\u201cOverton Park CC is more than a cricket club!\u201d says Grishma Santhosh, the club\u2019s chairperson. \u201cWhat started as simple evening games between friends has now become a thriving women\u2019s and girls\u2019 cricket club, with help from Surrey Cricket Foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Santhosh recalls how it all began: \u201cWhat started as simple evening games soon became something far more meaningful, as more women and girls joined us \u2013 building confidence, friendships, and a strong sense of belonging through cricket.<\/p>\n
Speaking about why they felt the need to build something like Overton Park CC: \u201cWe wanted to play more seriously, but most local clubs focused on men\u2019s or youth cricket. Some of us even felt out of place at festivals. Instead of giving up, we decided to create something of our own \u2013 an inclusive, welcoming cricket community where women and girls can play, learn, and belong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we registered the club, the Foundation became our biggest supporter. They guided us through everything \u2013 from securing equipment and applying for grants to navigating safeguarding and DBS checks. They connected us with mentors, arranged training courses, and helped us build confidence as players and volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elaborating on how the Foundation\u2019s resourcefulness helped them overcome barriers: \u201cFinding a home ground wasn\u2019t easy either. But with SCF\u2019s help, Sutton Council allocated Overton Park as our official venue and improved facilities for our girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, Overton Park CC is more than a cricket club \u2013 it\u2019s a community that celebrates diversity, supports mental well-being, and gives women and girls the chance to thrive. We\u2019re proud of what we\u2019ve achieved, and with SCF by our side, we know this is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Santhosh\u2019s story demonstrates SCF\u2019s commitment to making cricket more inclusive across Surrey and south London. They work to break down barriers so everyone feels welcome in the game.<\/p>\n
The Foundation\u2019s programmes span far and wide \u2013 from supporting women and girls through dedicated festivals and leagues, to delivering disability cricket opportunities that empower players of all abilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOverton Park CC is more than a cricket club!\u201d says Grishma Santhosh, the club\u2019s chairperson. \u201cWhat started as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-528809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}