We Are Famous! Well Nearly!

You've heard of Victoria's secrets? Well now the NCI Ladies' Secrets are revealed on the internet at www.localsecrets.com in glorious colour photos. I have to say I am most impressed with quality of the pictures which capture perfectly the batting technique of two clearly talented players. (We look like Alistair Cook and Rick Ponting - eh Louise? Well nearly.) Many thanks to Robert for taking the time and trouble to visit us and record the NCI Ladies Cricketing Academy in action.

Training Update
Last week we brushed up on fielding and moved into a bowling master class. There was great progress all round (the usual regression on my part, but I still bowled fewer wides than Harmie!) Next week we have a batting master class which should leave us nicely primed for our indoor tournament the following Sunday. Even if you haven't made the classes so far please do turn out next Monday. Any requests to learn specific shots do ask me or Coach.
Beth? Backfoot cover drive?
Be there 8pm!

The Tournament Sunday 3rd December
I finally got the low down on this and it looks like some serious competition is lined up. There will be six teams as follows

• NCI A
• NCI B
• Babraham
• Peterborough
• Camb Uni
• March/Papworth combo

Babraham is a team made up of mainly juniors I think. They have nets just before us on a Monday at Fenners so get there early next week to study their form. Peterborough is our arch rival from last year's friendly games. The score to date is even, one game all, so this promises to be a real needle match. However, we can confuse them totally by having two NCI teams. March/Papworth is a very odd combination. Papworth plays in a senior league in the south of England and wiped the floor with us last year. They probably don't think its worth turning out against us again, hence they can't find six people! March has failed to convince any of us that a team actually exists. They failed to materialise out of the fen vapour twice last year. The University team will be led by Jane Allison and she scored a ton at Lords last year. (Say no more!)

We have eight NCI players so far;

Mary Munley (local secret talent revealed)
Lois Clarke (childcare permitting)
Sam Bowker (back permitting)
Erica (player of the year; if I don't get a better offer) Harrison
Louise Ricky Nitschke (Don B. would be proud of you)
Labeiba (our dark horse and secret weapon)
Laura Reynolds (any siblings available?)
Margreta Sonnenwald (geht es oder nicht?)

We need another 4 players. So where are you Beth, Naomi and Connie? It's in Ely so local for you Jan Strugnell and Liz Burton? It would be a great chance to have a game for newer players too so Alison Nimmo please do volunteer, love to have you play.

Playing Format
6 overs per side, which should make each game approx 30 to 40 minutes long. An inter-cricket ball is to be used, so it is harder than an incrediball, but not as stingy on the hands as a proper indoor ball. Pads and gloves are optional to save time.
You score every time the ball hits a wall.

1 for side and back walls

2 if run between wickets but ball doesn't touch wall

3 if run and ball does touch a wall

4 if bounces before hitting back wall

6 for hitting back wall on the full

Out if out, but last man stands till all 6 overs used up.

Batters retire on 15 but can come back in at end.

5 bowlers, with one allowed to have 2 overs.

If time runs out before all matches played, team with highest run total wins.
Trophy and medals to be won!

Venue and Transport
Ely Community College just off the A10 on the Downham Road. Please let me know if you need a lift or can offer one. We will probably meet central Cambridge to collect everyone; very possibly Parkers Piece around 11.30am.

I will send/hand out more details on rules and location next week when I know exactly who is playing.

HOW EXCITING! I'm getting all competitive already. C'mon ladies, we've got a trophy cabinet to fill! If we win we have done better than any of the four NCI men's league teams who acquired no silverware this year at all!!

We were called the Lions last year and won the prize for the most noise if not the most runs. It is just a fun game so don't get nervous about it, just have a good Roooooaaaaaaar!!
Suggestions for team names and a theme song welcome.

C u Monday 27th November 8pm. Get there early to warm and check out the competition. We have loads of bats thanks to Paula and Caroline who have donated some kit for us. Thanks a bunch. We will really look the part of seasoned professionals at the competition. He he! (Could we be Sporty Spice Girls? (Seasoned! Spice! Geddit?) Or NCI Goddesses instead of NIKE Goddesses? Nicey Goddesses? Oh whatever.)

We're Nearly Famous

A fun coaching session on Monday night was captured on camera and in notebook by a journalist from the Local Secrets website www.localsecrets.com which features community news and activities in Cambridge. Robert will be helping us in our recruitment drive by publishing a feature in the run up to the Ashes. He has also promised to bring his 13 year old daughter along to nets in the spring. Hope your lippy was perfect!

I have circulated a flyer to post on any appropriate noticeboards to attract any girls or ladies. If you need it again I can email it to you directly.

