Sentinel played host to Shropshire’s first-ever Women’s Softball Cricket Festival back in 2017.
The club has had a Women’s Section since 2013/14, and has seen it go from strength to strength over recent seasons.
Current captain Cheryl Sedgely said: “We had a keen female coach join the club who wanted to play and we recruited a group of ladies, mainly wives and girlfriends of players, to play some cricket.
“This soon led to the team joining the Active Women’s League and playing hard ball cricket against other clubs.
“The club also supported the team by offering them structured coaching sessions with qualified coaches and the numbers of ladies playing increased. These coaching sessions and additional equipment were made possible through funding support from ECB/Cricket Shropshire.”
Cheryl herself has been playing cricket since 2012, having been introduced to the game by Shropshire cricket stalwart Louise Pugh.
“My dad used to play cricket when I was little and so I always enjoyed playing on holiday and spending hours trying to get him out so I could have a bat!!!”
She thinks cricket is a great sport, and is delighted to see the growth in the Women & Girls section over recent seasons.
“I love the fact that it's a team sport, but you can still focus on your own individual technical skills. Also, I really enjoy the amazing atmosphere within the cricket club at Sentinel.
“It is a really friendly club and people socialise from all sections from the youth section, the women’s team and through to the first team.
“It has been so amazing to see the growth in the women's and girl’s cricket over the eight years I have been involved with the sport and hope the growth continues into the future.”
She is particularly pleased to see so many of the younger girls making their way into the Women’s team and watching their development.
“It is good to see that women and girls are now starting to get the recognition in cricket that they deserve both locally and nationally.
“It’s great to see women breaking through into the main cricket teams that play every weekend in Shropshire. I do think that the great publicity and impetus behind the women’s game needs to continue to grow, particularly within the county.
“The move to introduce soft ball has been a positive one for women’s cricket, but we need to ensure that there is a clear pathway from this into hard ball to ensure that there is a growth in this area of the game.”
She is pleased to have the backing of both the club and Cricket Shropshire in helping Women & Girls cricket to grow and thrive.
“As captain of the women’s team, I have a role on the Sentinel committee and all members of the committee are supportive of improving facilities to be more welcome for female players and supporters.
“Cricket Shropshire has been fundamental in providing cricket opportunities and support to clubs in establishing women’s sections.
“They also recognise the need to improve the variety on offer through the introduction of soft ball cricket to encourage more women and introduce fun back into the game.”
Her hope is that more support and encouragement can be forthcoming to highlight the pathway into hard ball cricket, and encourage teenagers to stay in the game.
She would also like to see members of the England Women’s team visit clubs to help promote the game after lockdown – something she thinks would have a big impact on youngsters.
Cheryl added: “We need to do more to encourage fun in the game. At times there is too much focus on results and league positions, so we need to ensure that we recognise and reward the fun moments.”
She remembers that first Women’s Softball Festival as a great moment for the club and the game in general. “It was great to see so many new Women and Girls playing the game and that initiative has grown since.
“A number of our players were also selected to play in the newly formed Strategic Leisure Women’s Hundred which demonstrates the talent within the club,” she added.
The club has had a Women’s Section since 2013/14, and has seen it go from strength to strength over recent seasons.
Current captain Cheryl Sedgely said: “We had a keen female coach join the club who wanted to play and we recruited a group of ladies, mainly wives and girlfriends of players, to play some cricket.
“This soon led to the team joining the Active Women’s League and playing hard ball cricket against other clubs.
“The club also supported the team by offering them structured coaching sessions with qualified coaches and the numbers of ladies playing increased. These coaching sessions and additional equipment were made possible through funding support from ECB/Cricket Shropshire.”
Cheryl herself has been playing cricket since 2012, having been introduced to the game by Shropshire cricket stalwart Louise Pugh.
“My dad used to play cricket when I was little and so I always enjoyed playing on holiday and spending hours trying to get him out so I could have a bat!!!”
She thinks cricket is a great sport, and is delighted to see the growth in the Women & Girls section over recent seasons.
“I love the fact that it's a team sport, but you can still focus on your own individual technical skills. Also, I really enjoy the amazing atmosphere within the cricket club at Sentinel.
“It is a really friendly club and people socialise from all sections from the youth section, the women’s team and through to the first team.
“It has been so amazing to see the growth in the women's and girl’s cricket over the eight years I have been involved with the sport and hope the growth continues into the future.”
She is particularly pleased to see so many of the younger girls making their way into the Women’s team and watching their development.
“It is good to see that women and girls are now starting to get the recognition in cricket that they deserve both locally and nationally.
“It’s great to see women breaking through into the main cricket teams that play every weekend in Shropshire. I do think that the great publicity and impetus behind the women’s game needs to continue to grow, particularly within the county.
“The move to introduce soft ball has been a positive one for women’s cricket, but we need to ensure that there is a clear pathway from this into hard ball to ensure that there is a growth in this area of the game.”
She is pleased to have the backing of both the club and Cricket Shropshire in helping Women & Girls cricket to grow and thrive.
“As captain of the women’s team, I have a role on the Sentinel committee and all members of the committee are supportive of improving facilities to be more welcome for female players and supporters.
“Cricket Shropshire has been fundamental in providing cricket opportunities and support to clubs in establishing women’s sections.
“They also recognise the need to improve the variety on offer through the introduction of soft ball cricket to encourage more women and introduce fun back into the game.”
Her hope is that more support and encouragement can be forthcoming to highlight the pathway into hard ball cricket, and encourage teenagers to stay in the game.
She would also like to see members of the England Women’s team visit clubs to help promote the game after lockdown – something she thinks would have a big impact on youngsters.
Cheryl added: “We need to do more to encourage fun in the game. At times there is too much focus on results and league positions, so we need to ensure that we recognise and reward the fun moments.”
She remembers that first Women’s Softball Festival as a great moment for the club and the game in general. “It was great to see so many new Women and Girls playing the game and that initiative has grown since.
“A number of our players were also selected to play in the newly formed Strategic Leisure Women’s Hundred which demonstrates the talent within the club,” she added.
