HAVING watched their children train and play for many years, the ladies of Warrington Cricket Club felt it was their turn.

They decided to form their own team back in May, primarily to have fun, increase fitness and make new friends.

Several training sessions with coach Dom Hastings later, the Warrington Belles women’s team was born and has become the first female senior side to represent the Walton Lea club in more than a decade.

At their first Cheshire Cricket Board tournament in Timperley, the team won two and drew one of their five matches.

All this after starting with a group of players who had never played together, the majority of whom had never played a competitive game of cricket before.

Warrington have had plenty of success in the junior girls’ competitions, with the under 9s winning their last tournament in Chester and the under 15s finishing as runners-up in the Cheshire Cup.

Tom Jones, president of the club’s junior section, hopes the formation of the Belles can give the younger players a much-needed pathway into senior cricket.

“Ladies cricket has finally been recognised by the media as a thrilling and exciting game to watch,” he said.

“The Women’s World Cup has recently been televised and we need to capitalise on the fact that this is a game for girls as much as it is for boys.

“Having a ladies’ team at the club is vital in ensuring that the girls playing in the junior sector have a pathway in which to progress and develop their skills in a sport that they love playing.”

The team’s next competitive outing is on home turf at Walton Lea at a women’s cricket festival on Sunday, July 30, which will feature teams from across Cheshire.

Anyone interested in playing for the team should email warringtonladies@gmail.com or call coach Dom Hastings on 07989589057.