Coaching
Thanks for another great turnout on Monday. A slightly extended session gave us chance to get batting as well as putting into practice our newly acquired fielding skills. Our newbies are progressing well but I seem to be regressing. (The journo chap couldn’t work out who the captain was. Hrrrmph! Well I wasn’t wearing my tiara of course.) Beth I am afraid you’ve been replaced as opening bat. Annette looks up for the job. Richard managed to coach on despite a creaky back. Hope it's on the mend.

If you have any requests for particular skills, drills or thrills, do let me know as I am sure Richard is happy to accommodate us in any way. (Except the thrills maybe - 'cos of his back!) I fancy a bit of batting skills refresher next week.

We are booked to play up to 11th Dec as I thought Christmas might come early. However, the hall is available Monday 18th, all three lanes, 8-10pm so if we wanted another session we could have a final game before Christmas. Lemme no!

Indoor Tournament – Sunday Dec 3rd
I am wringing details out of Richie gradually. It’s in Ely and teams are six-a-side so we could have two teams entered just to give everyone a go. Let me know if you are free and keen to play.

AGM Friday 1st December
I am looking for volunteers to be Vice Captain. You need to know something about cricket (ideally more than me) and be happy getting people organised for games/nets. You need a spreadsheet and a low cost phone/SMS system. I can recommend Skype.

Cricket is the New Football
The International Cricket Council claims women’s cricket is well on the way to becoming the “fastest growing female sport”. http://www.ecb.co.uk/womens/international/women-take-the-lead,10516,EN.html There are now 42 countries worldwide with structured girl’s or women’s cricket competitions. (They don’t say who and I am struggling after the obvious commonwealth countries!)

However, football claims to be the most popular and the fastest growing women’s sport in the UK with 1800 teams and 55,000 players. There is a great article on the BBC website about a game when Kerr Ladies from Preston, a team of factory workers, beat St Helen’s Ladies 4-0 at Goodison Park. This was Boxing Day 1920 and a capacity crowd of 53,000 (!!!! What?) watched with another 12,000 stuck outside the turnstiles, unable to get in. You can read how the FA responded to the popularity of ladies football by subsequently banning it on this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6143032.stm

Any comments, suggestions, feedback please post below or email me.

C u at coaching Monday 20th November 8pm.

Winter Draws on....Cricket Pads On

Thanks to all those who turned out for our indoor game on Monday including the 15 players, scorer Annette and umpire Steve. And the late Richi Young.

We had several new recruits with Lynnette and Annette (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about nets), and some clearly talented players from the Papworth Academy who will be bringing a touch of class to the NCI Ladies cricket act. Thanks Louise for bringing Labieba who can certainly bowl a bit. Hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you all again next week.

Coaching - How to Play like Freddie Flintoff in Six Easy Lessons
Well maybe he's not the most appropriate model for us girls but you get the idea. Next week we start the serious coaching with Richard Burgess which should make a big difference to our performance. We shall see the results when we play our indoor tournament on Sunday December 3rd. We might even be able to field 2 teams. Remember to invite new people along to a FREE taster session. The session will cater for absolute beginners and more experienced players.

8-9pm Monday at Fenners. If anyone is interested we could consider extending the session for half an hour the following week.

AGM Friday 1st December at NCICC
This is our chance to make some changes around here. And I don't just mean tiaras. It can start with state of the Hobbs pavilion. When did it last see a pair of marigolds and some harpic! Do come and voice your requirements for cricket in the club next year. We will be discussing subs, match fees, nets, captains etc.

Lost Gloves
Did someone leave their batting gloves behind? I will bring them on Monday.

Women's Cricket Development
Richie and I went to a meeting at Lords last Sunday about ways to help develop women's cricket. Cambs is rather behind the rest of the country in that we don't have a league or county teams and only two or three club teams. However, we bent the ears of people in high places and they have said they are willing to help us out. So if you have any suggestions for ways we can get more ladies playing cricket do say. Some suggestions are

• Getting girls to come along to a club session from other schools/colleges
• Arranging some extra friendlies against Norfolk, Herts ladies teams
• Poaching players from other sports - a summer game can fit in with other winter games like hockey
• Publicising our FREE Taster sessions at Fenners on Monday
• Flyers for company notice boards, fitness/leisure/health clubs
• mums'n'sons dads'n'daughters game

We have a local website journalist coming next week but if anyone has contacts in any other press or media let me know.

The State of Play
Apparently 19,000 girls have played cricket through Chance to Shine and 15,000 through ASDA's Kwik Cricket programme in 2005. But it seems very few progress to playing in clubs. Not surprising in Cambridge perhaps as there aren't any or weren't until NCI came along. There are six ladies teams in Suffolk and four in Norfolk.

There are 80 County teams, 32 in the Senior category but Cambs are not one of them. There must be three club teams minimum in a county to start a team.

Gill McConway Chief Executive of Women's Cricket estimates (she doesn't know exactly) that there are 300 clubs with a ladies team. Well now there's 301!!



C u at coaching!!