BURY cricketer Kate Cross is hoping to build on World Cup fever to inspire a new generation of girls to get into the sport when the KIA Super League begins this week.

Former Bury Grammar School pupil Cross, aged 25, is a key player for Lancashire Thunder, one of six teams in the tournament,

Thunder’s first game is against the Yorkshire Diamonds in front of a sell-out crowd at Headingley tomorrow, before the men’s teams square off in theT20 Blast.

Cross missed out on selection for the World Cup, but will be eager to win back her place in the team ahead of this winter’s Ashes series in Australia, and is keen to win a few new supporters along the way.

“Last year (in the first running of the Kia Super League) we averaged a thousand people at every game, which for domestic women’s cricket is incredible,” she said.

“People really bought into it, which in the past had never happened.

“This year our first game will be the Roses clash at Headingley before the men’s Roses game in the T20 Blast.

“I never imagined that in my playing career I would be playing domestic cricket in that kind of capacity, and it’s on Sky Sports.

“Within a year, the tournament has absolutely snowballed.

“It is another chance to put women’s cricket out there (build on the success of the World Cup) and get more girls involved.”

Cross has fond memories of last year’s tournament, despite Lancashire failing to make it past the group stages.

She said: “I remember, when we played the Roses clash at Old Trafford last year, one little girl sent me a picture on Twitter of a selfie I had taken with her.

“Her mum had tweeted me saying ‘my daughter absolutely loved tonight, she now realises girls can play cricket’.

“We lost that game really badly. We didn’t have a good tournament – we only won one game – but that really took me back to the start about why I wanted to play cricket.

“Win, lose or draw, there are bigger things to worry about and that for me was a really special moment and what I took away from the tournament.

“That was just one girl, so if we can inspire a handful or more that’s really important and I think the Super League will help to do that.”

Thunder’s first home match is at Old Trafford against Surrey Stars on Wednesday. They also host Loughborough Lightning in Blackpool a week on Sunday and Southern Vipers in Liverpool on Wednesday, August 23, before finishing off the group stages against Western Storm in Bristol on Saturday, August 26.

The top four teams will go through to the finals day, which will be held at Hove on Friday, September 1.