Cricket becomes main summer sport at Mayfield School in just seven years

Former Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and England Indoor player Emily Starr overseeing transformation

When director of sport Emily Starr was recruited by Mayfield School in 2016, she was tasked with introducing cricket to the curriculum. Fast forward seven years and programme has gone from strength to strength. 

What began as invitational sessions and a handful of softball matches has become the main summer sport at Mayfield. The school now fields nine teams across the age groups, five of which play hard-ball, and runs extra-curricular "academies" for pace bowling, spin bowling, wicketkeeping and batting to allow pupils to hone specific skills. 

Around half-a-dozen pupils are involved with county pathways and Mayfield enjoys an annual, and increasingly competitive, fixture against MCC Ladies.

"I always say the MCC game is the best part of our year," says Starr, who represented Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and England Indoor. "I don’t know if you’re allowed to [beat them] – I’d love to! They bring a strong team every year, which is a testament to our girls, the hard work they’ve put in and how far they’ve come."

But while results are important, something Starr "prides the whole department on" is the overarching focus on participation. 

"I want to push girls to be the best at whatever sport it is, but it’s also important that we get the depth and every girl has the opportunity to play team sport," she says. 

"That’s why we still have softball in our C and D teams – they’re being exposed to a team sport, they're still being exposed to cricket. It doesn’t matter what ability, hard-ball, soft-ball… everyone will play and that’s really important to me."

That same inclusive approach applies to touring. In 2023, 24 girls - roughly a 1st XI and an under-14/15 combined XI - enjoyed a 10-day cricket and netball tour to Dubai. Next year, South Africa, Dubai or Barbados are all possible destinations, while a pre-season tour to Isle of Wight is also on the table. 

"It was fantastic," Starr reflects. "Some of the stadiums we played at were phenomenal – the girls loved that. We played against Ipswich School, who are national champions for the last three or four years. Some of our girls took wickets and were thrilled, getting them out meant the world to them. 

"The one thing [we said] was we’ll open it to everyone. We want everyone to experience it. Why shouldn't they? It doesn't matter if they’re not playing county cricket or representative cricket. They all deserve the opportunity to play."