Hundreds of women and girls from across Lancashire came together to celebrate grassroots cricket at a festival-themed event aimed at inspiring more young females to get involved in the sport.
The event took place at Farington Cricket Ground, Lancashire Cricket's new elite training and community facility, where the Women's Knock Out T20 Cup Final was staged in front of a crowd of hundreds.
Ramsbottom Cricket Club and Egerton Cricket Club battled it out after coming through a field of 12 teams to reach the final.
Ramsbottom successfully retained the trophy, posting 143 for eight before bowling Egerton out for 84.
Alongside the cup final, a girls' cricket festival saw young players take part in friendly matches, training sessions and themed activities designed to highlight the safe, inclusive and accessible nature of cricket.
The event also provided many spectators with their first opportunity to experience the new Farington facility, which opened in July.
The ground combines professional-standard infrastructure with community provision and features new pitches, practice areas, a pavilion and an indoor dome.
Organised by the Lancashire Cricket Foundation, the day was designed to showcase women's cricket while encouraging the next generation of girls to take up the game.
Jen Barden, managing director of Lancashire Cricket Foundation, said: "Bringing the girls' festival and knock out final together has created something really special for Lancashire – it's been a highlight of our year."
"Hundreds of young girls were able to enjoy playing cricket themselves while watching some of the best women's players from across the county compete in a really exciting match, something that's sure to leave them with lasting memories."
Maeve Jones, captain of Ramsbottom Women's team, said the occasion had been a memorable one both on and off the pitch.
She said: "Today has been an unbelievable experience.
"Farington is a fantastic venue, another home for cricket in Lancashire, and it was great to see so many young girls playing in the Dynamos event before coming over to watch the final."
"Hopefully, seeing women's cricket up close will inspire more of them to pick up a bat or ball and become the next generation of Lancashire players."
"On the pitch, we played brilliantly as a team.
"We posted a strong total on a difficult wicket and every bowler contributed too, which shows the depth we have in the side.
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"I'm incredibly proud of the team and delighted to come away with the win."
Ms Barden said creating opportunities for young players to see female role models in cricket remained a key priority.
She added: "What's important to Lancashire Cricket Foundation is giving young players the chance to see what is possible if they continue to progress in cricket, and having visible role models within the game is an incredibly important part of that."
"We hope experiences like this will have a long-term impact, encouraging more girls to get involved and support the continued growth of women's and girls' cricket across the region."
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