The idea was first mooted by Worcestershire supporter Richard Clark, who thought that the lack of games in men's county cricket some weekends might throw up an opportunity to get some cricket lovers, who had not seen the women's game, out and watching their first women's match.
Richard reached out to established blogs Women's Cricket Blog and CRICKETher for help and, after looking at the fixtures in both the men's and womens games, Women's Cricket Day on 6th May was born.
A social media campaign is being launched today to try and achieve just this. The aim of the new campaign is to promote women’s county cricket to a wider audience and to encourage cricket lovers across the country to get out and discover a part of the game they may not know much about.
The campaign will be launched on Twitter today via a dedicated account (@WomensCricDay), using the hashtag #YourCounty. Cricket fans up and down the country will be encouraged to discover the hidden gem that is women’s county cricket by attending their nearest match on Monday 6th May.
England stars such as Heather Knight (Berkshire), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire), Anya Shrubsole (Somerset) and Dani Wyatt (Sussex) will be in action for their counties on the Bank Holiday Monday, using it as a chance to hone their skills ahead of this summer’s series against both West Indies and Australia in the Women’s Ashes.
The campaign has already received massive support from within women's cricket and the aim is now to spread the word to all cricket lovers. Get out there and support #YourCounty.
Former England captain Charlotte Edwards said: “This is a brilliant campaign and something I really support. It’s important we raise awareness of women’s county cricket, and hopefully as a result we’ll get more cricket lovers watching and following their local counties.”
Any questions about the campaign should be addressed in the first instance to Richard Clark (womenscountycricket@outlook.com). And for updates and news follow the dedicated Twitter account @WomensCricDay.
A full list of women’s county fixtures for Monday 6th May is below. All matches are scheduled to start at 11am.
Division 1:
Hampshire v Yorkshire - Totton and Eling Cricket Club, Southern Gardens, Totton, Southampton SO40 8RW
Kent v Warwickshire - Kent County Cricket Club, Beckenham, Worsley Bridge Rd, Beckenham BR3 1DR
Surrey v Lancashire - Guildford Cricket Club, The Sports Ground, Woodbridge Rd, Guildford GU1 4RP
Sussex v Nottinghamshire - Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, Lewes Rd, Brighton BN1 9PW
Divison 2:
Berkshire v Worcestershire - North Maidenhead Cricket Club, Summerleaze Rd, Maidenhead SL6 8SP
Devon v Wales - North Devon Cricket Club, 8 Sandhills, Instow, Bideford EX39 4LF
Somerset v Durham - Taunton Vale Sports Club, Gipsy Lane, Taunton TA2 6L
Division 3:
Cumbria v Leicestershire - Lindal Moor Cricket Club, Pennington Lane, Lindal-in-Furness LA12 0LA
Derbyshire v Scotland - Marehay Cricket Club, Warmwells Ln, Ripley DE5 8JB
Northumberland v Lincolnshire - Stocksfield Cricket Club, Main Road, Stocksfield NE43 7NN
Cambridgeshire v Netherlands - Bluntisham Cricket Club, Mill Lane, Bluntisham PE28 3LR
Norfolk v Northamptonshire - Cromer Cricket Club, Cromer NR27 0AU
Suffolk v Hertfordshire - Copdock and Old Ipswichian Cricket Club, Old London Road, Copdock, Ipswich IP8 3JN
Cornwall v Gloucestershire - Roche CC, Trezaise Road, Roche PL26 8HD
Dorset v Oxfordshire - Hamworthy Sports Club, Magna Road, Bournemouth BH21 3AP
Wiltshire v Buckinghamshire - South Wilts Cricket Club, The County Ground, Skew Bridge, Wilton Road, Salisbury SP2 9NY
