Presidents Introduction:

A true Legend from the Ladies Section and one known to may current members is Abby MacArthur. A truly amazing and dedicated club member over the years Abi joined in around 1998-99 and fortunately is still involved today. She is well known for her amazing singing talent, great sense of humour and love of life in general  

A Brief History

The ladies 1st XI was full of playing legends when I arrived, with a long list of silverware and European dalliances already to their name. I was a lazy, cocky 18yr old more interested in the social than the competition so the 2nd XI is where I began my Cardiff journey. I remember a call up to the 1s for a National League trip to Colwyn Bay – I warmed the bench pretty successfully as I recall. I quickly established myself in the club as the loud defender with the big hit – earning me the kudos of 2nd XI captain and eventually, as the original 1st team legends retired, I broke my way into the top team and as the years rolled by I crept into the captain spot here as well.

Ahh the socials…. The glory days of the Poachers Lodge, Chairman’s keg, Jugopoly and the night we filled the bar with a ton of sand for a Hawaiian party. Raucous nights in the skittle alley at the Halfway – everyone’s phones propped up on the window sill to get a signal; sausage and chips in the Beverley; and karaoke nights in the Cayo. We definitely painted Cathedral Road cambridge blue & black through the years. The mens and ladies sections have always had a great history of socialising together and I love that the friendships forged on those nights out are still strong today. I remember one three-legged pub crawl back in the day where the lads and ladies were paired up and sent on their way – all the gents gallantly drinking the lion’s share of the alcohol specified. That is, all except my gentleman partner – Ian ‘JaRule’ Davies. I sank the pints whilst he sipped delicately on his blue WKD! Many of the social stories I remember aren’t for writing down but catch me in a talkative mood and I’ll have a number of respectable club members blushing

I’m a little older and wiser now – my beer funneling and yard drinking days only surface once or twice a year. I happened to be Ladies chair at the time the club went through its biggest change in recent history – merging the section with Cardiff Met university. The men’s section had successfully maneuvered their merger some years before and it was inevitable that the ladies section would follow suit. It wasn’t plain sailing though – the section voted and it was only marginally agreed to go ahead. A lot of heartbreak, headaches and hard work eventually brought the ladies section to their current incredibly strong position and I’m proud to have been part of this huge part of club history. My body is somehow still allowing me to play competitively in the highest Welsh league, Prem 1, for our 2nd XI. I fell into umpiring for the club and found out I was pretty good at it – the club is super supportive and I’ve been umpiring international matches, representing Wales both outdoor and indoor. My indoor umpiring career especially has taken off over the past 5 years – 2019 gave me my NPUA A panel and international advancement panel upgrades making me one of Wales’ top indoor umpires. Away from the club, I’m married and holding down a good job – those that remember me from the old days may never have seen either of those things happening!