Oval Overload
Palomas, pagris and a whole lot of cricket. I'd never been to women’s cricket until I ventured to The Kia Oval in south London to watch England take on India in a summer showdown - what I found was a T20 that felt less like a polite sporting event and more like the summer party you didn’t know you needed.
By Glorious
I had never been to a women’s cricket match before. At least, not properly. Sure, I’ve seen hundreds of clips online, I’ve interviewed players, I’ve been to press days and have even been to a wedding at Lord’s, but have I ever sat in a stadium, drink in hand, watching a match unfold? No. So when three tickets pinged into our Glorious inbox for the England vs India T20 at The Kia Oval last Friday, I said yes with no idea what I was really signing up for . I assumed it would be a good way to spend a summer evening, maybe a bit of novelty after work. What I didn’t expect was to come away completely converted, sun-warmed and shouting, eating fried chicken in the middle of a crowd that felt as much like a festival as a sporting event, already planning the next one. (FYI the action moves into a three-match ODI series – starting at The Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday 16 July, then Lord’s in London on Saturday 19 July, and finally The Riverside Ground in Durham on Tuesday 22 July – more information here )
We left the office just after five and walked through south London in bright evening light, passing packed-out pubs and navigating the surrounding streets of The Kia Oval, already overflowing with fans in shirts heading in the same direction. The closer we got to the ground, the louder everything became. People were gathered outside in clusters, desperately texting friends their locations, queuing for face paint, chatting to friends and strangers. There was music from the nearby stalls and families weaving through the crowd with children already waving flags. It was only once we were inside The Kia Oval that I realised how full the place already was.
This wasn’t a polite trickle of fans or a soft crowd filling up over the first innings. This was full-scale arrival. Indian shirts, England shirts, pagris, glitter, hats, signs and chants. Scorecards were handed out and waved immediately. Everyone seemed to have something to shout for. There were people with hand-painted banners. There were children carrying miniature bats. There were entire rows of people in colour-coordinated outfits. It was celebratory, multicultural, and charged with intent. This was not just a night out. This was a match that mattered.
England needed to win to stay in the series. India had taken the first two games of the five-match T20I contest, and a third victory would have sealed it with two games to spare. The pressure on England was real. Playing at home in front of a packed crowd, anything less than a win would have handed the series to India right there in south London.
England had won the toss and chosen to bat. The match began with a puff of pink smoke, and straight away I could see why people talk about the short format with such urgency. The pace was quick. Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge opened with a partnership that turned the evening into something far more gripping than expected. In just under sixteen overs, they put on 137 runs between them. Dunkley made 75, Wyatt-Hodge 66. There was a kind of clean intensity to the way they played. Confident, direct and totally watchable. I didn’t need a commentator to tell me it was good. The whole crowd told me with every rising cheer.
The Kia Oval responded with real noise. It wasn’t just polite clapping or pockets of applause. It was full stands engaged in the ebb and flow. Every boundary brought someone to their feet. Every single brought out a fresh burst of encouragement. It felt like being surrounded by people who had been waiting all day for this, and were now responding to the game with full investment.
But cricket isn’t linear. Just as England looked like they were building something uncatchable, it all fell away. After Dunkley and Wyatt-Hodge were dismissed, England lost nine wickets for just 34 runs. One after another, the remaining batters were caught or bowled as India wrestled back control. The tone of the ground shifted slightly. There was some frustration, but also understanding. By the time England closed at 171 for 9, the match felt balanced again.
During the break, we joined the crowd at the food stalls. The fried chicken was far better than stadium food has any right to be. Palomas were being shaken behind the bar, beers poured steadily, and jugs of Pimms were being clinked across picnic tables. It felt more like a summer party than a high-stakes international match. Kids, many still in school uniform ran between groups as parents chatted, laughed and picked apart the first innings. The atmosphere hadn’t dropped. If anything, it felt like it was building.
GRIPPING!
Near the DJ booth, I got talking to a group of India fans. I asked if they came to women’s matches often. “Yes, of course!” one of them said, smiling. “India are playing cricket! Men’s team, women’s team, disability team, we support them all.” His friends nodding in agreement. They had come straight from work and wouldn’t have missed it.
Later, in the queue for the toilets, I ended up behind a woman in an England bucket hat and a school leavers hoodie. She looked over her shoulder at the long line forming behind us and smiled. “That’s the thing with women’s matches,” she said. “So many women actually come! Long queues for the toilets!” She told me she was a PE teacher from south London and had been bringing girls from her school to matches for the last few years. “It’s so good to see them here in their own time now. That’s the shift. It’s more inclusive, and it’s affordable, which means you get real people in the crowd. Not just the same ones who always go.”
