By Tamsin Chapman-Gunner

THE Cornwall Cricket Board proudly hosted the opening event of its Winter Indoor Softball Women’s Festival earlier this month at the Cornwall Cricket Centre on the Truro College campus.

This inaugural festival featured teams from St Austell, St Neot, Helston, and Stithians in an exciting showcase of indoor cricket.

Stithians batter Softball
A Stithians batter prepares to face. Picture: Cornwall Cricket (Cornwall Cricket)

The event saw each team compete in six-over matches lasting 30 minutes, with a unique format that included one over per bowler and two overs for each batting pair per game. The competition was intense yet played in excellent spirit, with participants demonstrating significant skill development and a deeper understanding of the indoor game.

The match results were: Stithians (253) vs St Austell (258) – St Austell won by 5 runs; St Neot (221) vs Helston (235) – Helston won by 14 runs; St Neot (228) vs St Austell (231) –St Austell won by 3 runs; St Austell (226) vs Helston (239) – Helston won by 13 runs; St Neot (238) vs Stithians (260) – Stithians won by 22 runs; Helston (248) vs Stithians (250) –Stithians won by 2 runs.

The evening highlighted the competitive nature and camaraderie among all teams, with tightly contested matches that kept players and spectators engaged.

Nick Mathews, Women and Girls Development Officer, said: It was fantastic to have such a great, well-contested evening to start off the series of festivals.

“All four teams enjoyed their evening and there was some fantastic cricket being played. It’s really exciting to be able to offer cricketing opportunities for women and girls all year round.

“The Softball festivals are just one of the projects we are looking to run over the winter for women and girls’. Other projects involve hardball women’s competitions, mums and daughters sessions and girls’ Dynamos sessions.”

A St Neot batter is about to hit the ball as Helston's wicket-keeper watches on. Picture: Cornwall Cricket
A St Neot batter is about to hit the ball as Helston's wicket-keeper watches on. Picture: Cornwall Cricket (Cornwall Cricket)

Joe Skinner, Cornwall Cricket managing director added: It is great that indoor cricket is there for the women’s teams over the winter months. It is important for women to play cricket all year around, helping grow the enthusiasm and stay within the game playing in a safe and fun space.”

The festival continues each week on a mixture of Monday and Wednesday evenings, welcoming additional teams from Mullion, Wadebridge, Redruth, Perranporthand Werrington.

For more information email [email protected]

The Cornwall Cricket Board remains committed to offering opportunities for individuals aged five and above to engage with cricket across the county. As the official governing body for cricket in Cornwall, the Board is dedicated to nurturing a love for the game among both children and adults.