Latest news with #EbonyRainfordBrent
The Guardian
11-08-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cricket must get on the front foot in helping women and girls to feel accepted
Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since myself and Ebony Rainford-Brent made our England cricket debuts. It was awesome for us to win World Cups together as the first two female internationals from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Since then there have been only four others, two with an Indian heritage. When you think of the interest shown in the game by the South Asian community, it is a staggering number. In 2022 I founded a charity, Take Her Lead, in honour of my mum, with the aim to increase the number of women and girls playing and staying in the game, and advance equity and diversity in cricket. We do this through connecting young players from under‑represented groups to aspirational role models through life-skills workshops, to build the mental and social skills required to stay in the sport (girls are 20% more likely to drop out of sport than boys). We also support women who work or volunteer in cricket and sports broadcasting, and fund research. While there is increased visibility and investment in the women's game, there is still a lot to be done at grassroots and community level. When Take Her Lead conducted a survey of 1,000 women and girls in 2022, we found that the majority didn't feel they belonged in the sport. Our mission is to make sure every woman and girl has the best possible experience of cricket whenever and however they are involved. One of our projects will be to give girls from South Asian backgrounds the support they need to stay in the sport. We have recently set up an advisory panel of current and former international and domestic cricketers, and experts in community and development, and the National Asian Cricket Council, and will be working with the South Asian Cricket Academy (Saca) to support 10 professional players. In the past few years I've reflected on my own personal journey, and asked myself why I've been one of the few from my background. At my first England Under-15s training camp, at 12, my first experience was someone joking about my spots. While being judged on your appearance is common for young people, its impact can be felt more when you look and feel different. For the rest of the weekend I segregated myself from everyone else and ended up getting told off by my coach. I was also very unfit and struggled to keep up. When the next training weekend came round, I told Mum I didn't want to go. Now, South Asian families are starting to realise cricket can be a viable career option and encouraging their daughters a lot more, but 25 years ago those attitudes were very different so I was grateful to my parents, who encouraged me to keep going. Mum gave me the advice and strength to go back and do the talking with my cricket. I also forced myself to get better at running: in the evenings, after school, Dad would drop me off a certain distance from home and I would have to run back with him following me in the car. I eventually got to the standards I needed! Asian parents at that time were rarely so supportive of young girls who let sport take focus away from their studies, more so than boys, but with the help of mine I could do both. When I first played for England the media celebrated the fact I was the first woman of Indian heritage to make the team. At the time I didn't want the added attention but I soon realised how important representation is. I also became more conscious of how people viewed British South Asian cricketers, both male and female – I think there was a feeling we were bad at fielding, lacked fitness and weren't as resilient, so I tried so hard to prove we weren't like that and I never wanted to be dropped for those reasons. It's fair to say, with more visibility of South Asian female role models around the world, that tag has shifted. In the England dressing room I didn't talk about my culture too much. Not because I didn't feel like I could, I just wanted to keep those parts of my life separate. In 2002, the year after my debut, I won the BBC Asian Sports Personality of the Year award, and the whole team came to the ceremony to support me. That really helped me feel part of the set-up. