Eastwood Town emerged victorious from a dramatic Indoor Women’s Softball Finals Day at Trent Bridge, bringing to a close the competition’s inaugural season.
The Blaze’s Sarah Bryce was on hand to present the trophy to winning captain Hayley Stocks, as well as umpire two tight games.
Eastwood Town secured the title with a two run victory over Welbeck in the final, after scores were tied with one ball remaining.
The final followed tense semis, in which Eastwood Town triumphed over Cuckney by a single run, and Welbeck beat West Bridgfordians by two runs.
“The competition has been huge for the acceleration of Nottinghamshire recreational women’s cricket,” Martyn Hill, Women and Girls Officer, said.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve seen the growth of the women’s game through the East Midlands Women’s Cricket League, and this is just another provision to drive sustained interest.
“Our goal is to ensure that access is available for anyone, whether they have never played before or are a seasoned veteran.
“We do that by focusing on enjoyment. What we have also seen is an improvement is the quality of the cricket being played, which really does bode for Nottinghamshire's leagye teams moving forwards in softball cricket, as well as Super 8s and hardball."
In total, eight teams - Belvoir, Attenborough, Welbeck, Eastwood Town, West Bridgfordians, Keyworth, Newark R&M and Cuckney - qualified from four district leagues across the county, which have been running for 10 weeks.
340 participants played across the 135 total games, 152 of whom have never played cricket.
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To find out more about women and girls’ cricket in Nottinghamshire, including joining a club, contact martyn.hill@trentbridge.co.uk