Chasing The Dream: Lila Priyadarshini's Journey In English Cricket

I remember playing cricket as a seven-year-old in the cricket grounds across the road from our apartment building in north London. Every Friday during the summers, my parents and I would amble over to the Crouch End Cricket Club, and while they socialised over a pint of beer or a cool Aperol Spritz in the clubhouse, I played with the other kids learning the basics of the game with Ricardo, the brilliant Afro-Caribbean coach for the club. Soon, however, what at first seemed like a fun Friday evening activity turned into a passion for me. But as I became more focused, the Covid-pandemic struck, and opportunities to play cricket were greatly reduced. But before I could get too depressed, I got selected for the Middlesex Under-13 girls’ team for ‘20-‘21 by a scout who had been visiting clubs to spot talent. Apparently, it was my leg-spin that had caught their attention, a skill that was relatively rare among young girls. Most I knew at that age were aiming to become fast bowlers, impressive especially for South Asian origin girls who tended to be of slight frame.

As I continued my journey, I went on to be part of Middlesex Under-15s as well for ‘22-‘23. Coming from a state school with limited resources, I had fewer opportunities to be coached privately (like in India, there is huge disparity between state and private schools), so the chance to be trained by county coaches was indeed something I valued greatly.

It was a setback, then, to lose out on being selected for Middlesex in 2023 and 2024. In hindsight I can see that several personal and cricket-related issues may have affected my performance at the trials, including lack of extra coaching and fitness issues. But I can say that despite those setbacks I never veered from my passion for cricket. I decided to be resilient and made the decision to switch to another club that was more focused on girls’ cricket. I also started playing for the Gunnersbury Cricket Club women’s team, a 100-year-old club that is spearheaded by former England player Beth Morgan. It was here, under the encouragement of many senior players, that I had a great run of successes over the last two years, culminating in winning the Young Gunn award in 2025, given to the best junior player of the year. I also made it to the Hall of Fame list for the Derick Morgan League, as the highest individual scorer. The crowning moment of last summer, however, was being chosen as the Rookie of the Year for Oval Invincibles women’s team. I got to train with them at the Oval and even interviewed my hero Meg Lanning who gave me invaluable tips on resilience and on how to recover from failure. And this made my parents more excited than I have ever seen them—there I was in the nets being trained by the legendary Courtney Walsh, the bowling coach for the Invincibles! I think all these opportunities and the encouragement of coaches, family, and friends gave me the confidence to make a comeback to county cricket—in September 2025, I made it to the women’s Middlesex Under-18 squad.

If this reads like a dream run, believe me it isn’t. I have shed tears, lost confidence and self-esteem, and felt indifferent towards fitness at the lowest points of the journey. But the faith shown in me by my coaches JP and Sal, and my biggest critic and supporter, my dad, helped me get my confidence back. As my dad always said, “watch the ball”. This is as true of life as of the game I love.

Every time I go out to play, I know it is not easy, especially for young South Asian women like me here in the UK. There are many of us who play at junior levels of the county pathway, but reaching the national level remains elusive for most. Things happen along the way. Many girls from my background want to make sure we get proper educational credentials so that we have options for the future. But there are other scenarios as well. This past summer one of my closest friends from cricket, a talented player from a minority background, shared the sad news with me that she was playing her last match as her father had told her she had to stop playing cricket with immediate effect. She was not consulted about this, no conversation was had, just a decision made for her. I came home and sobbed, as I realised how helpless some young girls are in terms of taking decisions about their participation in sports. It was an example of how all too often family and cultural prejudices hinder the growth of young women cricketers.

At the same time, family and friends are also our strength. After the Indian women’s team won the ICC Women’s World Cup last year, I saw how each player was indebted to their coaches, families and friends for all kinds of encouragement and support. In many cases, the women thanked their fathers as the main person who encouraged them. Times are clearly changing. After all, my father’s words as I go in to bowl or bat each time, “watch the ball”, always echo in my ears. No matter where life takes me in the years to come, this mantra will stand me in good stead. I plan to get it tattooed on my arms.

Lila Priyadarshini is studying English, Politics and Sociology for her A-levels. She plays cricket for the Gunnersbury Women’s Cricket Club and for the Under-18 Middlesex women’s cricket squad