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We are delighted to announce that the campaign has officially partnered with the University of Worcester Women’s Cricket Club, as they become the latest to join the Her Game Too Cricket family.
Having been established in 2016/17, Women’s cricket at the university gone from strength to strength and been described by members of the team as “[...] an amazing experience with top level coaches that truly develop you so much, but also the entire team are a massive family that all support each other in their developments both within and outside of cricket”.
From humble beginnings as a small society competing in indoor-only fixtures, the club soon found success as, in 2018/19 and 2019/20, they qualified for national finals. Off the back of these triumphs, outdoor cricket was introduced in 2020/21 - with the university competing in their first-ever year of outdoor BUCS cricket.
The following year, the club continued making enormous strides in their development as well as adding silverware to their trophy cabinet. Whilst the team narrowly missed out on the Premier play-offs, they were victorious in the Western Tier 1 Division!
2022/23 marked a huge turning point for the club as the university introduced their MSci Cricket Coaching and Management degree – the first course of its kind in the U.K. - and, as a result, the club saw memberships spike. With the dramatic increase in numbers, UoWWCC were granted “Performance Sport Status” by the university, allowing them to receive the same level of coaching and other required extras as the Men’s club.
Equipped with these new resources, it has enabled the Women’s club to flourish and develop their cricketing skills. Soon after the implementation of the new status, the increased investment translated into positive results on and off the field.
The Women’s Cricket Club were awarded Universities Sport Club of The Year Award for 2022/23, as well as finishing 2nd in their outdoor league. After such a successful year, anticipation for the next season was building.
The first indoor team reached the semi-finals of their league, narrowly missing out to Durham. Whilst this was not the outcome the team were hoping for, it helped set them up for a stellar outdoor season ahead where, after an unbeaten run, they secured 1st place in the league and progressed to the play-off stage before, unfortunately, suffering a close defeat to Bristol University.
When the 2023/24 season rolled around, the Women’s cricket club witnessed a 150% growth in the number of memberships, giving their players the impetus to push themselves to new levels.
Outside of university cricket, multiple members of the team earned call ups to play for Worcestershire Rapids Women’s as well as some players taking their skills out on the road to play in Australia.
Having developed and honed their skills with the university, a number of their girls have made the step up to play regional cricket through Central Spark’s Emerging Players Programme (EPP). It is testament to the investment and dedication made by the university in their cricket offerings that has enabled their players to progress to such heights.
Off the field, the team has been dedicated to advancing their charitable work and helping the local community.
From hosting darts nights – raising £238.26 for Behind the Smile – and completing 2900 squats, to quiz nights and hiking up the Malvern – raising £738.00 for Teenage Cancer Trust – the club are eager to continue pursuing charitable endeavours into the future.
Since their inception back in 2016/17, the Women’s team have been on a phenomenal journey of growth not just with the bat and ball, but also in fostering a welcoming, close-knit environment. In partnering with the university, Her Game Too Cricket are excited to be working together.
Charlotte Ashton, the University Ambassador for Her Game Too Cricket, said: “To be able to partner with the University of Worcester is really special.
They have put in so much work to be where they are today and they are real champions of the game, I can't wait for the future!"
The Women’s Cricket Committee at UoW said: “We are super excited to announce our partnership with Her Game Too.
This is something we have worked on for a long time and we cannot wait for what entails in the future!”
To learn more about cricket at the university...
Instagram: @uow_wcc
You can follow Charlotte’s work with our university partners on Instagram at: @universities.hergametoocricket