History was made in Mayfield last Wednesday (4 June 2025) at the cricket club as the village’s first ever Women’s Cricket team took to the field for their first competitive match against Linden Park Women’s team – and left with a first win!

The Mayfield Women’s team was born through conversations last summer and took shape over the winter months as a group of women interested in enjoying the sport in a new way began two months of intense indoor coaching and training sessions.

Founder, and driving force behind the team, Becca Hernandez, comments,

“On the pitch, you’d never guess this group was newly formed. We’ve come together with the kind of chemistry and team spirit that feels like we’ve been playing together for years.”

Leading the home team, Mei Chunhua, a former captain of the Chinese national women’s team, won the inaugural coin toss and put Linden Park in to bat. The visitors, with three matches under their belt already this season, racked up an impressive 354 runs from their 20 overs, playing the pairs format with 20 per side.

Faced with a daunting target, Mayfield’s response with the bat was emphatic, finishing with a mighty 415 to take the win. A brilliant match played in great spirit on both sides, and the scoreboard telling a clear story: Mayfield came to play! A resounding statement to launch a new era.

The team was: Captain Mei Chunhua, Becca Hernandez, Lydia Nicklin, Jacqueline Brickley, Juliet Callaghan, Emily Mallion, Chrissie Williamson, Tiffany Sami, Linsey Rollason and Sophie Swallow.

Callaghan described Mallion as “an absolute standout. She’s been quietly convincing us she’s not that confident — but clearly forgot to keep up the act.” Calm under pressure and full of determination, she rose to the challenge and absolutely smashed it, with an awesome 2 wickets.

With the bat, Chunhua delivered a sensational 31 runs, holding the innings together with style and control. She made it look easy, and gave Simon Nicklin (who was tirelessly scoring and umpiring) a proper workout.

Nicklin bowled brilliantly, keeping things tight and making life difficult for the batters with her consistency and pace. On top of that, she was a standout in the field — stopping countless runs with sharp reflexes. Her all-round contribution helped keep Linden Park’s total within reach.

Callaghan provided her own highlight reel, with steady bowling and generally strong across board, including a dramatic dive to stop a low ball from Linden Park. Unfortunately a strong pull shot ended with the wicketkeeper getting hit in the head, which paused play as she recovered from the blow.

Club Chairman Carl Shankland, said, “It was a match full of brilliant performances, massive team spirit, and great humour. For Mayfield’s first ever women’s match, it couldn’t have gone better — and this is just the beginning.”