Women’s cricket has returned to Newcastle Cricket Club after a 14-month hiatus. The club’s women’s team, which was started six years ago, halted training and matches when the first lockdown was announced in March 2020.

Club chair Nick Brown told JesmondLocal: “It was very firmly on our agenda to build on what we had with the women’s team but the pandemic pulled the rug from underneath our feet. Opportunities evaporated so we had to take several steps back.”

Brown says the club is eager to get women involved, irrespective of age or cricket playing experience. Beginners will play agility games and soft-ball cricket before moving onto hard-ball cricket and possibly team matches when they feel more comfortable with the game and its rules.

Brown says there will also be opportunities for players to earn coaching badges and seats on the club committee. “We want women to be part of the decision-making process of the club so we can truly call ourselves a community club,” said Brown, who says he also plans to integrate the women’s and men’s teams by hosting joint events, once restrictions are lifted fully, that will give the club a “family feel”.

Women’s team coach Jon Boaden added: “We don’t mind if people don’t have any experience whatsoever of cricket. It’s for everyone to have fun, to get some exercise and to learn about cricket, because cricket is fun.”

Boaden has not coached a women’s team before but says he was inspired to get involved when his daughter started playing cricket. He says that World Cup victory by the England women’s team in 2017 has helped bring the women’s game to the attention of many.

To find out more about opportunities at Newcastle Cricket Club visit its website or email steward@newcastlecc.org.uk