At present there is a league of three active ladies cricket teams on Cyprus. There is a team in Limassol, one in Nicosia and one in the North of Cyprus/Kyrenia. The teams play each other in a spring and autumn tournament.
The Limassol Ladies started to form about a year ago. At one of the schools there was cricket training for the children on a Saturday afternoon so the ladies team started off mainly consisting of the mothers waiting for the training of their children to finish. Some of the ladies had never played cricket before or even heard of the game.
Now the ladies train together with the children on a Saturday afternoon in Limassol. We get training from qualified coaches that teach us all the rules, techniques and terms that come with the game. The training is for two hours and we mostly cover all the cricket basics and at the end play a game to bring all that we have learned into practice.
To get extra training we try and train one evening during the week to make sure we get the techniques required for bowling, the defensive shots, the cover drives and the square cuts right.
With everybody’s busy schedule it is hard to get the 6 ladies together that are required to play the league matches. At present there are 12 overs (an over is 6 balls bowled by one player) played in a match. Six overs each side, apart from the wicket keeper everybody gets a chance to bowl. There are only six of us in a proper size field therefore we get loads of exercise trying to stop the batting team from scoring runs. The rules are adapted to the game and so is the point system. The most important is not to get out, as that is minus five points, and not bowling wide balls as that is immediately two points for the other side. In a ladies game there is no time for tea and/or lunch breaks.
As we are in our second year of the league we are trying to increase the amount of overs as we feel confident enough to move to the next level. We have moved on from plastic bats and tennis balls to proper cricket bats and balls. And it also gives us more time to have fun on the field and show off our newly learned batting shots. We only play 2/3 matches per league so with 6 overs it is over before you know it.
It is wonderful to meet likewise minded ladies of all ages and abilities and nationalities from all over the island on a tournament and socialize and do some exercise as well! It would be great if other cities, like Paphos, could get a women’s team together so we can increase the amount of league matches.
On the 1st of October there is a friendly match against the Nicosia Ladies in Nicosia. It will be played on the new cricket ground in Laketamia, Nicosia. We just got word that the ladies from the North are joining as well. So it will be a good practice for every one before the first autumn tournament matches on the 16th of October.
It will be the first time for all of us to play on the new field in Lakatamia. One of the tournaments shall be played on the same field. Hopefully soon also the cricket ground in Tochni (between Limassol and Larnaca) will be ready so that can be used for the ladies spring tournament.
Last year in the autumn league the Limassol Ladies won the cup. The cup of the spring tournament was won by the Nicosia Ladies. So now it is the turn of the last team in the league to bring home the cup.
As the ladies cricket is growing there is now also a ladies representative on the board of the Cyprus Cricket Association (CCA). It is all very new still and a lot needs to be done to promote ladies cricket on the island, but slowly we are getting there.
If you are interested to do something active out in the open, or if you love to play some cricket or learn the game and meet new people please feel free to contact me or the CCA directly.
Also if you have enough ladies to start up your own team feel free to contact the CCA. You can find some more information about Women’s Cricket in Cyprus on the website of the Cyprus Cricket Association: www.cypruscricket.com
Kirstin van der Laan
96517614
Nr of CCA: + 357 7000 2742
