Logo Competition

Fancy winning a cricket bat signed by the 2009 Australia men's team?  Check out this competition to design a logo for the Scottish U17 Women's Team.  Closing date 3 September 2011.

Senior women in Holland

The Scottish Women's team are in Holland this week for the ICC European Championships.  Check out the recent match report here.

Kasperek Selected for MCC Placement

Leigh Kasperek has been selected as one of two European representatives to spend 14 days with the MCC’s Women’s Young Cricketers at Lords.  During the two weeks Leigh will be training daily under the watchful eye of head coach Alan Duncan and will play in MCC Women’s YC’s game schedule.

On hearing of her selection Leigh was understandably delighted “When I found out that I’d been nominated I was chuffed to bits, but when Kari told me I’d actually been selected I was ecstatic. The girls who are full time with the MCC YC wake up every morning and get to train at Lords, I feel privileged to be a part of this for two weeks. 

Gordon Drummond, my Coach with the Edinburgh Sport Academy, and my club, Carlton, have really been an integral part of my cricketing development so far. The MCC YC is an amazing opportunity for me to play with some of the best young female cricketers in England and learn under highly experienced coaches. Hopefully, I can soak up as much experience as possible and bring it back to share with the girls, as we strive to win the European Championships mid-August”.

Leigh plays regularly for Carlton Cricket Club in male cricket and has been a regular in the Scotland Senior Women’s team since she was 14.  A hard hitting batter Leigh is starting to produce results on the park and scored 41 for the Wildcats in their first game of the season against Devon.  Formerly a medium pace bowler Leigh is now bowling off spin with great success.  This season Leigh has taken 15 wickets for her club team and claimed 2 wickets for the Wildcats in their last outing.

Women’s Cricket Manager Kari Anderson commented on Leigh’s selection saying “Leigh is a talented and hard working young cricketer, and this will be a great opportunity for her to train and play in a fantastic performance environment.  This is not just a boost for Leigh but also for everyone involved in the women’s game in Scotland. It shows that with a bit of hard work, opportunities are available.”

Sotland Women Under 17s get their first win of the season

A full report on the women's under 17s' recent win is available here

New photos

Check out the photos of the Women's Indoor 6s in Cricket Scotland's newly revamped photo gallery.  The new lightbox makes browsing the photos much easier.

Scottish Wildcats first fixture of 2011

Intermittent rain, rain and more heavy rain washed out a little over 20 overs of play in the Wildcats first ECB Women's County Championship game of the season at Axminster Town CC against Devon CCB Women.

Newly appointed Wildcats skipper, Abbi Aitken, called correctly at the toss and inserted the hosts on a softish green-top. Veteran Kathryn White playing her 67^th game for Scotland opened the bowling Olivia Rae who was playing her 1^st. Aside from the occasional leg-side delivery, which are immediately punished by the umpires, neither gave anything away and gave good intent for the season bowling a nagging off stump line giving both openers little room to manoeuvre the ball.

On the occasions when either Devon opener sought to break free from the White-Rae shackles the fielders were up to the challenged swooping on and preventing any scoring opportunities. In the sixth over Rae got the ball to pop and all Devon opener Carr could do was parry the ball into the safe gloves of Charlotte Bascombe with the score on just 9.

White and Rae continued to press and force further mistakes from the home batters but Scotland’s advantage was not pressed home as two sharp chances – to slip and point failed to stick – with less than 20 on the board. It is a truism in cricket that ‘catches win matches’ but at this level chances that are created must be taken.

The introduction of Leigh Kasperek’s off-spin in the 14^th over gave Devon some respite from the Scotland openers though, in truth, both had begun to tire in their final overs. However, although both Cranstone and Harris used their feet intelligently to Kasperek their running between the wickets left a lot to be desired and both Anderson and Kasperek (off the bowling of Aitken) had run-out chances that on any other day would have seen the batters back in the pavilion.

When Wilkinson replaced Aitken in the 21^st over the heavens opened and put paid to any further action save for the frantic dash for cover.

National Coach Kari Anderson was pleased with what she had seen; ‘despite only twenty overs possible today I have seen enough to know that we are going in the right direction. I am now also clearer on a couple of issues that had been outstanding before the start of the days play.’

Ordinarily that would be that for this game but Devon sportingly agreed to replay the fixture later on with a trip to Scotland in August. The second of the double-header trip south for the Wildcats takes place again at Axminster Town CC tomorrow and, thankfully, the forecast is so much more promising.

Exciting news in Scottish Women's Cricket

Congratulations to Kari Anderson on her appointment to Scotland's first Women's Cricket Manager.  Check out full details here.

Coaching and Umpiring courses

Check out this list of upcoming coaching and  umpiring courses in Perthshire.  For more info, contact Kirsteen Ross at KRoss@liveactive.co.uk.