I Am Woman Hear Me Roar – And Now Watch Me Play Cricket

Abstract

Women roared into the Ambridge Cricket Team in March 2017. Their debut was initiated by a shortage of male players and a belief that the team was at risk, rather than an inherent desire to include women in the game. The approach of the women very much reflected the sentiments of the Helen Reddy ‘I am Woman’ song of the 1970s, ‘I am woman, hear me roar in numbers too big to ignore’, which became an anthem for empowerment of women in that generation. This chapter describes the context of cricket and sport in England and a synopsis of the 2017 storyline surrounding the Ambridge Cricket Team. A comparison of the storyline with the wider context shows the experience in Ambridge is similar to other places in England and elsewhere.

Citation

Hoskyn, K. (2019), "I Am Woman Hear Me Roar – And Now Watch Me Play Cricket", Courage, C. and Headlam, N. (Ed.) Gender, Sex and Gossip in Ambridge, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 167-177. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-945-820191018