ORGANISERS of a women’s cricket festival targeted at new players were bowled over by the number of ladies who swung into action.

Lindal Moor CC’s Pennington Lane home was the venue for a Soft Ball Cricket Festival, as rookie cricketers got a taste of the action.

A healthy total of 62 women took part in the event, the majority of whom were playing cricket for the first time, or starting again after many years out of the game.

The festival was blessed with glorious weather, as teams engaged in a more gentle version of the game, all while decked out in vibrant colours.

Thrilled by the excellent turnout, Cumbria Cricket’s women and girls’ development officer Laura Marshall is hoping to build on the success later in the summer. “After seeing so many new faces come along at the weekend, we are considering organising a follow-up event in August or early September,” she said.

Bob Simpson, director of Cumbria Cricket, added: “Everyone who came along had a great time. We wanted to show people that cricket isn’t all about whites and hard balls, and the feedback we have received is that they want more of the same. We’re not only looking at a follow-up event later in the summer, but also an exit route via delivering indoor sessions in the winter.”

The festival is part of a wider scheme by the ECB to coincide with this summer’s ICC Women’s World Cup, which is being played here in England. As England reached the semi-final stage on Wednesday, organisers are hoping that the success of the national team will have a knock-on effect for participation in Cumbria, with all of the England games being screened live at Lindal.

Six such soft ball festivals have been scheduled for this month in Cumbria, with the last two taking place this weekend, in Keswick and Burneside respectively.

To get involved this weekend, visit the Cumbria Cricket website at www.cumbriacricket.co.uk.