Heiley

​

This week I was lucky enough to watch my first cricket match in a stadium on Saturday! It was the Charlotte Edwards Cup held at the Ageas Bowl, where the Southern Vipers played against the Northern Diamonds. I was not only supporting the Southern Vipers but also cheering for Mariko Hill, one of the Northern Diamonds' players and Hong Kong player. It was very different experience to watch a game at a stadium compared to the TV. The spectators were crazy and all rooting for their teams with passion!

At the weekend I played for Cove Cricket Club. We played against a strong team but we put 100% effort into the game. Although we were defeated, we had fun and spent time reflecting on the things we need to improve for our next game. 
 

​

Emma

​

Week two in England started with my first wickets bowling spin. I began to try bowl spin a couple of years ago but haven't bowled in the game because I don’t feel confident. During the recent Fairbreak tournament, the coach taught me some techniques which I was able to put in to practice and perform in a match.

​

We had spin bowling coach Adam with us in the Vipers during this week's training and we learnt a lot during the session. My bowling is getting faster and fuller, which is a big change. He also sent a message to remind us what we needed to focus on and what we did in the session. 

We did a 2-2 session in the indoor net with Charlotte and Georgia for the batting. In this session we focused on picking up the length and how to step out to hit the ball. Georgia, the Viper's captain, demonstrated the shot perfectly, and she performed this in the match that we watched showing us the actual outcome.

​

Besides cricket training, we also went sightseeing in London on Heiley's birthday. We also got to watch a match in the Ageas Bowl. A lot of people came to watch live at the ground and it was a different experience from watching on TV with people cheering loud, and music playing every time there was a 4, 6 or wicket. It was a great experience and a lot of fun, I hope we get to watch again.