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion I went on to have a decade-long international career, but so many other South Asian girls have left the game or not taken it up at all. Earlier this year Hina Shafi, a PhD researcher at Birmingham City University, joint‑funded by Take Her Lead, the England and Wales Cricket Board, Saca and the Ace Programme, published a study highlighting the lack of representation of diverse backgrounds on the ECB's talent pathway. She found that while South Asian women and girls make up 11.6% of participants at youth level, that drops to only 3.3% of the country's professional female cricketers. Two of those 150 professionals are black. Of all parts of British society, South Asian women and girls are the least likely to take part in recommended levels of physical activity. It is not just about fitness, there are also issues with nutrition – to support me, Mum had to completely change the way she cooked at home. Period dignity historically for South Asian girls was also not talked about, and I relied on friends and teammates. Coaches also need an understanding that if a player prioritises their studies or a family event, it doesn't mean they are not committed. I said no to an Ashes tour because of my A-levels! Thankfully it didn't set me too far back in the pecking order. It is also important not to clump South Asian communities into one big group: the challenges for a Muslim girl might be different to one from the Indian Hindu community, and even within that group there'll be lots of different cultures. I picked up a quote from the former Australian international footballer Moya Dodd: 'Boys need to be competitive to feel accepted, but girls need to feel accepted to be competitive.' That acceptance is exactly what we are trying to achieve.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Croydon school pupils to take part in first-ever APEX International Cricket Festival
Cricket legend Sir Andrew Strauss will make an appearance at the festival (Image: Red Consultancy) Pupils at a school in Croydon are set to participate in the first-ever APEX International Cricket Festival. The festival, which is set to take place from June 29 to July 2, 2025, will be held at Millfield School in Somerset. Advertisement Trinity School, in Croydon, is one of the schools who will be represented at the event. The wealth management firm Titan Wealth, who are sponsoring the festival and have also played a part in its planning, have said the event promises to be a "transformative experience" for the young cricketers. It will feature Under-15 teams from South Africa, Namibia, and the UK. As well as the cricket, the festival aims to teach players valuable life skills and to help them make lasting friendships. There will be appearances by cricket legends Sir Andrew Strauss and Ebony Rainford-Brent. Cricket legend Ebony Rainford-Brent will also attend the festival (Image: Red Consultancy) Advertisement There will also be sessions led by wellbeing and life coaches on mental and physical health, and career development. These will aim to teach young players how to handle pressure and how to make the most of their strengths. Mike Fogden, chief marketing officer at Titan Wealth, said: "This event is not just about cricket; it's about creating opportunities and building a network for young people. "We believe in the vision of APEX and our team has enjoyed working with the organising committee to create a hugely exciting, well-rounded event. "We all can't wait for the first delivery." Advertisement Titan Wealth's sponsorship of the festival is part of their commitment to nurturing young talent, on and off the field. They aim to provide a number of internships and work placements for young players as part of a wider sponsorship programme. The festival has also partnered with cricket charities Bat for a Chance and the MCC Foundation. These partnerships are intended to ensure underprivileged children can experience the joys of cricket. For more information and updates, visit or contact Jo Plinston, head of partnerships and events at Titan Wealth, via
BBC News
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Test Match Special Brook bags clean sweep as Kohli crowns career with IPL
Henry Moeran presents reaction to England beating the West Indies at The Oval to win the ODI series 3-0. West Indies World Cup winner Carlos Brathwaite & England World Cup and Ashes winner Ebony Rainford-Brent analyse the result. Jamie Smith gives his thoughts on the win with the batter starring as England's opener, Brook reflects on a winning start to life as England white-ball captain, and West Indies captain Shai Hope looks back on a tough series for West Indies. Nikesh Rughani, Matt Kabir Floyd, and former IPL batter Abhishek Jhunjhunwala give their reaction to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Virat Kohli winning the IPL. Plus, an emotional Kohli gives his thoughts on finally winning the Indian Premier League.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Superb Matthews looks to salvage innings for Windies v England
