The Spin | ‘We have a hoot on the field’: Oswestry CC boasts 10 mother-daughter pairs

“The beautiful thing about cricket is that you have that chance to shine as an individual but within a team setting. There are no egos at all. The young girls all get on like a house of fire and the older ones like a bit of gin and prosecco bonding.”

There are challenges – selection for one, because if a mum goes on holiday, so does the daughter – but Jools is always available. “I am the most inept player on the field. I can’t bend and I can’t throw. I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis and a wonky right hand. I’m very good at shouting and clapping though.”

The coach for this year is Jools’s husband, Ian, who was an all-rounder for Surrey and Gloucestershire from 1977 to 1986. He has a dodgy hip but that was no excuse to shirk from his duties. “I said to him: ‘Come on, no more lie-ins on a Sunday morning.’ It is such a great resource having an ex-pro with all that technical expertise and cricket nous, helping the girls understand how to rotate the strike, nurdle the ball down there. He brings a cricketing brain to the party.”

A 2022 survey by Women in Sport found that a million teenage girls who considered themselves sporty in primary school disengaged once adolescence hit. This huge drop-off in participation when periods and body consciousness hit is one reason why Jools is such a huge enthusiast.

“We know that where mums either play or encourage the playing of sport, whatever it may be, their daughters are likely to follow a path into active participation. I listened to a fascinating Mumsnet webinar a couple of years ago on just that issue and determined then that we would do what we could to nurture our mums and their daughters into the game.

The Wags teams train on Tuesday nights in the summer Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

“This is where playing within the sisterhood comes in. There is something about being in that nurturing female-only environment that can help you through. We have a Wags dedicated training night, play with women and against women – though some of the good cricketers play mixed cricket with school or club third or fourth XIs.

“Also, a big up to whoever invented period pants. Who wants to wear whites if you’ve got your period? And to Alex Hartley for mentioning her period on TMS, good for her.”

It probably won’t come as a surprise to learn that there is a big social element to the Oswestry Wags. They regularly go to watch England women at Edgbaston and will be there on 12 June for the opening night of the Women’s T20 World Cup, England against Sri Lanka. Look out for them if you’re watching, sitting in a block in the Hollies Stand dressed as lifeguards in yellow T-shirts and red shorts.

The Wags are also holding a party on 5 July for the T20 World Cup final, hosting a softball festival at the club in the morning, and setting up the television for the 2.30 start in the afternoon. It should be a ball.

If you’re in the Oswestry area, the Wags train on Tuesday nights from 6-8pm in the summer. Naomi Payne is keen to start an under-12s team as well as a pathway to the senior side. “The more the merrier,” says Jools. And you don’t have to bring your mum.

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