The Soft Ball festival was aimed at encouraging new women in to cricket and their friends to come along to have a great first experience of the game. The fun and friendly 6-a-side games, used a soft ball, under arm bowling and the rules are designed to make the games fun, fast and easy to pick up!

Churchtown Cricket Club hosted the event at The Rookery Sports Ground; with the majority of the players newcomers to the game.

Gym class instructor Chrissie from Victoria Leisure warmed the teams up with a high energy routine.

The 24 participants were then divided into four teams, and all played each other in a round robin group.

Churchtown CC committee members Ed Bancroft, John Southworth, Carl Foster and Greg Pennington took on the roles of festival organisers, umpires and scorers across two pitches.

Six games took part, with the majority of the fixtures being settled on the final ball on the innings. The Yellow team came out victorious, just head of the Orange, Green and Pink teams.

Scores recorded were some of the highest in the land this season with a flurry of boundaries, although the bowlers got revenge with two hat tricks on the day.

There was also free Prosecco served in a branded glass, music, afternoon tea and free t-shirts for players.

Churchtown Cricket Club, who play on the back field of The Rookery Sports Ground, were selected by the Lancashire Cricket Board to host the event following successful recent cricket events in Southport including The Big Bash and All Stars Junior Cricket.

Tina Bancroft of Churchtown Cricket Club, said: “The event was a real successful and all the women are already asking when is the next festival! Thankfully the sun shone and it was a really social event, for nearly all of us it was our first game of cricket since school – but everyone picked it up really quickly and the game were so much fun.”

Julie Durrant, LCB’s Women’s Soft Ball Festival Coordinator added: “We were delighted to work with Churchtown Cricket Club on the first festival in Southport. The feedback has been great and the club will be hosting further Women’s cricket events next summer.”

For more information on Churchtown follow the club on twitter @churchtowncc or e-mail churchtowncc@hotmail.co.uk