11-year-old Lilly didn’t play any sport, she was shy, lacked confidence and didn’t see herself as one of the ‘sporty kids’ in her class. That was until she was introduced to cricket in her local area. Now, Lilly takes any opportunity to pick up a bat or bowl a ball.

Her first Chance to Shine session opened the door for her love of the sport. It was at Kingsfleet Primary School where she first hit a cricket ball. Her coach, Chloe Leveridge, says: “Lilly was quite nervous during that first session but then it just seemed to click. People started to tell her she was good at it and before we knew it, she was hooked.”

As her cricketing prowess grew, so did her confidence. Lilly recalls “I love cricket now; I couldn’t imagine not playing it. It makes me feel great because you know you’ve helped the team and the team want to help you.” Just eighteen months after her first cricket training session, Lilly’s hard work and dedication has paid off. She now represents the Suffolk county under 11 team as their first-choice wicket keeper and, in her own words, is ‘probably better than Jonny Bairstow already.’

She firmly believes that there’s no such things as a girls or boys sport and when asked what she would say to someone who thinks cricket isn’t for girls, she replied, “I just wouldn’t listen to them, it’s a sport for everyone whether you’re a girl or a boy. The England women’s team are proving that right now!”