My name is Jemima, and I am Chair of the East Midlands Women’s Cricket League. I have been Chair since the league was formed in the winter 2019/20.
In our first season we had 32 teams playing in the league; fast forward to 2026, we now have 211 teams playing. I am so proud to have overseen the development and growth of the biggest and most successful women’s cricket league in the country! Our league structure integrates the scheduling of four different playing formats, offering varied entry points and a clear development pathway for both players and teams.
I have always played my cricket at Blyth CC in Nottinghamshire. I started coming to cricket with my older brother, he first came to Blyth for a primary school festival, he was 10 and I was eight. I grew up playing open cricket with the boys and the men.
I currently captain our Saturday 2nd XI (this is my sixth year in the role). Our club took part in a women’s softball festival in 2018, after which the group asked if we could form a team and would I coach them! This we did, and we now have three women’s league teams, and as many girls’ teams and players as open junior teams and boys. I am Junior Coordinator at Blyth and also captain our Women’s 1st XI.
I became an ECB Coach Developer in 2021, and am very proud to support and advocate for women in all aspects of club cricket. As a female role model, I am so passionate about supporting female role models for the future, I hugely enjoy the mentoring work I am currently doing with female coaches.
I became the Women & Girls Officer for Nottinghamshire CCC in 2022. I love this role. My work over the past 6 years has been truly transformative for females in both Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands. Nottinghamshire now has the highest percentage nationally of junior sections with a girls section, and there are 4,000 females playing cricket in the EMWCL.
Cricket has the power to transform lives, and create positive, safe and supportive environments. So much of what we learn through cricket can shape the people we are; mental resilience, teamwork, being physically active, and just having fun. Why not give it a try?!