Soroptimist Audrey Collins Women and Girls Cricket Legacy Project

Audrey Collins (pictured here) was an inspirational Soroptimist – a pioneer of Women’s cricket and a trail blazer for women. Audrey generously left a legacy of £1000 to Soroptimist International of St Albans & District when she died in 2010. Having consulted the Hertfordshire Cricket Board we used the funds in two ways to promote and support girls cricket in Hertfordshire. To read more about Audrey please click on this page on our website Audrey Collins OBE

SOROPTIMIST AUDREY COLLINS GIRLS U13 CRICKET LEAGUE

Whilst there was competitive leagues for older girls (U15 and U17) in 2010 there wasn’t one for younger girls which meant there wasn’t a focus for the younger girls who were playing and an uneven development route for girls to follow through to senior County Girls sides and beyond. Hence the creation of the Soroptimist Audrey Collins U13 Cricket League and our seven year support, providing a Trophy and Prize Money each year. Successive Club Presidents and interested Club Members have been delighted to attend the League Final which is always a hard fought and exciting game and to present the trophy and prize to the winning Team. As well as having the opportunity to talk a little about the amazing role model that Audrey is to the girls at the final our Club has been able to get quite a bit of publicity for the League in places it probably wouldn’t usually be mentioned, like “Hertfordshire Life”.

WINNERS

2021 – BISHOP’S STORTFORD CRICKET CLUB

2018 – HARPENDEN CRICKET CLUB

2017 – HARPENDEN CRICKET CLUB

2016 – ABBOTS LANGLEY CRICKET CLUB

2015 – ABBOTS LANGLEY CRICKET CLUB

2014 – ABBOTS LANGLEY CRICKET CLUB

2013 – KNEBWORTH CRICKET CLUB

2012 – HARPENDEN CRICKET CLUB

2011 – HEMEL HEMPSTEAD CRICKET CLUB

36-Cricket 2016 Abbots Langley and Stevenage Teamsweb

Girls Only Coaching

Coaching is an important element in the development of skills and knowledge at all levels. Coaching is always provided for the girls but usually in mixed gender sessions and it was felt that they would benefit more from some all-girls sessions and having more female coaches. And so our Project helped to part fund some all-girls coaching sessions designed to develop more female coaches through the Female Coach CoachMark Bursary Scheme run by Herts Cricket Board, in conjunction with Cambridgeshire and Essex, in 2013-14.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all the girls and clubs who have taken part in these activities, all the Girls’ Managers of teams who play in the Soroptimist Audrey Collins U13 League and to the volunteers, parents and administrators who have made it possible. In particular we would like to acknowledge the generous support and help of Ben Wallis and Sam Rose of Herts Cricket Board now CricketEast; Andy Knill-Jones, St Albans CC and Girls Leagues Co-ordinator ;Jonathon Cirkel , Knebworth Park CC and Herts Women & Girls Manager, Lesley Cooke of the English Cricket Board and Chris Wright, Hemel Hempstead CC who assisted with our fund raising , Claire Hobson, Hemel Hempstead CC and Phil Lewins and Tom Ruxton, Abbots Langley CC who have involved us in supporting their U13 Girls Cricket Festival.

In 2023 after several years of supporting the development of girls cricket in Hertfordshire, Soroptimist International St Albans and District agreed to sponsor the St Albans Cricket Club Women’s Team shirts in 2023-4. See the photo of the team looking fantastic wearing the shirts. This has provided us with an opportunity to help the development of the women’s game and promote the work of Soroptimists in the local area.