Summer of Cricket

Jenni Douglass

Oct 3

3 min read

The English summer has been hot - both on and off the cricket field! With a Women's T20 World Cup, first ever Women's Test Match at Lord's plus domestic games all under the blazing sun, this summer will most certainly go down in the history books. And Tess & Eddie were there to witness the history being made.

ESSEX WOMEN v THE BLAZE

In an attempt to break the record for the most spectators at a standalone women's domestic game, Essex invited me to have a stall at their One Day match v The Blaze. I met new readers and it was wonderful to see so many people attend a women's match and cheer Essex on!

WOMEN'S T20 WORLD CUP

How incredible to have a home Women's T20 World Cup! Tess and Eddie followed all the action and were lucky enough to go to the Final at Lord's to see England take on Australia. As a family, our loyalties were split down the middle - just like Tess and Eddie. Australia came away the victors but there were some close matches and outstanding performances by the Associate countries throughout the tournament, so the future is looking bright for women's cricket.

WOMEN'S TEST MATCH AT LORD'S

If a home World Cup wasn't enough for one summer, we were also lucky to witness the first ever women's Test at Lord's Cricket Ground with England taking on India. In very hot conditions, Tess and Eddie were fortunate enough to go to Days 1 and 2. As well as watching some outstanding cricket, we also caught up with cricket friend and podcaster, Stephen, from The Paddock & The Pavilion.

Day 1 Highlights

Day 2 Highlights

DORSET WOMEN'S SHOWCASE DAY

Tess and Eddie were invited to exhibit at the annual Dorset Women's Showcase Day. Under blazing sunshine, the day consisted of a Girls' Skills Festival, Let's Talk Zone, and Dorset Women v Hampshire Women match. I teamed up with fellow author, Chrissie Harrison, in the Interactive & Exhibitors Zone and were delighted to meet Raf Nicholson who was selling her new book. A fabulous day out meeting fans who already own copies of Tess & Eddie's adventures as well as girls who are reading The Cricket Series for the first time.

We can't wait to go back again next year!

PARTNERSHIPS

Building on my wonderful partnership with Her Game Too Cricket, we came together to collaborate with a number of women's brand for a fabulous Summer Giveaway. Featuring products from Chrissie Harrison, Not That Sporty, Lacuna Sports, and Fab Little Bag, we were inundated with entrants before announcing a winner at the beginning of the World Cup.

Hailing from all parts of the UK, we met in person at the Dorset Showcase Day, where we joined froces to support women and girls cricket.

AUSTRALIA HOUSE CREATIVES

I am delighted to have joined the Australia House Creatives, an initiative created by the Australian High Commission in London to connect Australian's living in the UK. I'm looking forward to attending a number of events to meet other Australian creatives. The first one is the OzLit Festival on 18th October at Foyles in London.

NATIONAL YEAR OF READING

I continue to be a Champion in this National Year of Reading. Drawing from an incredible Summer of Sport, I celebrated and promoted all things cricket and reading.

WOMEN & GIRLS WEBSITE

The new women and girls website has officially launched and I will be overseeing the book page promoting cricket books for both women and girls. Stayed tuned for more information about this innovative and exciting project.

FIERCE GIRLS CRICKET

Fresh stock of both my books has arrived at Fierce Girls Cricket in Australia. Check out their website for not only wonderful cricket books, but also women and girls kit and accessories.

NEW PROJECTS

Research etc for Book 3 is almost complete which means I'll soon be starting the first draft. The story and plot has come together nicely and I can't wait to get cracking!

In the meantime, I have begun a fun project creating 'Tess's Cricket Puzzle and Activity Book'. Based on the Cricket Mystery series, it is full of word searches, spot the difference, mazes, colouring in, word match, and much more! I'm hoping to release it mid-November. So, watch my socials for more updates.

Jenni

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS

IN THE UK