There has been plenty happening at Summer Road this year, but the biggest new development for the cricket section has been the growth of women’s and girls’ cricket at the club — and there is more still to come.
Girls’ Dynamos
We launched a girls-only Dynamos group in autumn 2025. Dynamos is the ECB’s national programme for under-12s, and we ran it indoors over the winter before taking it outside this summer, where it now sits alongside our other junior training on Friday nights.
Having a dedicated group for the girls has made a real difference. It gives them a place to learn the game together, at their own pace, with plenty of encouragement along the way. Luke Ridding, who has led the organisation of the group after previously establishing the Men’s Saturday 2nd XI, said the progress on and off the field had been especially rewarding. “The enthusiasm of the girls for learning and improving has been great,” he said. “It has been fantastic to see how they have improved as we have got through more matches. What has been most enjoyable, though, is watching the comradeship grow as the season has gone on.”
The girls’ tournament in June
In June, we hosted an under-12 girls’ tournament to mark the start of the Women’s T20 World Cup, with Melton St Audry’s, Mildenhall and Woolpit joining us. Melton St Audry’s won all three of their games and took the trophy.
Afterwards, everyone stayed to watch England beat Sri Lanka on the big screen in the opening game of the World Cup. Around 300 people came along over the course of the evening. Our juniors umpired and helped run the games, families brought chairs and picnics, and it turned into one of the best nights we have had at the club.
Better changing rooms
We have also received a grant from Suffolk Cricket to upgrade some of our existing changing facilities so they are female-friendly. While the most important thing is having people who want to play the game, we know good facilities can make a real difference to how welcome and comfortable people feel. For Cricket Club Chairman James French, those improvements are part of a bigger push to turn this year’s early interest into something lasting.
“This season has been about laying the foundations for women’s cricket at the club — getting new players through the door via our beginner taster sessions and giving them a reason to stay,” James said. “Looking ahead, we want to turn that early momentum into a settled, competitive women’s section with regular fixtures and a real pathway for players to grow with us.”
Cricket & Cocktails
On Friday 31 July, we put on a Cricket & Cocktails evening for women who fancied giving softball cricket a try. Nearly 30 came along, many of them having never played before.
It was a relaxed evening: no kit needed, no experience needed, just a bit of cricket and a drink afterwards. There was plenty of laughter — and a few surprised looks from people who turned out to be rather good at it.
With so many people enjoying the evening, it was clear there was demand for something more, so we followed it up with a more structured training session on Friday 21 August. Despite the cold temperatures and intermittent drizzle, 20 people attended and showed both the willingness to learn and the skill level to suggest competitive fixtures against other clubs are not far away.
What’s next
We will be running one more softball session this Friday, 28th August at 6pm. Everyone is welcome, whether you came to the last two sessions or have never picked up a bat before. You do not need kit and you do not need to know the rules.
Next summer, we hope to enter women’s softball tournaments as more clubs across Suffolk get teams going. It is early days, and that is part of the appeal: anyone who joins now can help shape how this section grows.
The girls’ Dynamos group will be back next season too, and we are always happy to see new faces on a Friday evening.
If you would like to know more about either the girls’ Dynamos group or women’s softball cricket, send us a message on social media or contact girls@wlwcc.org.
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