14 talented cricketers have been selected in the Surrey women’s Academy for 2025.
Zeena Bilal, Daisy Brandon, Emily Burke, Hannah Burridge, Rebecca Denman, Daisy Feast, Indigo Gentry, Genevieve Jeer, Anjali Ketan, Madeleine Richardson, Naomi Scott, Izzy Sidhu, Charlotte Stubbs and Abbie Thompson form the class of 2025.
With the latest restructuring of women’s domestic cricket in England and Wales and the discontinuation of regional talent pathways, the academies of Tier 1 counties will take an even greater role in the development of talented and upcoming cricketers.
At Surrey Academy, which serves as an essential stepping stone to first-team cricket in the senior squad, the inductees will be exposed to world-class cricket coaching as well as high-quality provisions for strength & conditioning work, physiotherapy and sports science, and sport psychology. The group of selected players will also receive match practice against quality opponents throughout the next summer.
Akin to the men’s set-up, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) will now be providing additional support to the women’s programme. Among other initiatives, their support would include workshops that will share insights with players on life as a sportsperson, balancing sport and studies, career counselling and more.
Over the years, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Alice Capsey, and Bryony Smith have been some of the high-profile names who have progressed through Surrey’s Talent Pathway and received international honours with England. Amongst the men, there have been 11 players who have climbed the ladder at Surrey and gone on to earn their Three Lions cap, with Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson being the latest entrants in the star-studded list.
“It is such an exciting time for girls’ and women’s cricket at Surrey and in the country, and we are really looking forward to working with this group of 14 incredibly talented cricketers,” said Jennifer Jackson-Tullett, Head of Women’s Talent Pathway at Surrey CCC.
She continued: “Our aim is to help realise the potential of our players by providing them with a robust and holistic coaching programme that meticulously covers every aspect of the sport.
“We want to push our players to improve their skills and break into the senior squad while also ensuring that they are training and learning in an environment where they grow as people and not just as cricketers.
“Alongside offering them top-notch cricketing guidance and facilities, a big focus of the programme would be on personal development as well as offering creative learning experiences to the cohort by looking to sports other than cricket for further inspiration and picking up transferable skills.”
Learn more about the selected players below:
- Zeena Bilal
Regional Pathway: Kent
Playing style: Right arm seam-bowling allrounder
- Daisy Brandon
Regional Pathway: Kent
Playing style: Left hand bat & seam bowler
- Emily Burke
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right arm seam-bowling allrounder
- Hannah Burridge
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right hand wicketkeeper-bat
- Rebecca Denman
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right hand batting allrounder
- Daisy Feast
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right hand leg spin allrounder
- Indigo Gentry
Regional Pathway: Sussex
Playing style: Right hand fast & right hand bat
- Genevieve Jeer
Regional Pathway: Kent
Playing style: Right hand bat & right hand seam
- Anjali Ketan
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right arm leg spin & right hand bat
- Madeleine Richardson
Regional Pathway: Kent
Playing style: Right arm seam
- Naomi Scott
Regional Pathway: Kent
Playing style: Right arm off spin
- Izzy Sidhu
Regional Pathway: Suffolk; played for Surrey women in 2023
Playing style: Left arm leg spin & left hand bat
- Charlotte Stubbs
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right hand batting allrounder
- Abbie Thompson
Regional Pathway: Surrey
Playing style: Right hand wicketkeeper-bat
