Professional cricketer Phoebe Graham has agreed to become Harrogate Cricket Club’s ambassador for women and girls’ cricket.
Graham, who is contracted to Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the Northern Diamonds, will provide regular girls coaching.
She will also act as a consultant to the club on how to expand its number of female players and grow the game in the Harrogate district.
Graham, who is a fast bowler and qualified coach, will advise the club on formulating a schools’ programme to encourage more girls to take up cricket and help it work with other clubs in the area to promote women and girls’ cricket.
The club currently includes about 25 girls, whose season is due to start next month.
For the first time ever, Harrogate’s girls’ section has entered a team in to the Nidderdale under-13 boys league this summer.
Graham, who also runs a gender equality consultancy, will now build on work done by head junior coach Andy Hawkswell, along with Nat Crossland and Tim Robinson to further develop the girls’ section.
Club chairman Steve Clark said:
“This new partnership is an incredibly exciting one. We hope it will be a long-lasting relationship that ensures that women and girls’ cricket continues to grow and thrive in Harrogate.”
Graham said:
“Providing women and girls with opportunities to play sport is something that I am extremely passionate about and I love Harrogate’s commitment and long-term ambitions to grow the female section.”
Read more:
- Fire, bankruptcy and coronavirus: Harrogate Cricket Club adapts to survive
- Cricket club to benefit from major Bilton Hall refurbishment
