Sisters' cricket brand wins £50k Dragons' Den deal

Two teenagers who set up a women's cricket equipment company after feeling the sport was less accessible for them say they felt nervous to appear on Dragons' Den before receiving a £50,000 investment.

Cat and Honor, 17 and 19, set up Maiden Cricket to create purpose-made sportswear for women after previously having to wear ill-fitting kit, as it had been designed for the men's game.

The sisters, from Chichester, West Sussex, received offers from all five Dragons while appearing on the BBC One show on Thursday, before finally accepting a deal from all five investors.

Speaking on BBC Radio Sussex, Honor said: "We want girls to feel like the sport was more made for them."

She added: "We couldn't believe it took two teenage girls to figure out the source of the problem."

Cat said: "I was so nervous. Honor and I couldn't sleep the night before so we recorded ourselves and fell asleep listening to our pitch.

"As much as this is about cricket for us, it's also a pitch to say to women that if you have an issue that isn't being resolved for you, you can do something about it."

The pair, who were 16 and 17 during the filming, said they had found appearing on the show daunting, with Cat filming during preparation for her GCSE exams.

Cat and Honor said they set up Maiden after conversations with their father about not feeling confident or comfortable about playing with equipment that was not suitable for them.

The brand was set up just over two years ago, and now sell to clubs and schools, as well as expanding to the US ahead of the return of cricket to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Fashion entrepreneur Touker Suleyman said he was "very impressed" by the quality of the products, while Gary Neville said: "I think the story is great, and the need is there."

Cat and Honor received a £50,000 investment from Suleyman, Neville, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones, in return for a 5% stake each.

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