History was made as Patterdale Cricket Club’s Eden Eagles fielded an all-female team in a competitive game for the first time.
Several years ago, Eden Eagles was formed to give those aged 11 to 18 a chance to play girls-only cricket. This setup, drawing young players from clubs in the district, has since flourished at a time when the game’s popularity for females is on an upward curve.
Clubs in the area have also offered soft ball cricket for females who have then developed an interest in progressing to hard ball competition.
And during the winter just gone, an Eden Eagles ladies’ team was founded as a pathway for girls who have left age group cricket behind them and are keen to keep playing hard ball cricket.
After a number of successful winter training sessions, attention switched to the next step. Coach Ally Howard-Carter said: “We wondered whether to just play a few friendlies like we have done in the past or, alternatively, get a structured calendar of cricket.”
With no dedicated ladies’ league in north Cumbria, the only option available was to enter the Eagles team in a mixed gender midweek villages league, which provides junior and novice players with a stepping stone to senior cricket.
In 2025 Eden Eagles have teamed up with Patterdale Cricket Club, where they are playing home games, in a midweek league which also features teams from Staffield, Edenhall, Cald-beck, Threlkeld and Stainton.
Ally, a keen player who became a coach when his daughter, Jody, now 15, took up cricket aged 11, also said: “The first couple of weeks in the midweek league I played just to make numbers up and also give the girls a bit of confidence on the pitch. We also gave a couple of other novice players from Patterdale a chance to play a bit more cricket and it has stemmed from there.
“A few girls wanted to watch a game first as they weren’t quite sure exactly what it entailed and a few girls were still a bit nervous about playing against men.”
But confidence levels grew. And last Wednesday, Eagles fielded an all-female team for the very first time in a tight home contest against a Staffield side who clinched a narrow win in the second to last over.
The game was played on a new all-weather match wicket at Patterdale which has been installed by Total Play.
“It’s massive. We were competitive and the girls came off the field gutted,” Ally, team coach and manager, said of the historic game. “They were very close to winning the game, which is amazing. I’m hoping it will inspire them to keep that competitive fire burning.
“We’ve got some very good girls in our team who play at a good level. That helps bring on the more novice players. Sixty per cent of the team have played cricket at under-11, 13, 15 and 18s, and are still playing at a good level.
“Forty per cent are in their first season of hardball cricket. It’s their first experience. My wife, Mandy, was a cricket widow for a lot of years but she is also playing now. She started by playing softball.
“We now have a pathway for women to progress to hard ball cricket. I’m hoping it inspires others. The dream for the future is to have an all-ladies league.”