Update: Date: 17 overs Title: WI 119-6 Content: Matthews 80, Mangru 11 Eight runs from that Lauren Bell over as West Indies continue to score at a rate of seven runs per over. Hayley Matthews tries to keep strike but Bell bowls a bouncer that the batter fails to connect. So Mandy Mangru will take strike at the start of the 18th over instead. Update: Date: 19:49 BST Title: Post Content: Henry MoeranTest Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Immediately, the punishment comes. Unnecessary runs as far as England are concerned. Update: Date: 16.3 overs Title: WI 117-6 Content: Matthews 79, Mangru 10 Lauren Bell returns to the attack. But Hayley Matthews is the one doing all the attacking. The West Indies skipper hits another boundary - this time through deep cover as the visitors keep the scoreboard ticking despite the damages. Update: Date: 19:46 BST Title: Post Content: Ebony Rainford-BrentFormer England batter on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra It is a very good batting surface. You can see that from some of the shots being played. Update: Date: 16 overs Title: WI 111-6 Content: Matthews 74, Mangru 9 Em Arlott's England bowling debut comes to an end. She finishes with a wicket while conceding 28 runs from her four overs. Update: Date: 19:44 BST Title: Post Content: Henry MoeranTest Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Charlie Dean is one of the best fielders in the England team and if she wasn't going to get there, no one was. Fingertips. Update: Date: 15.3 overs Title: WI 107-6 Content: Matthews 73, Mangru 7 Em Arlott is bowling her final over and forces a leading edge off Hayley Matthews towards the point. Charlie Dean dives but can't quite complete the catch. But a good effort from the England fielder nonetheless. Update: Date: 15 overs Title: WI 105-6 Content: Mangru 6, Matthews 71 Into the final five overs we go. West Indies have pinned all their hopes on Hayley Matthews here, but she will start the 16th over at the non-striker's end. Update: Date: 19:39 BST Title: Post Content: Rufus BulloughCricViz analyst All hopes for the West Indies lie with their skipper here. In games where Matthews scores over 50 runs, West indies win 72% of the time. Update: Date: 19:39 BST Title: Post Content: Ebony Rainford-BrentFormer England batter on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra That is the sign of technical perfection. To be able to hold your shape and hit down the ground with a bowler coming round the wicket. That is insane. Update: Date: 14.2 overs Title: WI 103-6 Content: Matthews 70, Mangru 5 West Indies bring up 100 as Hayley Matthews' onslaught continues. The West Indies skipper hits back-to-back boundaries, lifting the second one over the mid-wicket with the perfect mix of timing, placement and power. Update: Date: 14 overs Title: WI 95-6 Content: Matthews 62, Mangru 5 Mandy Mangru is the new batter in. And she gets off the mark stylishly with a boundary off the second ball. Update: Date: 19:34 BST Title: Post Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra She was out by about the distance from here to Glasgow. Update: Date: 19:33 BST Title: Post Content: Daniel NorcrossTest Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra It didn't look like a possible two. Glasgow is out by a bit over a metre. Update: Date: 13.2 overs Title: WICKET Content: Glasgow run out (Smith/Dean) 4 (WI 87-6) This video can not be played Glasgow run out by Wong for four at non-strikers end Hayley Matthews hits one to mid-wicket and wants two when there is only one in it. Jannillea Glasgow is unfortunate the ball falls for Issy Wong, who picks up well and gets it to Charlie Dean who completes the run out with the batter well short. Update: Date: 13 overs Title: WI 82-5 Content: Glasgow 4, Matthews 55 End of a memorable over for Em Arlott. A wicket and seven runs out of it and it could have been two wickets as newcomer Jannillea Glasgow edges one, but there is no slip and it races away for a boundary. Update: Date: 19:27 BST Title: Post Content: Daniel NorcrossTest Match Special commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Em Arlott has got her first wicket in international cricket for England - and she looks delighted. She's being mobbed by her team-mates. Update: Date: 19:27 BST Title: Post Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra It's a special feeling getting your first international wicket and one she won't forget. A good short ball from Em Arlott. Update: Date: 12.3 overs Title: WICKET Content: Alleyne c Sciver-Brunt b Arlott 2 (WI 78-5) This video can not be played 'She looks delighted!' - Arlott dismisses Alleyne for her first international wicket England pick up another wicket! It's a first of her international career for Em Arlott. Aaliyah Alleyne goes after Arlott's short ball and it's Nat Sciver-Brunt who once again claims the catch. Update: Date: 19:24 BST Title: Post Content: Alex HartleyFormer England bowler on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra I think it might have been back of the hand slower ball from Issy Wong and well-timed from Nat Sciver-Brunt coming in from the deep. England are well and truly on top here.