Back in the stadium and a piña colada later, India came out to chase with composure. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma settled quickly and began scoring with ease. Verma threaded one through the covers that sent the India fans around us to their feet. Mandhana followed it with a measured drive that drew an even bigger cheer. They weren’t just keeping pace with the required rate. They were ahead of it. By the time India reached 85 without loss in the eleventh over, the chase looked in control.
Then came the swing. Sophie Ecclestone struck in the ninth over, bowling Shafali Verma for 47- one of the key turning moments of the evening. The crowd gasped, then surged again. This was the start of a shift back towards England. A few overs later, Charlie Dean produced a breathtaking sliding catch to dismiss Richa Ghosh in the deep, a moment that altered the direction of the chase . It was athletic, precise and game‑changing. I found myself cheering before I even fully registered what had happened.
emotional!
India needed 12 runs from the final over. Lauren Bell bore down on the task, defending effectively. On the final delivery, Harmanpreet Kaur lofted the ball straight to Sophie Ecclestone at mid‑off. The catch held. England had won by five runs and kept the series alive.
India had finished five runs short. The entire stadium was on its feet. The sound was huge. Joy, relief, disbelief, all at once. England had kept the series alive… for the moment.
That hope didn’t last long. Just a few days later in Manchester, India wrapped up the series with a six-wicket win at Old Trafford. England had stumbled to 126 for 7, and India never looked fazed chasing it. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana put on a fast, confident start, and the rest followed without much fuss. It was the first time India had ever won a T20 series in England, and the crowd knew it. A party was already underway before the winning run was scored. Whilst there’s still another T20I scheduled at Edgbaston, Birmingham, the series has already been decided and even if England win the final match, it won’t change the result. India have taken it 3-1.
On the way out, people were finding each other again. Friends who’d been in different rows, families regrouping, stopping for selfies, still riding the high of that final over. I ended up chatting to a couple in the queue for Oval station. They hadn’t been to a women’s cricket match before either. One of them was already checking ticket availability for Lord’s.
So what did I make of the whole thing? And why am I writing this? I’m not saying you need to religiously follow women’s cricket, or buy a shirt, or learn all the stats. But should you fire up the group chat and get a few people together to go and watch a match? Absolutely, yes.
What struck me was how complete the evening felt. It was competitive, entertaining, relaxed, affordable, and full of quality. Everything you want from a live sporting experience, without any of the downsides. And it was better attended than I expected, which made me wonder why I’d been surprised at all.
In 2023, according to the ECB Impact Report, 628,000 people attended women’s and girls’ cricket across England and Wales. That’s up from just 180,000 in 2021 – a rise that doesn’t happen by accident. And the interest keeps growing. A 2025 study commissioned by Sky Sports found that 80 percent of UK sports fans are now interested in at least one women’s sport, with that figure climbing to 85 percent among under 35s. More and more, cricket is part of that picture. Competitions like The Hundred have brought in huge new audiences, many of them experiencing women’s matches for the first time. This isn’t niche. It’s not a one-off. It’s momentum.
We’re four matches down in this full-on summer schedule, with the final fixture still to come at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday 12 July (tomorrow). Then the action moves into a three-match ODI series – starting at The Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Wednesday 16 July, then Lord’s in London on Saturday 19 July, and finally The Riverside Ground in Durham on Tuesday 22 July – more information here. These matches are happening up and down the country, and if you’ve ever thought about going, now’s a brilliant time to do it.
The quality is already there. The skill, the pace, the tension, the crowd. What needs to happen now is routine. Watching England Women play should feel as normal as booking a cinema trip or going for a drink after work. The game doesn’t need to prove itself. It just needs people to keep turning up.
If you haven’t been to a women’s cricket match, I genuinely recommend it. You don’t need to know every player or understand every rule. Just go. Take a seat, grab a beer and watch it unfold, and see for yourself.
I went for the first time because someone else suggested it. I’ll go again because now I actually want to.
England Women are front and centre this summer, bringing the heat, the energy, and the full matchday experience as they take on India in the final T20I and upcoming ODI series., alongside the England Men’s and Men’s Mixed Disability teams. One opponent. Three squads. One England. A summer of unmissable cricket (with a bit of sun, if we’re lucky!). Whether it’s your first time at a match or you’ve followed every ball, this is the moment to get involved. With tickets starting from just £5 for under-16s and most adult tickets between £10 and £20, they’re going fast! So fire up the group chat, choose your city, and get in while you can. Be there for history. Be part of something bigger.
For more information and to get your tickets CLICK HERE!
See you in the stands!
For more information and to get your tickets CLICK HERE!
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