Maryland Launches First Girls-Only Cricket League In The USA
The Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA), in conjunction with the Bowie Boys and Girls Club (BBGC), will launch the first girls-only cricket league in the USA. The BBGC started the first elementary and middle school cricket leagues in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 there were 113 girls participating in the school leagues, effectively doubling the number of female players in the USA.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made it a goal to have cricket as an NCAA sport with colleges offering scholarships. However, without women’s college sides, this is an impossibility. So the first step is to significantly increase the number of female cricketers in the USA. And here is where it starts.
On June 8, 2016, the BBGC hosted the first-ever girls all-star cricket match. The two teams comprised of 32 girls from the school program. The coaches, umpires, and score keepers were also women.
To keep the momentum going, the MYCA and BBGC are planning to start an all-girls cricket league now. This year again, there are another 100 female cricketers in the BBGC school program. Our goal is to start with four teams playing matches on weekends. The program is open to ALL girls from 8 to 15 years old, experienced and novice. If the participant has not played cricket before, we will do a 30-minute training session to explain the basics of the game, then she will be ready to play in the league. The league will use tennis balls covered with electrical tape, so no protective gear is required.
We will start with teams in Bowie, Linthicum Heights, College Park, and Ellicott City. Different locations will be added as more girls join the program.
To register for the girls cricket league, please send an email with the following info to [email protected]:
Name of school:
Girl’s Name:
Grade:
T-shirt Size:
Parent’s Name:
Parent’s Email:
Parent’s Phone:
Home Address:
We are planning to kick-off the league with a 2-day tournament in Bowie during Memorial Day weekend. For further info, please send an email to Sham Chotoo, Cricket Commissioner, [email protected].
More photos for the 2016 Girls All-Star Cricket Match can be found on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/bowiecricket/media_set?set=a.1774384139558834.1073741835.100009617962241&type=3&pnref=story
