Year 12 Kingsbury Green Academy pupil Rowan has been picked for the Wiltshire County Under 18s cricket team.
Having now reached the highest level of domestic cricket, Rowan started playing 10 years ago in the garden with her dad and progressed to playing with the Calne youth team before moving onto the Devizes women’s team playing the West of England Premier League, and has now been picked to play at county level.
Playing at county level means that Rowan has a busy schedule of training, coaches and matches, with cricket now taking up her time outside school every day from Wednesday to Sunday. However, the highlight of her latest achievement is the Wiltshire Under 18s Girls’ Sri Lanka tour, which will be taking place next February.
Rowan, and the rest of her team plus others, will be visiting Sri Lanka to play teams out there and undertake charity work, working with young people on the island to inspire a love of the game and donate cricket equipment.
Rowan explained, “I always wanted to play at county and I had to take part in trials and winter training to be accepted into the Wiltshire Under 18s team.
“Cricket is a very mental game, it requires a lot of stamina as the games are played over long periods of time. You could be playing from 9am until 6pm and as part of that you could be batting for an hour or two; so it’s physically tough as well. If you’re in the field, you’re always watching and catching from the sidelines too.
“I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing and I really like being part of the team. We’ve played against professionals and been coached by them too, so it’s great to see how they perform and play and be inspired by them.
“I watch a lot of cricket and, if I can, I would like to get into a women’s team after this if I’m good enough. Whatever happens though, I will always play as a hobby.”
Kingsbury Green Academy headteacher, Jason Tudor, added, “Rowan is a very talented cricketer and we’re very proud that she has achieved a place on the county team. She balances her studies with her training and we will be eagerly following her success on the team and her trip of a lifetime to Sri Lanka.”
Kingsbury Green Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. For more information, visit www.kingsburygreenacademy.com