Thursday 4th May marked an historic moment in Oundle’s cricketing history, with the 1st XI girls cricketers not only playing, but winning their very first match in a fixture against The Perse School. The match was played at home, with the School’s J M Mills Cricket Pavilion as the backdrop.
The game started off smoothly with some great bowling from Freya Wilson (K) and Charlotte Fray (L), and with many others showing amazing potential. With a few wickets and a run-out from the wicket keeper, coupled with a beautifully straight bowl from Lucy Stock (N), the team were confident when they went to bat.
The girls opened their batting strongly with the first pair, sisters Alice and Miranda Joicey (W) just missing out on half centuries. Victory came when the pair of Phoebe Gammell (K) and Lucy Stock played a terrific game, despite the pressure, and ran on the last few balls, achieving the runs needed for Oundle to win the game. The score they were chasing was 137, which, in spite of the bitterly cold weather, they achieved with just three balls remaining.
Master in Charge of Cricket, John Crawley said enthusiasm for the sport is growing rapidly in the School, matching a rise in participation in women's cricket in general. A strong national team, an opportunity to play cricket for a living and a strong national women's competition all point towards further growth in the future.