A new county-wide women’s indoor cricket competition, launching this Sunday, will see local club-based teams involved in a winter programme for the first time.
The Women’s Indoor Bash, organised and run by Durham Cricket Board, will see eight teams face off in a fast-paced, friendly environment.
The indoor competition is hoped to mark a fresh start for women’s club cricket in the North East and set up a good structure and pathway outside of county level.
The competition comes after Durham’s phenomenal success in women’s cricket last season, when the Cricket Board delivered the strongest and most well-attended Women and Girls’ campaign in the country, attracting 766 new women into cricket, more than any other county, through a series of “Ladies Days”, held at 13 local cricket clubs.
The Women’s Indoor Bash Competition will be a part of Durham’s Indoor Bash initiative, which strives to create more playing opportunities for adults during the off-season.
Eight teams will compete over five weeks – Brandon Cricket Club, Durham City Cricket Club, Durham University Cricket Club, Middleton-in-Teesdale Cricket Club, Norton Cricket Club, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Shotley Bridge Cricket Club and Willington Cricket Club.
Director of Cricket at Durham Cricket Board Graeme Weeks said: “This competition is a massive success for us and a huge step forward for women’s cricket in the county.
“It’s very exciting to see so many women team up to play and enjoy the game at this time of the year.
“We were very successful in attracting new women to the sport in the summer through our Women’s Softball Festivals and at the same time Durham CCC launched their Women’s Academy.
“So we felt like we got the elite sport and the casual cricket opportunities right, but we had nothing in-between.
“This competition is hopefully going to fill the gap, create more playing opportunities and strengthen the women’s game in Durham.”
Women and Girls Cricket Development Officer Marsha Davies said: “Getting this competition off the ground prior to the season was really important for us.
“It gives us the opportunity to show women that we want to support them and their clubs and teams by creating more playing opportunities and regular competition.”
Marsha also added: “It’s brilliant to see how quickly the female game is moving forward in Durham.
“Last year was a big step for us in terms of growing the game, but we are keen to keep the progress going in the upcoming season too, so we hope that the Indoor Bash gets the teams excited for the summer ahead and keeps them on board.”
The Women’s Indoor Bash Competitions starts this Sunday at the Louisa Centre, Stanley and will run for five weeks, with the final being held on Sunday, March 25.