The Middlesex County League Premier Division club are looking to improve their ladies and girls cricket section over the coming years

Highgate CC have announced they will be hosting a landmark Ladies Softball Cricket Event on Friday July 27.

This is an initiative which summarises the work the committee have put in over the course of the 2018 season, and is a statement of intent in relation to the club’s focus on ladies & girls cricket over the coming years.

Johan de Silva, Schools Recruitment Lead and All Stars Lead Activator, provided his thoughts on the project.

He said: “2018 has been a fantastic year for Highgate off the pitch in relation to the development of the Junior Section.

“We are fortunate enough to have secured landmark numbers of both Junior members as well as All Stars Cricketers, meaning that the club stands in good stead both this year and beyond.

“Much of this has been due to the hard work of various individuals behind the scenes, namely Shelley Eaton (club administrator) and David Proctor (director of junior cricket) – these individuals have been instrumental in reinvigorating our offering.

“The addition of new coaches and individuals to the overall process has sharpened it, meaning the club has been able to devote more time to initiatives that it has sought to run, such as ladies & girls Cricket.”

Boasting a strong Tennis Section, Highgate has an excellent opportunity to cross-sell their offering to members.

This forms the basis for much of the desire to look at women’s cricket, explains de Silva, he added: “The Ladies Softball Cricket event is an excellent idea and initiative from the ECB to get more Ladies into the game we all love.

“Given the success and profile afforded to the England women’s cricket team following their World Cup triumph in 2017, the club hopes to inspire and encourage more women and girls into the game. This can only be considered a positive for the sport and the club as a whole”.

The event will take place on Friday July 27 from 6:30pm-9:00pm at Shepherds Cot, and has rewards for those who participate.

Entry is free and Prosecco as well as Thai cuisine will be offered to all participants after the evening’s cricket.

The club have enlisted new coach, Lucy Pringle, a former county player, to assist with the day, which will provide women and girls with a chance to learn new skills and play some fun competition games against one another.

“Highgate have been fortunate enough to welcome almost 140 new All Stars and their families over the course of the season,” said de Silva.

“This presents us with a great pool of girls from which to build from, as well as parents, relatives, next door neighbours and the like.

“We hope that a successful and fun event on July 27 will be the catalyst for the development of a ladies section in 2019 and beyond, and will be looking actively into the prospect of working with other local clubs, to achieve this goal as part of an alliance.”

Should you have any further queries about the event, please contact Shelley Eaton (admin@highgate-cricket.co.uk) or Johan de Silva (Johan.De-Silva@marsh.com).