Alcester & Ragley CC juniors secure place on Warwickshire CCC pathway
TWO juniors from Alcester & Ragley Cricket Club are not only scoring boundaries but they’re breaking them down as well.
Marianne Bryan and Darcey Cross, both aged ten, recently spent two Sundays showcasing their skills to Warwickshire CCC coaches against several players from across the county.
Following the vigorous trials process, both girls have now learned they have been selected for Warwickshire’s winter training programme which starts in January at the Edgbaston Centre of Excellence.
They are now part of the performance pathway which could see them become future England stars.
Reflecting on the duo’s success, Ashlee Powell, women’s and girls’ coach at Alcester & Ragley, told the Herald: “As a coaching team, Dave Magnall and I are incredibly proud to see Marianne and Darcey achieve an opportunity to further develop and refine their cricket game.
“They are both lovely girls and fantastic to coach. They are engaged and positive during coaching sessions and both love playing cricket. They always have a smile on their face and an encouraging word for their team-mates.
“Marianne and Darcey are both very deserving of the chance to train under the Warwickshire umbrella and we wish them well with their winter training sessions.”
Powell went on to say that the two girls, described as shining examples, have embraced the sport which has traditionally been dominated by boys and hopes they inspire others at the club to follow their dreams.
“As a club we hope to make cricket more inclusive and to increase the amount of not only girls, but also women taking up the sport locally,” she said.
“Marianne and Darcey’s success will no doubt inspire more young girls to give cricket a try and we as a club look forward to welcoming new players for the 2023 season.
“We hope to see more and more women and girls participate in cricket and become as passionate for the game like Marianne and Darcey are.”
Alcester & Ragley’s women’s and girls’ section was formed in January this year and has a healthy cohort of players in the U11 and U13 age groups.
The Cotswold Hills League club aims to grow this number further and continue to present equal opportunities for girls in the community to take part and get involved with cricket.
“As a newly-formed section, 2022 has really set a good base and foundation for girls at the club,” Powell added.
“It is such a positive step forward and a joy to see more girls at the ground participating in cricket, let alone the fantastic achievements of both Marianne and Darcey in our first year of establishing the section.
“Both girls were only playing softball cricket in January and now they are in the county winter programme for girls’ hardball cricket.
“It’s a huge achievement both personally to the girls but also for the club too. Successes like these really make all the hard work and hours dedicated to getting the girls’ section off the ground worth it.
“In 2023, we aim to further grow the numbers of girls we have at the club, not only in younger age groups, but also to establish a strong youth offering for girls aged between 13 and 21.”
The celebrations don’t stop there, though, as U13s cricketer Freddie Stokes has successfully retained her place in the Warwickshire U13s county squad.
Any girls between the age of ten and 18 interested in giving cricket a go should email girlscricket@arpcc.org.uk.
