Anyone who has ever had the experience of becoming a parent or in my case, an uncle, it is unimaginable to remember the world before that person came into the world, a world without them in it. In terms of our cricketing family, it now seems unimaginable – almost shameful - to think that when the club celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2015, there was not a single female cricket playing member of the club.

Just 6 years on and Keyworth CC has well over 100 female playing members and is fielding 4 competitive women’s teams in the various guises of the still fledgling East Midlands Women’s Cricket League – with 3 of those hard ball teams – the most of any club in the region.

All teams have been having great experiences and very well done to all of those who have represented the club with both a smile and aplomb in the first month of the season, with a special mention for Jacqui, Rob, Claire, Jane, Jade, Simon, Jenny, Barry, Rog, Darron and all those who have been organising, umpiring, scoring, kit managing and so on.

But please allow me to indulge for a few minutes of your time on the Women’s 1st XI…

Last Sunday was about the 6th league game ever for this group. 4 ‘covid compliant friendlies’ last year based on Division 2 of the top band of that EMWCL – the 40 over competition. Then we were put into Division 1 this year.

This team is very openly a ‘performance’ team. Many of the teams within the club are ‘participation’ where everyone gets a bat and a bowl, and we want to ensure everyone has a good time and comes back next week. With a performance team though, we openly play to win – though in the ‘KCC way’ this means with sportsmanship and not at all costs. If you don’t get a bat or a bowl, that this the way it goes. Whoever gets to bat or bowl has the responsibility of knowing they are deemed the best person in that game to try and get the win for the club.

While our overall mantra is to say to the community “come down to Platt Lane and find whatever level of cricket or engagement works for you”, it is equally our stated aim as a club to try and ensure that with Open Age League cricket on a Saturday and with Women’s League cricket on a Sunday, we have one team as close to the top of the pyramid as possible, so that the very best of our local talent does not have a glass ceiling on their development, and never feel that they have to leave the club to continue their sporting progress.

With Saturday League cricket we have successfully transitioned from an average age of 36/37 in 2016 to an average age of 23/24 – a turnover of 80% of the team – without losing any league position – quite an achievement in itself. If anything, 23 was perhaps too young, and we have called back some of the ‘Dad’s Army’ in our 3 wins from 4 this season, and an average age to closer to 30, with very welcome new additions both to the village and the club like Tom Ryder and Will Ephraim – and their families too. Our aim is to go up 2 leagues and with Essan Warner and Sam Foster leading the charge, getting up 1 league is very much in our own hands this year.

But our Women’s First XI features a squad with no fewer than NINE players aged 13-15 – is easily the youngest squad in the division. With fantastic additions like Georgie Sutton-Walker and Frankie Neil (who would have thought you would be considered the senior pros in your mid 20s ladies?) all led by another part of the Keyworth sport ‘poster family’ Claire Foster, this group went to Sileby Town last Sunday.

Sileby Town boast a tremendous facility just a 20 minute drive from Keyworth down the A46. The club and committee have done a tremendous job developing their club and deserve huge credit for what they have achieved overall, and specifically how they back the development of women’s cricket.

The home side had just come off the back of a comprehensive win and went into the game as favourites. KCC were without Jasmine Saunders, who is still on the way back from injury, but won the toss and elected to have a bat on a gorgeous day, yet a lush fast growing outfield and a still drying pitch. The feeling was 130-140 would probably prove a very challenging total to set, and using up all 40 overs was going to be strategically vital.

Georgie Sutton-Walker and last year’s centurion the now 14 year old Eleanor Owen opened up and provided a good base, before the fearless and (in my view) peerless Annie Williams – enjoying her last week while just 12 years old, scored 16 at a strike rate of 62 – the second highest of the match – frankly making it look like she was playing on a different wicket!

Georgie and Olivia Baker then put on 37 vital runs before Olivia holed out to cover for 18 trying to selflessly push the total along. Georgie fell quickly after 7 short of what would have been many more than 50 on most days, but with 7 overs to go and the score on 101 it was a potentially match influencing innings by the Player/Assistant Coach, that so many of the team will have learned so much from in terms of game management.

