We certainly haven’t been bowled over by the depressing April showers; however the end of this drizzly month brings excitement with the opening of the long anticipated cricket season. Manchester Women have been preparing since September under the guidance of head coaches Derek Morgan and Rick Halkon. With a balance of experienced players and exciting new talent from their intake of freshers, the girls are hoping to better last year which saw them clinch the top spot in the BUCS Northern 1B league and finish an impressive 8th in the National Knockouts.
UMWCC are currently battling it out in the nets as they prepare for their opening home game against bitter rivals York on the 25th April. The Mancunion watched the team in their penultimate coaching session to find out more. Performance levels were extremely high most notably in the fielding drills, with emphasis being placed on players backing one another up on the rare occasions of missed balls. Dynamic Captain Carrie Ellwood urged her team on throughout practice and after commented; “I’m really pleased with how the team is shaping up. With the York game so close we are looking specifically at game scenarios and so catching and run-outs are crucial. I’m confident in the team’s ability and if we perform like we do regularly in training then we will be tough to beat.”
Highly detectable from the training was the fantastic team spirit which will no doubt help them in their matches. This has been helped this year with the enthusiastic committee and in particular the appointment of Cicely Dudley as social secretary for the club whose motto is “work hard, play hard.” Dudley stresses the importance of doing well but for her it is more than just a sport. “Anyone is welcomed into the club, no- matter what their ability is! Everybody has room to improve no matter how ‘good’ they are. I think we have the balance just right at the club, hard work at training but also fantastic social nights out.”
So hopefully the season will hold more thrills and fewer spills for the women’s cricket team, and it certainly looks that way with their balance of talent and team work. Tough fixtures lie ahead with York, Sheffield and Leeds to play but it looks like Manchester are the team to beat!
