Navy News
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Royal Navy women cricketers help bowl out gender inequality
14 August 2018
Royal Navy women cricketers were included in an UK Armed Forces team for an historic match.
The UKAF side took on an Asian woman’s team in a T20 match as part of the Bowling Out Gender Inequality Campaign.
It was the first time in nearly four decades that a woman’s match had been played at Bradford’s revamped Park Avenue ground.
The community cricket festival was held to highlight the importance of community cohesion, promote positive health, tolerance and encourage gender equality.
We are trying to engage with local communities at a grassroots level, to engage and inspire them to realise their potential through sport
The match went down to the wire with the UKAF side needing six runs to win from the last over and then three runs off the last ball. The Asian team’s bowler dropped the ball short, handing victory to the UKAF team by one run.
The trophy was presented to the winning team by Cdre Phil Waterhouse, Naval Regional Commander Northern England and Isle of Man.
The annual game, now in its third year, has previously been played at Headingley and The Royal Chelsea Gardens, Burton Court.
Halima Khan, Opening Boundaries managing director, said the event was about raising awareness of women in cricket ¬– on and off the field of play and highlighting the unifying nature of sport in general.
She said there is “still a long way to go” and added: “We are trying to engage with local communities at a grassroots level, to engage and inspire them to realise their potential through sport, regardless of their background, their faith, their belief, everyone’s here, learning about each other and understanding each other, regardless of their background.
“We want to try and encourage that generation to come through and realise that sport is something they can take up.”