Her Game Too Cricket are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club, as they become the latest grassroots club to pledge their support for the campaign.
Playing their cricket at Abbeydale Sports Ground in Sheffield, SCCC was founded in 1881 by the Old Boys of Sheffield Collegiate College and boasts a rich and successful history. Since moving to Abbeydale in 1921, the grounds have experienced First-Class Cricket with Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Derbyshire County Cricket Club hosting games there.
Producing and nurturing incredible talent, the club’s alumni includes some of the finest to play the professional game with ex-England Captains, Michael Vaughan and Joe Root, Glamorgan’s Billy Root and ICC Umpire Richard Kettleborough all being products of SCCC.
With a booming Junior section full of talent and an abundance of potential, many of the club’s current members and players have progressed through the ranks and represented at county level and beyond.
Describing Junior Cricket as “the backbone of our club”, SCCC sees over 120 6-18 year-olds participating in the Root Academy. Enhancing the Junior experience further, the club has strong ties to the community, including local schools, and regularly hosts taster sessions, tournament days and curriculum time coaching to give children a taste of cricket who might otherwise have never experienced the sport.
Girls’ cricket at the club is also thriving, with SCCC fielding teams across girls Hardball and Softball cricket and with numbers continuing to grow. In partnership with other clubs in the area, they will have a Girls U10 and U12 Softball team, as well as U14 Hardball team in the Ben Jessop’s Hardball competition.
Owing to the club’s incredibly successful Junior set up, a number of their girls have been selected throughout Yorkshire’s age groups and the Northern Diamonds Performance Pathway. The future of Sheffield Collegiate Cricket club is extremely bright as they develop the stars of the future across both Boys and Girls’ sections!
Although the Women and Girls’ section of the club does not boast the same rich history as the Men’s, they have come a long way since launching in 2019.
Entering into Softball competitions to begin with, 2024 will see the Women’s and Girl’s teams play more cricket than ever before across both Softball and Hardball.
After being crowned Champions of the South Yorkshire Women & Girls Division 1 league in 2023, this coming season will see their Women’s Hardball XI promoted to the South Yorkshire Women & Girls’ Premier League, as well as playing games in The Hundred format and 40 over matches.
Over in Softball Cricket, SCCC’s Senior team will feature in South Yorkshire Women & Girls Division 2 Softball League, with the Junior Softball sides competing later on in the summer.
Looking ahead to an action-packed summer for the club, which sees training commencing on 17th April, SCCC are eager to welcome any new players to Abbeydale Sports Ground, regardless of ability or experience. With plenty of kit and free first sessions available for newcomers, SCCC is a place to be this coming season!
As the club looks to expand their W&G’s section, Her Game Too Cricket are thrilled to be bringing Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club on board with the campaign.
On partnering with SCCC, Paige Caunce, Director of Cricket at Her Game Too, said the following: “It brings us great pleasure to announce that Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club have partnered with the campaign and pledged their support.
The rapid growth of their W&G’s section, along with the growth of Women’s Cricket in the wider area, is extremely encouraging and we are very much looking forward to working with the club in the future.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the club for joining forces with Her Game Too Cricket and taking a stance against sexism/misogyny within the sport.”
Rachel Bottomley, SCCC’s Women and Girls Hardball “Sheffield Collegiate are incredibly excited to be partnering with Her Game Too. The club’s Women and Girls section is still growing and developing, and it felt like the right time to get on board and do everything we can as a club to promote the message of inclusivity and equal opportunity for women and girls in cricket and ensuring that discrimination plays no part in the game we all love.
We have a really exciting year ahead playing in the Yorkshire Women’s Premier League and we’re looking forward to spreading the message far and wide of the fantastic work Her Game Too do in ensuring cricket is a game for all.”
To learn more about Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club, you can visit their website: www.sheffield-collegiate-cc.org.uk/