“It was a pleasure spending time with Brunty on the bench. Her knowledge is priceless and has given me real confidence going into the season. I can take pride in taking her thoughts and putting them in my cricket arsenal.”
Phoebe Graham blogs about Northern Diamonds’ opening exchanges at the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, learning about cricket and buildings from Katherine Brunt and the special moment she secured her contract for The Hundred.
What a festive weekend of good cricket in bloom!
We had a knowledgeable dressing room, a team of Diamonds eager to learn, and our true passion for the North manifested itself in the end. There were five quarters, six, toning, fanatics, and exciting finals. That’s what women’s cricket is all about.
It was a spectacular occasion at Emerald Headingley on Saturday when we faced Central Sparks. As always, the staff welcomed us with open arms and Ceals (our operations manager) made sure the little special touches were perfect to make the grounds feel like home.
With the arms of England of Katherine Brunt, Nat Sciver and Lauren Winfield-Hill back, it meant that sadly I had to swallow the hard pill of being the twelfth man. But, as Einstein says: “the only source of knowledge is experience.” Coaching and playing alongside world-class international players is not a bad performance, so it was time to soak up the knowledge.
It was a pleasure spending time with Brunty at the shelter. His knowledge is priceless and has given me real confidence going into the season. I can take pride in taking your thoughts and putting them in my cricket arsenal. Not just cricket, now I know the new construction warranties and that should enter the real estate market … early (cricketer by trade, real estate investor by night).
We got off to a good start with Lauren Winfield-Hill breaking 110, hitting sixes in the stands for fun. We hit an absolute dream scenario 279.
We had Sparks 194-7, it felt like we were on our way to our first win. However, the match proved that it never ends until it ends. Sparks put up a great battle and Sarah Glenn played an impressive inning coming to 71, keeping her nerves on a nail-biting game of cricket. Losing at home is never pleasant, but there are great lessons to be learned early in the season.
So he went to Leicester on Sunday for what turned out to be another brilliant game of cricket against Lightning. The wicket was green so we knew there would be a bit of a bite and the oppo started exceptionally well.
Macca [Alex McDonald] and Jenny Gunn MBE held the fort and got us out of a tough spot, showing what hard work looks like in the middle. We fought hard to get to 151, a score that required an exceptional bowling performance.
It was then that the master class began. There were amazing scenes from our sewing attack with Sciver, Beth Langston, and Brunt all brilliantly bowling. Langers took the last wicket to secure a six-run victory; We learned from Saturday and showed our true passion for the north by coming back in style.
It was a fabulous weekend in the sun with the Diamonds and we showed that we are back and ready to race. It has made us want to finish the games and play hard until the end. I’m looking forward to getting back on the pitch with the girls and will be looking forward to taking my chance when it comes.
To have our international players in camp putting into perspective the talent we have, the inspiration they offer and the laughs I will have this summer, not just with the Northern Diamonds but with the Northern Superchargers.
Securing my contract with The Hundred was a special moment and if these are the types of shows we are offering in regional cricket, I can’t wait to see what the new competition brings.
It’s a great start for women’s cricket and this is just the beginning.
