Former England star and four times Ashes winner to lead cricket masterclass in village near Banbury

The England star, who was named woman cricketer of the year for 2010, will take Cropredy Cricket Club’s junior team through their paces on Sunday, April 28.

Lydia’s masterclass will take place before Cropredy Cricket Club’s senior team takes on Oxford Downs in the first round of the Voneus Village Cup.

Peter Cooling, chairman of the club, said: “We are delighted that we have been chosen to host a Lydia Greenway masterclass at Cropredy Cricket Club.

“Our junior section is absolutely thriving; we have teams ranging from u8s right up to u15, which really future-proofs the club. Anyone who wants to play cricket is welcome at Cropredy.”

Junior cricket chairman at Cropredy Chris Plumbe said: “Four of our u13s girls play county cricket and we are the only club locally fielding girls’ teams, so to have Lydia sharing tips and experience with our juniors is just so exciting. Everyone is buzzing for it.”

The former England star is an ambassador for the prestigious Voneus Village Cup, which has been organised by The Cricketer magazine since 1972.

Around 356 grassroots cricket clubs from villages across the UK will compete first at regional levels, then national, for a chance to play in the final at the famous Lord's Cricket Ground.

Lydia Greenway said: “Clubs like Cropredy are the lifeblood of cricket and I can’t wait to cast my eye over the talent on display there.

“This year’s Voneus Village Cup promises to be an enthralling competition, as always, and I’m excited to see how Cropredy fare as they set out on the road to Lord’s.”

The Cropredy team has played in the cup on 28 occasions, and this year they hope they can go further than their semi-final efforts in 2001.

Peter Cooling added: “We know we’re playing at a slightly higher level than some of our local rivals, so fingers crossed that this is the year we make it all the way to Lords for the final on Sunday, September 15.”