A talented Helensburgh cricketer is set to become one of the new faces of female cricket, after joining pioneering sportswear brand, Maiden Cricket, as its latest ambassador.
16-year-old Niamh Barrie, who plays for Helensburgh Cricket Club and East Kilbride Women’s, has joined Maiden Cricket to help promote women and girls’ participation in cricket and grow the game for future generations.
Maiden Cricket was launched by teenage sisters Honor and Cat Black in 2024. Fed up with wearing uncomfortable and ill-fitting cricket gear made solely for boys, the girls set out to design stylish, comfortable and functional clothing specifically for female cricketers.
Female players from across the country were encouraged to apply to become a Maiden Ambassador, with the company receiving hundreds of applications. The programme supports female players aged 8+ who are passionate about promoting inclusivity and growing girls’ cricket in schools, universities and clubs.
Cricket has been a huge part of Niamh’s life from a young age as she learnt to play with her dad and brother in the garden. A cricket highlight for Niamh so far is being selected to train with the Cricket Scotland U16 Western Warriors.
Niamh said: “I’m so excited to be working with the fantastic team at Maiden Cricket. I love Maiden’s values, and I know that if girls are comfortable playing because they have kit made for them, it can help grow female cricket.
“I want to get more girls into the sport and build a community where they can go for advice or just to find people to play with and train with. I’ve always struggled with being a girl in such a male dominated sport and I want to show girls that they are not alone in their journeys as cricketers.”
Cat Black, co-founder at Maiden Cricket, added: “At Maiden, we’re all about championing girls’ cricket by highlighting what a fantastic sport it is for building confidence and team spirit.
“We’ve already built a great community to help share our mission and it’s awesome to have Niamh join the crew. There’s no doubt she’s going to crush it as a Maiden ambassador.”
For more information about Maiden Cricket, visit www.maiden-cricket.co.uk/.
