JACK NIXON – Having started the ball rolling last week with a feature on high-flying women’s cricketer, Ailsa Lister, I am happy to hand over to Mark Lambley, the leading light behind the women’s game in the North East.
The Stoneywood Dyce president makes a compelling case for the fast developing Grampian Thistles who are putting the region on the national map.
I wish them all the luck in the world, in the hope they make the going tough, even prickly for their central belt counterparts.
MARK LAMBLEY –
Women’s cricket in the North East is continuing to grow, with the formation of Grampian Thistles providing an important pathway for female players aspiring to compete at the highest level available in Scotland.
The initiative was born around two years ago when the presidents of Stoneywood Dyce, Mark Lambley and Huntly, Andrew Petrie along with Meigle’s Peter Drummond and Tony McKenna, recognised the need to provide opportunities for players in the North East to progress into Premier League cricket.
Grampian Thistles was subsequently established as a club representing women from across the region rather than being tied to one individual club.
The need for such a pathway was clear. Stoneywood Dyce had run a dedicated women’s training session on Friday evenings for the past five years, attracting females of all ages, including youngsters and mums. Around 20 women were registered for the Challenger League.
However, while Stoneywood Dyce had entered the Challenger League around three or four years ago, the team increasingly encountered difficulties with opposition travelling north from Dundee and Perth. Over the past two seasons this resulted in a lack of fixtures, although a number of the players continued to play regularly in local grades cricket.
Grampian Thistles offered a solution, giving players from the North East the opportunity to compete in the Women’s Premier League.
Last season was the Thistles’ first full campaign in the Premier League and they made an impressive start, finishing fourth.
The commitment required to compete at that level is considerable. The team travel to the central belt every second week for away fixtures, while their home matches this season have been played at Huntly Cricket Club.
Huntly have played an important role in supporting the side, providing facilities, hospitality and teas for visiting teams. Special thanks are due to Jeanette Forbes and PCL, who have also provided the Thistles with their own playing and training kit.
The squad reflects the club’s regional ethos, with players representing Huntly, Stoneywood Dyce, Knight Riders, Meigle, Forfarshire, Inverurie and NOSCA.
The side is captained by Huntly’s Emily Henderson, with several Huntly players involved alongside local representatives such as Fraserburgh’s Leanne Broadley and Stoneywood Dyce’s Lucy Lambley. Players from Meigle and Forfarshire also form part of the squad.
Several Thistle players have already represented regional and national teams, highlighting the quality of cricket being produced in the area.
For one North East cricket family, the development of the women’s game has provided some particularly special moments.
Lucy Lambley, aged 16, began playing cricket at a young age after watching her father and brother Jack play. In 2022, she played her first senior game alongside her father for Stoneywood Dyce against Huntly.
More recently, the pair shared the opened the batting at Freuchie — a memorable moment for any parent, but particularly so given Lucy’s rapid progress in the game.
Lucy has gone on to represent Scotland this year in the Emerging Women’s squad, contributing as a batter, wicketkeeper and bowler. She cites Scotland international Ailsa Lister as one of her inspirations.
For the people behind Grampian Thistles, however, individual success is only part of the bigger picture.
The ambition is to establish a sustainable pathway for women and girls throughout the North East, allowing them to start playing locally, develop through regular competitive cricket and ultimately progress to the highest levels.
There is also a desire to see more local Challenger League teams established, with clubs such as Fraserburgh, Inverurie and Stonehaven being encouraged to promote women’s cricket.
The objective is straightforward: build a strong local foundation, provide regular competitive games and create a pathway that allows talented players to progress without having to leave the North East.
That work is already well underway at Stoneywood Dyce, where women and girls can attend regular Friday evening sessions from 6pm to 7.15pm. Training also continues throughout the winter indoors at Sheddocksley.
The sessions are open to anyone wanting to give cricket a try.
With the emergence of Grampian Thistles and the continued growth of women’s and girls’ cricket at clubs across the region, the North East is beginning to establish a pathway that could produce many more players capable of following Lucy Lambley and her teammates onto the regional and national stage