Beyond Boundaries Women & Girls Stenhousemuir
Indian mother reveals her life has been transformed by cricket
A young Indian mother has told how her life has changed for the better since becoming involved in her local women and girls’ community cricket team.
Originally from India, Falkirk-local 32-year-old Divya Manickavelu moved to Scotland as a newlywed in 2015, following a traditional arranged marriage to husband Dhinesh.
The mum of two to an eight-year-old son and two-year-old daughter initially found it very difficult moving to a new country.
Divya said: “When I first moved to Scotland, I faced many challenges adapting to the culture. I got lots of support from neighbours and other people in the community, so having been here for almost 10 years now I am very much settled.”
But it was only in 2023 when Stenhousemuir Cricket Club, where Divya’s son attended, told her they were starting a women and girls’ team that she felt truly at home.
Growing up in India where cricket is the most loved sport and part of the culture, Divya developed a passion for it from a young age.
She said: “I was born and brought up in India where cricket is the main sport. My family are huge cricket fans, and it was always on the TV. From a young age we started playing with a rubber ball and plastic bat for fun. We had so much excitement playing different shots inspired by the cricket players we watched on TV.”
“But even in India women’s cricket is not widespread and there is not much opportunity. In the classroom we would crush paper and roll it into a ball and use notepads as bats. I first picked up a proper cricket bat when I was around 10, my PE teacher chose a few girls to form a team and taught us how to play cricket for fun and for school competitions.”
On leaving school, Divya went on to university where she continued her cricket journey, playing in the student team. When she moved to Scotland, Divya looked for women’s cricket programmes in the local community to no avail. Some years passed and when her son turned five, she enrolled him in the local cricket club.
Divya said: “When my son was doing his cricket training, my husband and I would play on the sidelines. Before this I hadn’t picked up a bat since graduating university at 22 years old.”
It was at her son’s Stenhousemuir Cricket Club prizegiving that Divya was asked if she played cricket and would like to form a team. Fast forward a few months to January 2024 and nine women and girls started weekly indoor softball cricket, before moving onto hardball cricket outside in the spring.
“I’ve never jumped at anything so fast in my life. That’s how I found myself back in the world of cricket and in a short space of time I was made captain of the team”, Divya said.
“I didn’t believe the team would go ahead. I didn’t believe it was real until our first meeting with Cricket Scotland. That was the turning point for me, when I learned of all the opportunities for women and girls’ cricket. There was so much positive energy”, she added.
Within two weeks of starting training, the Stenhousemuir Women and Girls Cricket Team had the opportunity to attend The Wee Bash tournament in Kilmarnock.
With an emphasis on fun and social interaction The Wee Bash is a monthly soft ball indoor and outdoor cricket tournament designed for women and girls to encourage participation and enjoyment. The events are held monthly at around 10 venues across Scotland and allow cricket clubs, schools, higher education institutions and community groups to get involved.
The Wee Bash programme is funded by Scottish cricket charity Beyond Boundaries and delivered by Cricket Scotland, with this partnership recently recognised with a global award by cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), for how it supports young underrepresented and disadvantaged people across the country.
Beyond Boundaries provides funding to train female cricket coaches to grow the women’s game, as well as offering accessible, social, cricket-based activities for girls, with a focus on participation and fun. Its work also includes supporting cricket clubs in Scotland to open their gates and deliver cricket opportunities tailored to those with disabilities and expanding cricket programmes into some of the most deprived areas in Scotland.
Divya said: “I knew some basic cricket but most of the team are learning everything from scratch, so The Wee Bash was a great chance for us to play real matches against other women and girls’ teams.”
Following this, the team travelled to Edinburgh to take part in the final indoor Wee Bash of the season, securing success in two matches and having lots of fun in the process.
Today, after only eight months since their first training session, the team has developed into 25 women and girls and is still growing.
Divya said: “When I agreed to join the team, it was to play cricket. But I realise it’s about so much more than developing our cricket skills. We are also building a women’s community with shared passion, commitment and friendship.
“It has really helped my confidence. Until I got this opportunity, I thought my life would be so simple and I wouldn’t have stuff on my mind, it would be too difficult to balance my own thing with my family life, but this opportunity has proved me wrong.
“Everyone is so welcoming, they don’t see me as someone else, we are like a family. I can’t describe in words how much I now feel part of the Scottish community. It has had a really big impact on my whole life. We are all friends, and we care for each other.”
Divya has recently completed her ICC Level 1 Coaching Course and is waiting to start level 2. Alongside some of the other members of the team, she has also led a session for girls in Larbert High School to introduce them to cricket and create a new pathway into the sport.
Keith Wilson, Chair of Beyond Boundaries, said:
“It’s wonderful to hear the powerful impact cricket has had on Divya’s life and how she is using her role to inspire others.
“Supporting the development of women and girls’ cricket in Scotland as well as providing the social benefits is one of the key areas our charity focuses on.
“We support several aspects including The Wee Bash soft ball programme where the emphasis is on participation and fun but can if participants want lead to hard ball cricket. We also provide funding for women and girls to pursue coaching badges and sponsor the Women’s T20 Scottish Cup, an end of season showpiece finals day.
“Securing extra funding is key to growing initiatives such as The Wee Bash and we want to continue to increase the number of women and girls in Scotland who can benefit from the programmes that we fund.”
Yvonne Weir, manager of Stenhousemuir Women and Girls Team, said:
“When we decided to form a women and girls’ team, we couldn’t have imagined the position we’d be in now. We’re into the 20s, I couldn’t have even dreamed of that back in January. The team ranges from high school girls to one woman in her early 60s, some of whom want to progress and others who just want to keep fit, learn a new sport and enjoy the social aspect.
“We’re overjoyed by the positive impact the team has had on everyone. As well as improving our cricket skills and the love of cricket we have all developed, we have gained so much more – new friendships, incredible encouragement and support for one another both on and off the field, new social networks and simply an amazing team spirit.
“There is so much camaraderie, something I wasn’t expecting to happen so quickly. The potential for the future is really good.”
Nic Wilson, Head of Development at Cricket Scotland, said:
“Alongside Beyond Boundaries, we understand the importance of the sense of belonging women and girls find in sport, especially in an inclusive club environment. Women's and girls’-only competitions, like the Beyond Boundaries Wee Bash, have a strong focus on social inclusion while introducing cricket in a relaxed and fun setting. It’s great to see an increasing number of clubs supporting women and girls to get involved, both on and off the field.”
For more information, please contact:
Roanna Katz:
Roanna.katz@bigpartnership.co.uk / 07846 786 265
Ben Archibald:
Ben.archibald@bigpartnership.co.uk / 07525 814 006