Find out how Molly discovered a passion for cricket
I’m Molly, I’m 15 years old and from South Yorkshire. My school told me about the Big Sister project and, because I love sport, I really wanted to get involved. I was asked to write a blog about my experiences so here goes…
Sport plays a massive part in my life. I’m a competitive person and always want to improve but you don’t need to be competitive to enjoy it. Sport, and all that comes with it, adds so much to my life. And I’ve gained a lot from it. It brings me so much happiness, so I’d encourage any girl to get involved – there really is a sport for everyone.
My first taste of sport was tennis. I started when I was very young. There’s a tennis club close to my house and a lot of the local kids and parents play there. I don’t compete much these days, but I still train frequently and there’s usually someone around that I can have a hit with. It’s a good way to burn off some energy and catch up with friends.
Cricket was the sport that I choose to take more seriously. I got involved with cricket through my school when a teacher encouraged me to give it a go. It wasn’t something I’d ever imagined myself doing, but I found that I enjoyed it and stuck with it. When I started out a lot of girls that I met had some kind of family connection with cricket, although this has changed a lot recently. Women’s cricket is growing rapidly and it has been inspiring to see role models on TV in the Hundred tournament or televised England Women Internationals.
I’m focussing on playing cricket at a higher level, so it’s made me think a lot more about how I can get the most out of my body; using time away from the pitch to help improve my performance. That’s where strength and conditioning in the gym come in to play. It’s only something I’ve become interested in more recently, but I’m keen to see if I can make gains in the gym that are going to translate to performances on the field. The gym is somewhere where I can measure my progress, which is also motivating. I like to compete against myself.
Both cricket and tennis are sociable sports and I’ve built some great friendships through them. I’ve also found that having a structure to my life, with regular training and matches helps me to focus my time. I’m a procrastinator and I can make any task fill the time that I have. Playing sport means that I have to make the best of my time. If anything, I find that it makes me more productive with my school work and revision.
It can be nerve wracking starting out so taking a friend will make it easier, but don’t be put off if you can’t find someone to join you. You’ll find that people are super welcoming. Everyone knows what it feels like to be the new person and they will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and welcome. Often people are just happy to see new people entering the sport and sharing their passion!
Fancy trying out cricket?
Women’s cricket is no longer the niche sport that it once was and a lot of cricket clubs now cater for women and girls, with teams springing up all time. There are also many girls and women choosing to play in what might have traditionally been considered as men’s teams. The men that I’ve played with couldn’t have been more encouraging!
There are even indoor leagues, so it can be played all year round. Many women/girls start with softball cricket. This is a shorter format and doesn’t need lots of kit. It’s a great way to enter the sport and is lots of fun!
Molly 😊
To find out more about getting involved in cricket, take a look at these links:
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