Edwards urges fans to fill the Bristol County Ground for Women's Ashes Clash (with video)
3 July 2015
England Women’s captain Charlotte Edwards is urging fans to fill the Bristol County Ground and get behind her team for their Ashes clash with Australia on July 23.
Tickets are just £10 for adults and £1 for ages 18 and under when purchased in advance, which is the second of the seven match multi-format series.
And Edwards – who has led the side more than 200 times - says the Gloucestershire crowd has a key role to play in helping them retain the urn.
To watch the full video interview click below
She said: “You’ve got to start the Ashes really strongly. We start at Taunton on the 21st July, then it’s straight to Bristol on the 23rd then on to Worcester on the 26th. Those first few games are really crucial, not only are they part of the Ashes but they also part of the ICC Women’s Championship so it’s double bubble.
“We are really spurred on by home support and hopefully Bristol can turn out for us on the 23rd.”
Unlike the men’s Ashes the women’s series is decided on the total points accrued across all three formats of the game; three One Day matches, one Test and three T20s.
England triumphed 10-8 in Australia in 2014 and Edwards is predicting another close encounter this time around. Along with team mates Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight - a former Gloucestershire Academy graduate – Edwards played in the Australian domestic competitions last winter and she is hoping this will stand them in good stead.
She said: “We’ve learnt lots about them and they’ve probably learnt lots about us.
“The great thing about the two teams is that they are very evenly-matched. It’s going to come down to who performs best on the day, what key players stand up and who delivers the basics the best at the time. That’s what makes it really exciting.”
Edwards has picked out Australia’s Meg Lanning and Elyse Perry as opposition players to watch out at the Bristol County Ground while backing England batsman Knight and Lancashire seamer Kate Cross to star for the home side.
The England captain, visited the home of Gloucestershire Cricket in May with team mates Lydia Greenway and Tammy Beaumont to run a coaching day for more than 80 of ttthe county’saspiring female players.
And she says she is looking forward to returning on July 23.
She said: “It is great to be back playing here, with all the redevelopment that has gone on and hopefully we can put on a good show.
“The early games are vitally important and we just want loads of people to come down and support us. We’ve got to get the early blows in first and that’s what we are planning to do.”
“Hopefully we can get enough points and clinch the Ashes at home again this year.”
