3 weeks ago
The acronym Wags first entered celebrated consciousness successful 2006 during England’s shot World Cup adventures successful Baden-Baden. Victoria Beckham, Cheryl Tweedy and nan pack became a sneering tabloid obsession, their matching outfits, nightclub antics and hairsbreadth extensions gleefully picked apart.
Twenty years later, a very different group of Wags are causing a operation astatine Oswestry Cricket Club connected nan northbound Shropshire-Wales border. The thriving Women and Girls conception (WaGs) has an astonishing 10 mother and girl pairs who person played competitory cricket together, ranging from 12 years aged to 67.
The oldest personnel is nan irrepressible Jools Payne, squad head and founding player. “We clasp nan Wags moniker,” she says. “And we’re incredibly proud of our mother and girl pairs, we whitethorn moreover research if it is worthy of nan Guinness Book of Records.”
Jools’s oldest daughter, Naomi, is nan driving unit down nan occurrence of nan women’s section, which has been going only since 2018. That twelvemonth she organised a women’s softball title astatine nan nine and formed astir for six group to enter, persuading her mum and younger sister Holly. She managed to enlistee capable players to tally a due women’s squad a twelvemonth later and now nan nine person 33 players connected their books, entering hard-ball and soft-ball tournaments, indoors and out, pinch two-thirds of their youngsters from nan authorities sector. And they are nan proud reigning champions (2024 and 2025) of nan apical Shropshire recreational hardball league.
But really connected world did they negociate to pull truthful galore mother and girl pairs, during what tin beryllium a famously tricky play for relationships during adolescence? “We play competitively but we person a hoot connected nan section arsenic well,” says Jools. “Some mums started playing first and brought their daughters along, sometimes it was nan different measurement round.
“We person a very nurturing broadside too. It mightiness person thing to do pinch nan mother-daughter move but besides that we person a fewer teachers connected committee arsenic well, including our vice-captain, Lisa Bladen, who is caput of girls’ PE astatine nan section authorities school. It’s a spot for illustration if you’ve ever been connected a PTA and get a group of individuals who conscionable each gel – awesome things happen.
“The beautiful point astir cricket is that you person that chance to radiance arsenic an individual but wrong a squad setting. There are nary egos astatine all. The young girls each get connected for illustration a location of occurrence and nan older ones for illustration a spot of gin and prosecco bonding.”
There are challenges – action for one, because if a mum goes connected holiday, truthful does nan girl – but Jools is ever available. “I americium nan astir inept subordinate connected nan field. I can’t crook and I can’t throw. I’ve sewage rheumatoid arthritis and a wonky correct hand. I’m very bully astatine shouting and clapping though.”
The coach for this twelvemonth is Jools’s husband, Ian, who was an all-rounder for Surrey and Gloucestershire from 1977 to 1986. He has a dodgy hep but that was nary excuse to shirk from his duties. “I said to him: ‘Come on, nary much lie-ins connected a Sunday morning.’ It is specified a awesome assets having an ex-pro pinch each that method expertise and cricket nous, helping nan girls understand really to rotate nan strike, nurdle nan shot down there. He brings a cricketing encephalon to nan party.”
A 2022 study by Women successful Sport recovered that a cardinal teenage girls who considered themselves sporty successful superior schoolhouse disengaged erstwhile adolescence hit. This immense drop-off successful information erstwhile periods and assemblage consciousness deed is 1 logic why Jools is specified a immense enthusiast.
“We cognize that wherever mums either play aliases promote nan playing of sport, immoderate it whitethorn be, their daughters are apt to travel a way into progressive participation. I listened to a fascinating Mumsnet webinar a mates of years agone connected conscionable that rumor and wished past that we would do what we could to nurture our mums and their daughters into nan game.
“This is wherever playing wrong nan sisterhood comes in. There is thing astir being successful that nurturing female-only situation that tin thief you through. We person a Wags dedicated training night, play pinch women and against women – though immoderate of nan bully cricketers play mixed cricket pinch schoolhouse aliases nine 3rd aliases 4th XIs.
“Also, a large up to whoever invented play pants. Who wants to deterioration whites if you’ve sewage your period? And to Alex Hartley for mentioning her play connected TMS, bully for her.”
It astir apt won’t travel arsenic a astonishment to study that location is simply a large societal constituent to nan Oswestry Wags. They regularly spell to watch England women astatine Edgbaston and will beryllium location connected 12 June for nan opening nighttime of nan Women’s T20 World Cup, England against Sri Lanka. Look retired for them if you’re watching, sitting successful a artifact successful nan Hollies Stand dressed arsenic lifeguards successful yellowish T-shirts and reddish shorts.
The Wags are besides holding a statement connected 5 July for nan T20 World Cup final, hosting a softball show astatine nan nine successful nan morning, and mounting up nan tv for nan 2.30 commencement successful nan afternoon. It should beryllium a ball.
If you’re successful nan Oswestry area, nan Wags train connected Tuesday nights from 6-8pm successful nan summer. Naomi Payne is keen to commencement an under-12s squad arsenic good arsenic a pathway to nan elder side. “The much nan merrier,” says Jools. And you don’t person to bring your mum.
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This is an extract from nan Guardian’s play cricket email, The Spin. To subscribe, conscionable sojourn this page and travel nan instructions
