Women's Rapids
Lauren Rowles crossed counties from Gloucestershire to Worcestershire with high hopes and having studied Sports Coaching Science and Development at University of Worcester she was required to undertake a coaching placement. She completed it with Jon Hancock, her first team coach now.
Her rise was such that she was instilled as the captain of the Worcestershire Women’s Rapids and became the first women’s captain to lead the side out at New Road last year when they played their first ever match at the county ground.
Rowles, 23, is now the East Cricket Development Coach at Worcestershire Cricket Board while balancing her duties as the county captain.
We sat down with her for a Q&A session, with the team returning to New Road to commence their T20 campaign with a double-header against Staffordshire and Essex.
Q- What is your overall reflection of the season so far?
A- So far we’ve been a bit hit and miss, we slipped up against Hampshire in our first match but since then we’ve won two out of our next three. When everything comes together we are one of the best teams in the league so for now it’s just about building that belief and consistency.
Q- How special it is to play on 26th at New Road? What is the bigger message in this for women’s cricket at Worcestershire?
A- Its very special to play at New Road. Having the women play there sends a message that even with things like super league around and Worcestershire not having a team in that, Women’s cricket is still taken very seriously within the county and that things are moving in the right direction.
Q- Can you reflect back on last year? What was it like as an experience? It must have been a proud moment for you to captain the side.
A- I am very proud to say I was the first Worcestershire Women’s captain to lead the side out in the club’s 150 year history. It was fantastic to have supporters there cheering us on, it created a fantastic atmosphere to play our cricket and thankfully we got the win!
Q- What are the goals that you have set for this season? Team as well as personal wise.
A- After having a good season with the bat last year, my goal was to improve on that. Sadly it hasn’t happened yet but there’s still a lot of cricket to be played. Brookesy (Thea Brookes) I’m coming for you!! As a team we wanted to build on our success from last year (getting promoted in T20’s and finishing 3rd in the 50 over format) so you’ll just have to wait and see how we get on!
Q- Let’s get back you. Tell us about your introduction to Cricket. Did you have any idea that you would play cricket when you were small.
A- No idea at all, from a young age football was my sport and it was all I wanted to do. As I got older me and my dad would go to the park and play a bit of cricket (I would bat, he would bowl and field – not a bad deal) and as I grew older I watched more and more cricket on the TV and eventually started playing for Gloucestershire when I was 15. I then moved from Gloucestershire to Worcestershire when I started my study at the University of Worcester and I haven’t looked back since. I enjoyed playing for Gloucestershire and made some really good friends, but to be able to captain Worcestershire trumps everything I achieved at Gloucestershire.
Q- Who are your Sporting heroes?
A- Steven Gerrard is my no.1!! A Liverpool legend, who not only dragged them over the line on many occasions, he was the heartbeat of that team and a fantastic captain.
Q- Do you think the support that Women’s cricket get these days is sufficient? Any areas that you think need improvement?
A- Like anything there’s always room for improvement, I’m interested to see how the Super League gets on this year especially as Thea Brookes will be playing for the mighty Loughborough. But with ideas like the super league its clear they are really trying to boost women’s cricket and that can only be a good thing.
Q- How do you manage time with having to spend lot of time as the East Development Coach at Worcestershire Cricket Board?
A- This time last year I was working for a freight forwarding company in Bristol, Disability Sport Worcester and Worcestershire Cricket Board and now I am very grateful to be working full time for the cricket board. It’s a pretty full on job, and mixed with my own personal cricket it does mean that 7 days a week are taken up by cricket but, I can’t really complain it’s a sport that I love so to be able to play it and coach it at various different levels is amazing.
Q- Finally, what are your career ambitions in a cricketing perspective?
A- My first ambition is to lose some weight and possibly push to be in the Super League in its upcoming seasons and then we’ll take it from there.