Davina Perrin becomes youngest contract-holder as Katie George joins Central Sparks

Perrin is the first 16 -year-old to earn a full-time domestic deal, while George has moved from Western Storm after losing her central contract

Nick Friend | 03/11/2022 at 11:33

Davina Perrin has become the youngest player to earn a full-time women's domestic contract after being signed up by Central Sparks.

Perrin, 16, is part of the England Under-19 squad soon to depart for the World Cup in South Africa and has already made her mark as a promising allrounder in the regional game.

Last summer she became the youngest player – then 15 – to secure a Hundred deal with Birmingham Phoenix. Perrin has also been supported by ACE Elite, a branch of the ACE Programme set up by Ebony Rainford-Brent.

Perrin is joined as a contract holder at Central Sparks by Chloe Brewer, who moves from South East Stars, and Katie George, the England seamer who has been released from her central contract after spending much of the last four years struggling with recurring stress fractures and a constant cycle of rehabilitation. She has left Western Storm for a fresh start.

"I've spent so much time on my own in what's meant to be a team sport," she told The Cricketer. "So, going into a regional team, it will do me the world of good. I won't have those expectations, and I can actually just be Katie George and be me."

She added: "I felt like I was robbing a living. I'm getting paid to play cricket, but I wasn't playing any cricket for quite a lot of years.

"It didn't feel like I deserved a central contract. It's been a case of being injured, not playing, assuming I wouldn't get a contract and working cycle by cycle. This year especially, I knew that I probably wasn't going to get a contract, and that's calm. But it's knowing that you have that lingering over you, and that there are people wondering the same thing.

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^{Issy Wong has earned a central contract for the first time (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

"People have opinions on whether you should have one or not. It's difficult when you feel like you haven't got much of a leg to stand on because you can't say: 'Well, I've got X amount of wickets and scored this many runs.' People forget that when you're rehabbing, you can't hit a ball. It affects your whole game.

"One of the most common questions I get is: how do you keep going? People tell me they would probably have finished by now. But I don't really have an answer. You get told that you're the most resilient person. And I'm like: 'Well, that's fantastic, but I'd rather play cricket.'"

Sparks also have Emily Arlott, Ami Campbell, Abbey Freeborn and Eve Jones on full-time contracts with more in the pipeline for the start of 2023, which could mean the region is able to field an entire team of professionals come the new season, with Issy Wong upgraded to an ECB central contract after her international breakthrough in 2022.

Laura Macleod, Sparks' regional director of cricket, added: "To be able to bring in George and Brewer from other regions, plus an internal promotion for Perrin, strengthens our desired style of play in both competitions.

"We are also excited by some up-and-coming academy talent who should push for places next season."