CLARE CONNOR has been in the news again this week. The England captain, who opened the newly refurbished Lord’s Tavern in time for the start of the season, was appointed MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. She joins Karen Smithies, who was appointed OBE after England’s World Cup victory at Lord’s in 1993 and Rachael Heyhoe Flint, a former England captain who was recently appointed as the first female MCC committee member, as one of the game’s decorated players.
Nicky Shaw, the all-rounder discarded by England last year, made 52 for the Super Strikers team in the Super Fours, the elite domestic tournament, last weekend. The Nottinghamshire player has returned to the MCC Young Cricketers Scheme, based at Lord’s, for a second season.
Shaw and Gill Richards made history last year by becoming the scheme’s first female recruits. Laura Joyce and Natalie Lane have also been invited to take up this coveted cricket apprenticeship.
The Super Fours concludes at Loughborough University on Saturday. The England squad to play New Zealand, the world champions, in August, is expected to be named shortly after the tournament’s conclusion.
The ECB is encouraging past, present and novice players to take part in the annual Cricket Week Festival, which has been held in Malvern every August since the 1930s. For full details and to download an entry form, log on to www.cricket4women.co.uk
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