As triumphant homecomings by World Cup-winning teams go, it was pretty low key. There was no open-top bus parade, no Downing Street reception — just an air of understated satisfaction at a job well done as England’s women cricketers paraded the trophy at Lord’s cricket ground in London yesterday.
It was less than a decade ago that women were first admitted as members of the MCC at Lord’s and the ban on women in the pavilion was lifted. As victorious captain Charlotte Edwards posed with the trophy secured with victory over New Zealand on Sunday, she reflected on how far the sport had come and her hopes the win would act as a catalyst for further growth.
Edwards and her team will get the chance to show off in public next month in Taunton, southern England, where the women’s set up has its permanent base and the trophy will tour other county grounds as part of a campaign to further boost the women’s game.
PHOTO: AP
There were plenty of bleary eyes on show, but they were the result of an overnight flight back from Australia rather than any particularly raucous celebrations. ECB chairman Giles Clarke said that in contrast to their male Ashes winning counterparts four years ago, there were “no thousand-yard stares” the morning after.
Clarke, desperate for some good news after a winter dominated by criticism over links with Sir Allen Stanford and an under-performing men’s team, was also at the final and promised increased investment and profile for the women’s team.
The England team is the only one in the world that enjoys the benefits of semi-professional status, with several of their number — including captain Edwards — combining playing with coaching in schools under the ECB’s Chance to Shine scheme. The team has had a full-time head coach in Mark Lane since March last year.
Clare Connor, the ECB’s head of women’s cricket and a former England captain, said: “The opportunity this success has given us is huge and we have to have a clear plan about how we capitalize on that in terms of promotion.”
The team’s sponsorship deals are up at the end of this season and Clarke said it would seek separate sponsors for the women’s team that could invest in growing it.
Claire Taylor, who scored 324 runs in Australia and was named player of the tournament, said that it was important to make sure that clubs were ready for an influx of girls coming in at the bottom of the game.
UK Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, present at the Lord’s reception yesterday, said he hoped it would act as a “breakthrough moment” ahead of this summer’s ICC World Twenty20 in the UK, where the women’s semi-finals will take place alongside the men’s.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tomorrow for the final berth at next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The home team's loss means that Nicaragua finishes No. 1 in the qualifier round held in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to the games. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier yesterday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, finished third, while South Africa placed at the bottom
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