Credit: Star CC
On Monday 11 April 2022, Star Cricket Academy, run by Luxembourg's Star Cricket Club, concluded 23 training sessions for women at the indoor facilities in Schuttrange.
Around 25 women participated in these training sessions, which aimed to help interested women go on to participate in the Belgium cricket league as part of the trois-frontières (3F) cricket club. The women's 3F cricket club from Luxembourg takes part in the Belgium women's league.
The sessions included playing cricket, along with learning the rules of the sport and training for batting, bowling and fielding techniques.
For the indoor training, the designated head coach was Sri Kolla who was supported by Niraj Trivedi, Roshan Paul Vishwanath, Jatin Madan and Sambhav Puri.
Head Coach Sri Kolla said: "It was a humbling experience to see the girls and women developing their passion towards an unfamiliar sport such as cricket in Luxembourg. They have improved their skill, technique and are ready for further cricketing challenges. As a coach, it was a fabulous feeling to coach the complete beginners to match ready players in just 23 weeks".
Niraj Trivedi commented: "Trainings were organised with a mix of women, some of whom had no knowledge of cricket and the rules as well as some who did follow cricket during their school and college times. We had regularly participants from different nationalities such as Italian, Eastern European, Portuguese, British and Indian, with a mix of students and working professionals. Out of a wide range of participants, most of them are ready to compete during outdoor games which will be organised by the Luxembourg cricket federation. Outdoor training will start from Wednesday 20 April [2022] at Pierre Werner cricket ground, Walferdange".
The Luxembourg Cricket Federation (LCF) chairman, Stephen Evans, said: "The Star Cricket Academy's indoor programme for women was an important development of more informal work that has been ongoing for a number of years. The SCA [Star Cricket Academy] and head coach Sri Kolla took this to a new level, giving about two dozen women the opportunity to train and play games on a regular basis throughout the winter. Our thanks go to Schuttrange [municipality] for having lent their sports hall to Star CC, without which this programme could not have gone ahead".
Star Cricket Academy is inititative of Star Cricket Club to train women, children and young people at the indoor facility in the municipality of Schuttrange.
Stephen Evans continued: "This has given us fresh momentum coming into the summer, with our outdoor training sessions for women due to start on Wednesday 20 April at the Walferdange cricket ground, with the support of coach William Cope".
Mr Evans confirmed that there will be a women's cricket festival cup scheduled for Saturday 17 September 2022 and that the LCF is in the process of creating a women's outdoor league. He invited women who are interested in participating in cricket in Luxembourg to get in contact via the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenCricketLux.
