Posted: Friday 18 May 2012
Scottish Wildcats teach us to bowl
By Kirsten Conacher, Executive Services team PA
One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is assisting with our Business Women’s Network, a group which brings together Morton Fraser’s female clients and contacts for a range of informative, sociable and relevant networking events. The group is also very active online – we send out quarterly newsletters and run a popular LinkedIn group.
It was in this LinkedIn group, a few weeks ago, that Kat Heathcote of Witherby Publishing Group made a slightly unusual post, looking for BWN members interested in taking part in an informal “kwik” cricket tournament. With reassurances that no sporting prowess was necessary, a brave group of Morton Fraser ladies (along with their friends and contacts) signed up, and thus we found ourselves at the MES Cricket Academy on Tuesday night, wondering quite what we’d let ourselves in for.
Luckily, almost all of the 36 participants were in the same boat, and the organisers very ably introduced us to the basics of the game through a range of games and activities.
Kwik cricket is played with a softer ball (therefore pads and helmets aren’t required) and, as the name suggests, games are short, lasting only about 20 minutes. It can be played both indoors and out, though luckily thanks to the torrential hailstones on the journey over, our tournament was inside!
We spent the second half of the evening taking part in a tournament, which was great fun (although my team came – perhaps unsurprsingly considering my awful hand-eye coordination – last). The game used a nice mix of skills, and whilst some were clearly greater sportswomen than others, it was a far cry from traumatic memories of team games in high school P.E.!
I definitely wasn't alone amongst the attendees in never having played cricket of any kind before. Cricket – and women’s cricket doubly so – is a little-publicised (but fast growing) sport in Scotland. The event was run with the able assistance of Cricket Scotland and particularly the Scottish Wildcats, Scotland’s women’s cricket team. The event was part of a more general effort to increase interest and participation in the sport – it’s great fun, builds a range of skills, and is a good way to keep fit – something that we’re always told we need to do more of.
Tuesday night’s tournament also functioned as an unusual but useful networking event. I spotted several familiar faces from our BWN events, and running around attempting to catch a ball in your tracksuit bottoms and trainers is a surprisingly good way to get to know new people.
I’d highly recommend stepping outside your comfort zone and trying this fun sport. Thanks again to Kat, Cricket Scotland, and the Wildcats for giving us the opportunity to try it.
