Several pairs of shoes to fill for Sparks’ UK import
ALICE DavidsonRichards made her international debut for England earlier this year.
But if she thought that was hard, now she has to try to effectively replace six players in the Otago Sparks lineup this weekend.
Those six players are actually only three. But Suzie Bates, Katey Martin and Leigh Kasperek are such dominant allrounders that their unavailability leaves the team scrambling to fill the gaps in the lineup.
They are with the White Ferns at the ICC Women’s World T20 tournament, so they are excused.
DavidsonRichards has been brought in to help bolster a squad in their absence and for the remainder of the season.
She laughed off suggestions
she was replacing six players.
‘‘It is just the three players so no pressure,’’ she said.
It is the 24yearold’s first trip to New Zealand. Ideally, she would be at the Women’s World T20 tournament with England but ‘‘this isn’t a bad second is it?’’, she said looking around at her new home ground at the University of Otago Oval.
DavidsonRichards played with Bates at Kent for a couple of seasons and also knows former Otago England import
Beth Langston.
It was those connections which helped the professional cricketer link up with the Sparks.
‘‘Beth filled me in before I came over but it was mainly through Suzie.’’
DavidsonRichards is a right arm medium pacer and steady middle order batsman who can thump the ball pretty hard when needs must.
She plays for the Yorkshire Diamonds in the Super League, and got an opportunity earlier this year to make her international debut.
She played in a twenty20 series involving India and Australia, and also played a onedayer against Australia.
‘‘It is something you dream about making your debut against Australia. It was awesome to get the chance to get out there.’’
DavidsonRichards hopes to have a positive impact for the Sparks. The team for the backtoback onedayers against Wellington this weekend was named earlier this week and features eight past or present St Hilda’s Collegiate pupils.
Polly Inglis will captain the side in Martin’s absence. She will keep wickets and bat at No. 3, so it will be a heavy workload.
She will also lead a relatively young team.
‘‘I trained with the team for the first time on Tuesday and I think with such a young team you can’t have too many expectations,’’ DavidsonRichards said.
‘‘You just have to go out there and focus on yourselves and enjoy it as much as you can.
‘‘I think you do better if you have fun.’’
DavidsonRichards got her start in the sport when her father brought home a plastic ball and bat when she was very young.
‘‘My brother at home was not that sporty so my dad said, ‘Here, play, please play cricket’. And I lived next door to a cricket ground as well, so I didn’t really have a choice,’’ she said.
The former personal trainer is a contracted England cricketer. She is a on a rookie contract and makes a comfortable living from the sport.