Under 17 girls aiming to make the breakthrough
Tuesday 30th June 2015
Kent Under-17 performance squad bowler Caitlyn Hobbs looks at the season so far – a big one for girl’s and women’s cricket in Kent.
Megan Belt, Phoebe Franklin and Emily Thompson are already in the women's squad at the age of 17 and that inspires us all that we can follow in their footsteps.
We have won both our matches so far and training has been intense and very physical so we can perform at our best.
We practice catching, diving, running between the wicket, bowling, fielding and everyone’s all-time favourite, fitness practice.
Fitness is always somehow involved within any drill or exercise we do an example would be if we were doing catching practice and someone dropped a catch then we would all have to do press-ups, do a lap, lunges and squats.
At the end of the day we all know that it’s for our own good and that it can make the difference in a match.
The training is always prepared and planned by our coach and manager Nick Bier and he always manages to make it fun and enjoyable with plenty to do.
Myself, Alice Tomlinson and Lottie Hayward have bowled quite consistently. I took 4/10 in both our games with my medium pace including the occasional inswinger.
From performances that I have seen so far, hopefully there will be a few of us going up to the women's squad the years to come.
The Kent U17 girls' squad is going to a cricket festival at King's College, Taunton on 14-16 July against Cornwall and Wales.
As a team we work hard together and all have the ability to go far in the future. We have a great team spirit and confidence that runs throughout every player.
Our team has a positive outlook on anything and everything during the matches that we play, even if we are getting thumped we will all always have something positive to look at or point out to others.
Being a member of the Kent teams is an amazing and life-changing experience that has allowed me to progress improve my technique and fitness, especially for bowling.
I have been able to gel well with the other girls and have been welcomed and accepted within the team.
I am doing a week’s work experience with Kent Cricket at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence in Canterbury and been on some school visits with Kent players to inspire young children and get them wanting to play more cricket.
I have been to three schools, where I have represented girls/women’s cricket and I think I have managed to get a lot of the girls within these schools excited about playing cricket which I hope they do as they grow up because women’s cricket is becoming more and more popular nowadays.
I also had to go through a Q&A with the students where they were then able to ask me questions about my inspiration and I talked about Kent players Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway as they have been a massive role model in my cricketing life and have been since the age of 11.
They were the ones who had helped me the most especially when I was playing district cricket, they were the ones helping us with different techniques and training we needed to be the best. Therefore I don’t think I would have been where I am today without those two.
Pictured above:Izzy Cloke, Megan Belt, Zoe Moyler, Caitlyn Hobbs, Alice Tomlinson,Emily Thompson, Kitty Perry, Georgia Murray, Rochelle Beeson, Lottie Haywood, Charlie-Jo Newman, Leanne.
Australia take on Englandat The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrencein the only Women's Ashes Test Match as part of an extended Canterbury Week this summer.
Entry to the Women’s Ashes Kia Test on August 11-14 and Kent v Australia men on June 25-28 is included in Kent All Rounder and Championship Plus Memberships and is an option for Six Pack package holders.