Wargrave women’s first XI team were crowned regional Supa8 Development champions, taking home the trophy for the 2021 Home Counties Women’s Cricket League.
The team joined the league for the first time this year and went undefeated all season against other Berkshire teams including Sonning, Binfield and Cookham Dean.
They then went on to continue their winning streak against Beaconsfield and then with an 81-run lead against Luton CC in the final.
The HCWCL was established in 2019 to promote and encourage participation for women’s cricket clubs across Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire.
Wargrave CC women’s and girls’ coach Neville Wallace said: “Having so much interest in our ladies softball section to progress to hardball, the Supa8 competition was the perfect opportunity for players
to test the waters.
“Four players in our supa8 squad of 11 joined hardball for the first time, and for them all to step up and win the competition against teams who have been playing for a number of years is a great achievement and shows their spirit and determination.
“As their coach, I am proud of what they have achieved in such a short time.”
Neville heads up the Wargrave Women’s and Girls’ softball and hardball cricket teams and welcomes new players to come along and learn a new skill.
Newcomer Roisin McMahon has really taken to the sport. She said: “Having just taken up softball cricket last year as a complete novice, it was a little daunting to take the step into hardball cricket:
“The Supa8 was the perfect competition to get me started.
“There is so much support from the coaches, alongside fantastic team spirit, it makes for a lot of fun.
“It feels incredible to be part of an amazing team of ladies, whose love of cricket shines through on the pitch.”
The club said that women and girls’ cricket in the village has taken off in the last year thanks to Neville’s dedication, along with the support of coaches Samuel Bowers and Trevor Bennett, with More than 65 women and girls joining the club in the past year.
