Forfarshire Cricket Club have entered a new era in the club’s 139-year history by setting up their maiden women’s section.
The Broughty Ferry-based club last Friday night launched their first-ever dedicated ladies group with a free night of softball cricket and CricHIIT – a cricket-geared fitness session.
In the city since 1880, Forfs are one of Dundee’s oldest sporting institutions but have only relatively recently embraced ladies and the wider community into their organisation.
For the past 12 months they have ramped things up by running high-intensity interval training sessions – CricHIIT – alongside softball nights for women.
Forfarshire also hope to make their facilities, classes and the sport more family friendly and accessible as they enter a new dawn.
With plans to increase involvement in their junior and women’s sections, club president Clark McConnachie has hailed their move ‘into the 21st century’.
“The club is 139-years-old so it’s a wee bit overdue that we move into the 21st century,” he said.
“We started out with CricHIIT for women only which was provided by Cricket Scotland.
“That turned into playing wee games of softball cricket and they got very popular.
“We want to grow our women’s section and juniors. They need a high profile and this new group should give them that.
“It is a proper recognised home for the ladies playing.”
Forfs do, however, have some history of producing top-level female cricketers, as they strive to set up a team to compete in national competitions in the not-so-distant future.
Current Scotland star Priyanaz Chatterji came through the club’s junior section and McConnachie hopes more will follow that route in the future with the creation of a new pathway.
He added: “If the numbers are good there are national competitions we can enter in no time.
“That is a few years off but the potential is there now.
“One of our former players – Priyanaz Chatterji – played for the club from a very young age and came up through the junior section.
“She is a great example for others and we are planning to make her an official member of the new women’s section as an honour.
“There are plenty of other young girls in the junior section who can now make that step, too.
“We have more now than we have ever had, which is great.
“It was all the more reason to create a proper set-up.”
The Forfarshire women’s section is open to all aged 10 and over with no previous experience of playing cricket or equipment needed.
The CricHIIT and softball sessions run every Friday from 6.30pm at Forfarshire Cricket Club’s grounds at Forthill.
And McConnachie is keen to extend his welcome to all who wish to come down and give the sport a try.
“Cricket has this reputation as the cucumber sandwich brigade, and maybe that’s rightly so.
“However, people will be made very welcome.
“We want people to find a family friendly environment.
“We are making a big effort to get people in. Anyone can come down, play and enjoy.”
For more information visit www.forfarshire.co.uk