Hannah Jones - A busy Summer…
“Just go for it, if you love the game you will build up friendships around the game and learn from their experiences.”
Last year we caught up with Former student, Hannah Jones.
Hannah studied with us between 2015 and 2017 and was the first female player to represent Myerscough’s First XI. Since she has left, she has gone on to start her professional playing career at an exciting time for Women’s cricket.
We caught up with her during last Pre Season following lockdown to see how she was adjusting to playing professional cricket and how she found her time studying at Myerscough.
How have you been spending lockdown?
During lockdown, I have been very careful with contacts outside of my bubble. I have been training within the bubble of Old Trafford and I have been keeping my fitness up by running and walking a lot. We completed a challenge at Didsbury CC raising money for Francis House and Didsbury women’s cricket club of walking 5 million steps in 50 day which was split into virtual teams and we completed it well.
Tell me a little bit about your cricket since you finished the course at Myerscough?
Since I finished, I have played for both Didsbury men and women’s team at weekends and continued to play for Lancashire. I was lucky last season to be asked to play for North West Thunder and I gained a lot from this experience. When this finished, I was overwhelmed when I was offered by North West Thunder coaches a full-time contract and then a Manchester Originals contract.
How did you find college in general being a woman in a male dominated environment?
At the beginning, it was nerve racking and overwhelming, but the other students and staff made me feel like I was an equal and we all got on really well; it was useful knowing someone on the course as well.
You played a fair bit of cricket for college, Tell me about college cricket from your point of view?
The games were an ideal time to put the classroom information into a game situation. The experience of the other colleges and how they were taught in the different surroundings. The team spirit was increased with the games and we were able to go back and learn from the games.
What’s your best memory of your time at Myerscough?
Being accepted as one of the team and my hattrick at Denstone College being picked up in celebration by one of the team.
Going on tour to Somerset and gaining from the experience of the tour seeing new places and playing in the team.
What advice would you give female students wanting to join the course?
Just go for it, if you love the game you will build up friendships around the game and learn from their experiences. Don’t worry about being the only female as learning the game is more important and even if you are not confident the course builds up your confidence.
What are your hopes for this upcoming summer and cricket season?
To play cricket. For the games we play for North west thunder and Manchester Originals having spectators so my family and friends can come and watch in the ground instead of watching the stream on their phones.
Hoping that the games we are going to play for Manchester Originals go on with the international players there and learning from them.
Since we last caught up with Hannah, she has spent a season representing North West Thunder and Manchester Originals as well as making her debut for England A, against the Touring New Zealanders where she picked up two wickets in a One Day International.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/new-zealand-women-tour-of-england-2021-1260090/england-a-women-vs-new-zealand-women-tour-match-1274504/full-scorecard
Hannah also picked up her maiden five wicket haul at the back end of the Rachel Heyhoe Flint trophy last Summer with figures of 5/33 against The Stars at Beckenham.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/rachael-heyhoe-flint-trophy-2021-1252263/south-east-stars-vs-thunder-1252289/full-scorecard
Hannah also made her debut in the Inaugral Hundred competition this summer taking some key wickets and helping Manchester Originals to their first win in the competition
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/the-hundred-women-s-competition-2021-1252659/manchester-originals-women-vs-southern-brave-women-19th-match-1252718/match-report
Thanks so much to Hannah for her time and best of luck again for the coming season.