Cricket / Cricket
Charlotte Edwards visits Bristol ahead of World Cup
She might have been the first to score 1,000 runs in the Women’s One Day Internationals and 2,500 runs in the women’s T20 Internationals, but renowned cricketer Charlotte Edwards has added climbing the rigging of Bristol’s mighty ss Great Britain to her achievements.
She was in Bristol to visit the picturesque greenery of Long Ashton Cricket Club in North Somerset and encourage more women and girls to participate in sport, ahead of the start of the ICC Women’s World Cup on June 24.
In sweltering heat she posed for photos with young cricketers and admirers, including some inspired schoolgirl fans who were all smiles.
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The trip was the end of a one-day challenge tour, beginning at the crack of dawn at Lords cricket ground, London, and ending in Bristol, with stops in Derby and Leicester.
The England team, which Edwards captained until her international retirement in 2016, will play India on June 24, while, on the same day, Sri Lanka will be up against New Zealand at Bristol’s Brightside Ground in Ashley Down.
Edwards is considered an icon amongst women in sport. Not only was she the youngest woman in the England cricket team when she made her debut, but she has also spoken out vehemently in favour of increasing female participation in games.
Speaking to the BBC on the June 20, she praised cricket for leading the way in the move towards parity of pay. The ICC has recently doubled the prize money for women from £7,500 to £1.5m, and has stated that it wishes to bring in equal remuneration in the next 15 years. It has also been announced that there will be worldwide broadcast coverage of all the 2017 fixtures.
Charlotte with fans in Bristol. Image courtesy of Long Ashton Cricket Club
Charlie Gordon, a member of the University of Bristol women’s football committee told Bristol 24/7 that she admires Edwards’ efforts to raise publicity across sports.
“It frustrates me that I have to ‘actively engage’ in the women’s sports I follow, by finding videos and looking up fixtures to get the results, because there simply isn’t the same media following as men’s sports,” Gordon said.
“It is important that girls have a female icon to look up to, to show them that they can excel in whatever sport they wish. I hope that acclaimed sportswomen can continue to raise the profile of females in the industry.”
Tickets for and details of all the upcoming world cup fixtures to be played in Bristol can be found at: www.gloscricket.co.uk
Read more: Bristol to host Women’s Cricket World Cup
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