Steventon Women were crowned champions of the Home Counties Women’s Cricket League Division 2 after a successful 2025 campaign. This comes directly after they won promotion from Division 3B in 2024.
Following report by J.Bennett
The rapid rise of Steventon women and girls’ cricket..
The last few years have been something of a whirlwind here at Steventon. Until 2019 we were a club with just 2 senior Saturday teams and 1 midweek T20 team. A junior section took shape and took off during the pandemic summer of 2020, and the group of talented girls playing mixed cricket that season persuaded us to launch a girls section in 2021. We also tried our hand at Women’s softball in late 2021, in rapid response to requests from some mums and some Allstars activators, and so successful were both these ventures that we took the plunge to join the Home Counties Women’s cricket league in 2022. Our first 2 seasons were a steep learning curve, but in 2024 everything clicked and we won Division 3B, to find ourselves playing longer form cricket (35 overs per innings instead of 25) in Division 2 in 2025. How would we cope? Early signs were that it would be tough, with an opening-day defeat to a strong Deddington batting unit. But the team’s response was to learn from it, and go on a 7-game winning streak, which all but secured our 2nd consecutive title with 2 games to spare; our 10-wicket victory on the final day against challengers Wargrave was the icing on the cake.
Coaching this squad is a joy (speaking for myself and for my fellow coach Simon Lock). There is such warmth and inter-generational friendship in the group, and a culture of support & inclusivity, whilst still being driven to improve as cricketers and keep making their way up the league. Skipper Sarah Jones, herself new to the game in 2021 said “Captaining this team is something I’ll always cherish. Every player gives their heart to the team in every game. This isn’t just about lifting a trophy; it’s about our shared trust and belief in each other – I’m incredibly proud to lead such a determined and inspiring group of women and girls.” Club Chair Richard Chapman added “We are all immensely proud of the players and their success. They stand as an inspiration, demonstrating what can be achieved with hard work and dedication, and we’re looking forward to the next stage of their journey in 2026.”
We’re excited to be going into Division 1 in 2026, and we are even more excited to be adding a 2nd team, playing in Division 3 and Super 8s development, to ensure that we continue to have cricket available for all. We were also the only club in Oxfordshire to enter girls teams at U13, U15 and U18 age groups in 2025.
We welcome new players of all ages and abilities. If you or anyone you know in the Steventon / Abingdon / Wantage / Didcot area would like to get involved in our friendly community club, do get in touch. Contact Joe Bennett, 07966 592381, [email protected], or find us on FB or Insta @ SteventonCC.