MORE than 50 brownie leaders will be playing cricket at the county ground in Canterbury this weekend.

Brown owls, tawny owls and other girl guiders from all over Kent are being trained in the basics of cricket to help develop girls' cricket in the county.

David Sear, Kent's cricket development officer, who has been planning the project said: "Although girls' cricket in Kent has been quite successful we still need many more girls playing, and at clubs in particular. There are about 5,000 brownies aged 7-11 in East Kent alone, all organised in groups with a significant number of adult volunteers.

"I suggested to Jan Scott, the county commissioner, that it would be a great idea if they had a go a cricket."

Jan Scott said: "All my guiding colleagues are very excited at the prospect of finding out about Kwik Cricket. It will be a new dimension for us and it sounds a lot of fun."

Muriel Ritchie who leads the 2nd Chartham Brownies, said: "I really know nothing about cricket, except that it's played with a hard ball, because my husband lost his front teeth in game years ago.

Every brownie unit represented at the coaching session will receive a Kwik Cricket set.

Later in the summer, five brownie Kwik Cricket festivals will be held at the University of Kent at Canterbury, Minster on Sheppey Cricket Club; Pfizer Sports and Social Club, Betteshanger Colliery Welfare Cricket Club, Deal; and Southlands Leisure Centre, New Romney.