Charlotte Edwards inspires women cricketers in the East

Charlotte Edwards had to leave the region in order to play top flight cricket

A new cricket league for women in East Anglia has made a successful start after support from England women's captain Charlotte Edwards.

The East Anglia Women's Premier League, halfway through its inaugural season, hopes to create future female talent.

Edwards, who is the league's ambassador, said: "As a local girl I grew up having to play boys cricket.

"There is now a league which is aiming to provide cricket for the most talented players in the region."

Edwards, 30, grew up in Pidley, Cambridgeshire but had to move to Kent in order to find top-level women's cricket.

It was a decision that benefitted both Edwards and England as she has since gone on to lead her country to World Cup and World Twenty20 championships.

It should be attracting the creme de la creme of women's cricketers

Helen Clarke, chair of EAWPL

But now the hope is that talented cricketers, like Edwards, do not have to flee the region in order to play against the best.

"There has always been the need for an outlet for school and local junior cricket to let young ladies move on," said Helen Clarke, the league's chair.

"In terms of the region, it is the premier cricket league so it should be attracting the creme de la creme of women's cricketers, with the potential of feeding into the established regional leagues and even the national squads."

The league is currently in its embryonic stage, consisting of five clubs from Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

Peterborough, Godmanchester, Cambridge, Bishop's Stortford and Mildenhall have so far played five fixtures between them with Cambridge topping the table.

The league is open to teams from around the region and next season Clarke hopes to welcome competitors from Norfolk, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire.

Before then there is the small matter of deciding this year's winner and then a cup competition held in Mildenhall during August and September.