THE Somerset Cricket Foundation have held a Women’s Only Walking Cricket Festival evening at the CA County Ground, Taunton.

Forty players, including softball teams members from Taunton Deane CC, Trull CC, and Wombats CC were joined by walking cricketers from around the county hubs for this special one-off event.

Prior to playing, everyone enjoyed a scrumptious afternoon tea in the County Long overlooking the picturesque County Ground.

Two pitches were marked out in front of the Marcus Trescothick stand and five mixed teams were created. There was a round robin of matches and some coaching opportunities with the Somerset Foundation team of Karla Rose, Josie Cherson, Liz Edwards, Mustafa Shaikh and Steve Gass.

All the players really enjoyed the evening event, and some wonderful feedback was received.

Anne said “What a magnificent event; a big thank you to everyone who made the evening an enormous success. All the competitors took the mixing up of the teams well and the walking element was a challenge, but welcomed by all, even those from the walking cricket hubs. Hopefully, this could be an annual event.”

Annabelle said: “I would like to say thank you very much to all the organisers for the festival; it was a lovely experience.”

Joan said: “What a privilege it was to take part in the event. Thank you to the Foundation for facilitating and organising the festival. The laughter and teamwork of the women playing must have been most rewarding. But thanks are due for our afternoon tea in the Long Room, the superb coaching and then the efforts involved with laying on the matches. It was a memorable evening for me and, I am sure, others taking part.”

For anyone interested in: Women’s Cricket opportunities Women’s and Development Manager – Colette Gooding [email protected]; Walking Cricket (Community Activation Officer) – Mustafa Shaikh [email protected].

Meanwhile, Super 1s participants from across the South West came together for a truly memorable day of cricket as they gathered at the CA County Ground to witness the first ever Pan-Disability international cricket match between England and India.

Young People from Super 1 programmes of Somerset, Gloucestershire, Cornwall, Devon and Wiltshire united to celebrate inclusion in sport by showcasing their own skills on the outfield of the Cooper Associates County Ground, before sitting down to watch this inaugural international disability match.

Following the opportunity to showcase their skills, the Super 1s were treated to the unique opportunity to hear from England pan-disability cricketers Ronnie Jackson and Angus Brown.

The players shared their personal journeys into cricket, speaking candidly about living with a disability and how sport became a powerful vehicle for them - for confidence, identity and resilience.

Steve Gass. community manager of Somerset Cricket Foundation, said: “It’s amazing to see so many young people here today, enjoying the game and being part of something much bigger. It was really relatable for many of our cricketers who have similar disabilities.”

Super 1s is an ECB programme which is delivered by the Lord’s Taverners which gives young people with disabilities the opportunity to play cricket on a regular basis, help develop personal and social skills, and build lifelong friendships.

For more information on how to get involved in disability cricket, anyone can visit https://somersetcricketfoundation.org/disability/.