in learning about about these roles, gain some confidence or perhaps learn more about 'How to get involved'. If you or your colleagues, team-mates, club members are interested in a Wiltshire Cricket 'Scoring & Umpiring' workshop, please answer the relevant questions on the 'Expressions of Interest' Form.

Additionally, there are also some online courses available, via the ECB website which provide a useful introduction to officiating. These courses can be found below:

Scoring Courses - Click Here

Umpiring Courses - Click Here

Coaching Opportunities

Within Wiltshire, there are often many coaching vacancies, in both voluntary and paid roles. As Women's & Girls' Cricket continues to grow, many of these vacancies are created each year and with so many dedicated coaches across Wiltshire, it would be great to set up a community to support clubs, Wiltshire and coaches, alike.

With this in mind, if you are a club who requires some coaching support or if you are a coach, looking for further coaching opportunities, within the W&Gs game, please do contact [email protected] or complete the relevant questions on the 'Expression of Interest' form.

Women's & Girls' Voluntary Cricket Committee

To continue to improve and develop the Women's & Girls' Cricket offers in our county, Wiltshire Cricket would like to form a small voluntary commitee, consisting of volunteers from the Women's & Girls' game. The group would aim to tackle some of the challenges/barriers associated with Women's & Girls' Cricket in Wiltshire and support with the management and development of current offerings.

A voluntary committee would encourage a wide range of suggestions and opinions to ensure that Wiltshire Women's & Girls' Cricket goes from strength-to-strength. If this is something that you would like to be involved with, please contact [email protected] or complete the 'Expressions of Interest' form at the top of this article.

Women's & Girls Performance Cricket

The 2022 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
- Western Storm Regional Academy Fixtures
- Western Storm Fixtures in the RHF Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup
- The Women's Ashes Series
- The Women's T20 World Cup
- England Women Home Series
- The Women's HUNDRED
- The Commonwealth Games (Women's T20)

Also...don't miss out on Wiltshire Women's 1st XI taking on the Western Storm Academy on Sunday 29th May (Venue TBC).

All of the above creates an exciting 'buzz' about Women's & Girls' Cricket and we can expect the visibility of the Women's & Girls game to be better than ever before! This could result in plenty of new cricketers, of all ages, joining your club!
2022 is definitely a season to be excited for!

What's Next?

All of the above competitions, leagues, activities and offers are currently being scheduled and planned ahead of the 2022 season! Therefore, if you or your club is interested in any of the above or perhaps if you have further ideas/suggestions, please complete the 'Expression of Interest' form at the top of the page!

The information gathered from this form will be used to formulate leagues, provide exciting opportunities and create a whole season of Women's & Girls' Cricket for Wiltshire. The deadline for completion is Sunday 9th January.

Wiltshire Cricket are looking forward to a cricket-packed summer and everyone is welcome to join us, as the Women's & Girls' game goes from strength-to-strength!