Captain Claire steered the tail through those final overs with all present on and off the field aware just how much every extra 10 runs could make come the final reckoning. 130 proved a little too far but 116-9 off 40 overs still felt above par. Boundaries were at a premium with a lush outfield and we had managed 8 in our 40 overs (Georgie 4, Annie 2 & Olivia Baker 2). With confidence in the bowling and fielding unit, a good performance in the second half of the game could well see us home.

Sileby had bowled and fielded really well, and of course we knew they had a talented batting line up too. Georgie and Olivia B opened up though with no thoughts other than victory. At 20-4 off 12 overs, the new ball pair had put Keyworth in charge of the game, when it looked like Georgie had bagged her 4th wicket of the spell to make it 20-5 only for it to be ruled a no ball.

The expected Sileby Town fightback followed. Huge credit to our opponents for how they battled back in what became a fantastic game of cricket in 80 degree sunshine on a bank holiday Sunday afternoon, and all played along to a sound track courtesy of a live singer at the main pitch/pavilion!

We may not have had ‘Sweet Caroline’ in our ranks like the act next door, but we did have the very impressive Ruby Randall bowling with incredible precision and accuracy, and going for just 8 runs off the bat in her 8 overs. But at 49-4 and 68 to win with 6 wickets in hand, we needed a partnership breaker.

Evee-Mae’s Warne like legspin gave us that vital break through, before debutant Olivia Wade put ball after ball after ball on the spot, and in the end the pressure told, and the her first wicket for KCC followed, a lovely individual moment celebrated warmly by her team mates. A mix up in the field then saw Ruby brilliantly keep her composure, throwing to opposite end that she normally would have, and complete the simplest of run outs. 49-4 had suddenly become 55-7.

Surely that was that? But another fantastic counter offensive followed from our hosts and in no time it was 75-7.

The think tank of Foster & Sutton-Walker decided to go for the jugular in a bold double change, brining openers Georgie and Olivia B back on for their final 2 overs each, in an effort to wrestle back momentum and it paid instant reward as moments later Olivia B laid waste to some suddenly fairly sorry looking stumps.

Wise batting saw off those remaining 4 overs of our opening pair, but with 31 required from the last 6 overs, in a game where 3 runs an over was tough, and the hosts were yet to register a single boundary in their innings, upping that run rate would surely prove too much IF we remained patient?

A first boundary of the Sileby innings finally arrived though, and 9 off the 36th over caused those seeds of doubt to resurface. 22 off 5 to win.

Resurface it would appear on those born before the millennium perhaps? But not those 21st century cricketers out there for KCC, and certainly not Ruby Randall. The 37th over was 6 dots, with the only blemish a wide for the extras column. To bowl that accurately under that much pressure was huge credit to Ruby, suddenly it was 21 off 4, and the KCC gallery felt like they could start to breathe again.

Doing her bit for the Twentieth century birthdates (just!), Frankie also showed tremendous character after going for those 9 in over 36. The first ball saw a huge heave towards deep square leg. A low flat trajectory didn’t help but Olivia Baker took the catch despite it being straight into the sun.

Number 11 made her way to the crease (eventually!) and after a couple of dot balls, Frankie had her trapped back in her crease straight in front of middle stump. As the umpire raised his finger cheers of delight finally drowned out the mini-Glastonbury next door, and the young guns of KCC Women’s 1st XI found themselves in second place in the League.

Well done to all – thank you to Mark Plastow for umpiring and Chloe Williams for scoring, and happy birthday to Annie for June 3rd!

There are only 5 Premier League clubs at the mo. It is a great chance for us to acquit ourselves well and get another promotion, and ensure that glass ceiling never ever materialises for female cricketers at Keyworth.

Next game: table topping Caythorpe at the New Field of Dreams, 1pm Sunday 13th June. Watch this space for a big update on this squad in the next few days, and why not come along watch England v Croatia, and see this incredible group of women wear our badge with pride?