We caught up with Heather Knight who was speaking at a women & girls' team training session at Ilton CC. The club is the recipient of LV= Insurance’s and ECB’s #Funds4Runs grassroots investment – ahead of the LV= Insurance Women’s Test Match at Taunton. We spoke to Knight about the state of women’s sport, asked her for her tips for budding female cricketers and which female sportsperson she most admires.
Heather Knight
At what point in your life did your passion for cricket kick in?
I have an older brother called Steve and he started cricket at school- I was seven I think and we just started playing in the back garden. I really enjoyed it- I like the individual element but also being around people. The social side of it took me down to my local cricket club- I liked being outdoors and the competitive element of it.
Once you had established yourself in the sport, did you always know you wanted to become a captain?
No actually- I always enjoyed responsibility but I don’t think it was a natural ‘oh she’s going to be captain of England one day’. I did club cricket- I was captain of my boys under 11s club team and school team because I was good not because I was captain material. As I made my way through the ranks, I found I enjoyed the responsibility. It didn’t affect my game too much- if anything it probably made me play a bit more responsibly and a bit better but no it was never written in the stars, it was just something I enjoyed and have developed and progressed throughout my career.
Are you content with women's sport as it is, or do you think improvements can be made?
There are loads of improvements to be made. I think it’s progressed over the last few years- it’s been crazy but it would be stupid to put a lid on where it can go. Cricket has developed hugely as have other women’s sports. I think it’s just becoming a lot more mainstream. The Women’s Euros this summer is going to be huge for women’s sport. The perceptions have changed which is huge, but there is still a long way to go in terms of the funding of it and the support for the other events. It is really exciting and it has so much growth potential.
Which female sportsperson has inspired you the most during your career?
When I was a kid it was Denise Lewis (she had a big smile on her face, loved what she did and is obviously an amazing athlete). Kelly Holmes as well- I remember watching her win those medals in Athens. But also the people I play with- Isa Guha who is one of my best mates- seeing how she has developed her career outside of cricket and how she has helped to shift the narrative around women’s broadcasters has been great. Catherine Brandt who I have played with for many years- the things she has overcome in her career- there is inspiration from people I play with every day because a lot of them have really great stories.
What made you want to get involved with #FundsForRuns?
Women’s cricket is in a great place and success at the top- it’s important that the bottom of the triangle gets that support as well to get girls and women playing cricket. That’s only going to grow with the support around the country and make it normal to be a female cricketer. I love coming back to cricket clubs like this. With Covid as well, we haven't been able to do much the last couple of years so it’s quite refreshing to come back to clubs and see what it’s like in the evenings. When I was a kid, I used to love coming to the club and it was a big part of my childhood growing up. It’s nice to come back and see women’s sport thriving.
What difference does the grassroots funding make?
Lots of difference- I think LV are trying to fund 4,000 coaches to support grassroots cricket and the women playing after Covid and that is so important. Potentially people have moved away from things and reassessed their life so it’s important that people come back to cricket to remember why they were here in the first place and get new people involved.
What are your top tips for women who want to take up cricket for the first time?
Top tips would be- try and get a group of mates who you enjoy hanging out with because that’s what cricket is all about- the social side of things. Keep it really simple because cricket can sometimes be its own worst enemy and over complicate things. Ultimately it’s about bowling a ball, hitting a ball and having fun. Once you are starting out, just keep it really simple and enjoy it!
What does a day in training camp look like for a cricketer?
It’s a week before the rest match so we will be doing a lot of red ball practice, a lot of scenario stuff, different periods in the game that we might face against South Africa- a bit of gym work and a bit of running. We have a 2K time trial this week which isn’t the most pleasant but something you have to do as an athlete. Red ball preparation is about repeating your skill so we will have a few heavy days for the bowlers improving our skills and getting used to the skill sets that you need.
How long is a day in training camp?
Some days we will do 10-5 which is a bit full on, whereas usually we would just train for a morning or afternoon. We’ve been training together at Loughborough for the last couple of weeks so usually there would be reasonably full days so you could fit in all your skill stuff- your fielding, your fitness, your gym work and your recovery and getting the right feeling on board.
How has the game of women's cricket changed since you first started playing it?
Massively. The standard is so different now. I made my debut in Dubai in 2010 in a club round- there was a few press but not anything like you get now. The girls who make their debut next week- they will be on TV, they will be asked questions, there will be scrutiny, there will be a crowd. It’s also very different in terms of the perceptions of the game- people are a lot more supportive of women’s cricket- you don’t get as many derogatory comments. You still get a few but I think people see cricket as a game for women more and more which is great and I don’t think it was the case at the start of my career and certainly not when I was a kid. It’s changed hugely and it’s going to change a lot in the next ten years.
What is next for you?
The Test match at Taunton starts very soon, we’ve got South Africa, we’ve got the Commonwealth Games, the 100, we’ve got a series against India in September so it’s quite a full on summer. Then we do a tour of the West Indies and the T20 World Cup is one of the big events so lots of things coming up!
Ilton CC are a recipient of #Funds4Runs, a £1million joint investment between the ECB and LV= Insurance to support focus areas of the grassroots cricket community. In its second full-year the fund will support 4,000 grassroots coaches and at least 20,000 players from all levels each year [lv.com/gi/cricket]lv.com/gi/cricket
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