Emma Beamish

Emma Beamish is a retired Irish cricketer, who was the opening batter. She gained 29 international caps for Ireland between 2003 and 2012. She made her international debut at the 2003 IWCC (International Women’s Cricket Council) Trophy, where Ireland won the tournament qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa in 2005. Emma also won a number of European 20/20 championships. In addition, she played domestic cricket for Surrey, representing their second XI in the 1999 and 2000 at the County Championships. She played for Surrey U21 in the inaugural match of the MCC Women and has been a playing member of the MCC Women since.

To start at the beginning, could you tell us your story and about when you first started playing cricket?

I started playing cricket when I was at the tender age of nine and only because my primary school, Castle Park, in Dublin offered cricket. They had fantastic links with Merrion Cricket Club, so the school and the club worked together and I continued playing. I’m actually still a member of the club today. I just loved playing; the coaches, the support and the club atmosphere were all fantastic, so it was a lovely way to spend your summers. From there, I continued to play at secondary school, at the King’s Hospital

School in Ireland, and again, they were very supportive of girls’ cricket and had great set-ups, so there were many summer evenings where I got to get off homework and play cricket instead!

I moved to the UK at fourteen and I was very lucky that the UK had fantastic set-ups as well. I started playing at Shepperton Cricket Club in Surrey and then, through there, I got involved with the Surrey County setup, and they have the most incredible underage set-up, and from there I went from strength to strength. I was selected for the England U17 development squad and actually the Irish U17 squad at the same time, and I ended up playing for Ireland when I wasn’t selected for England. That sort of put my future to bed, really. I then ended up playing for Ireland U21 and that went on to the national level.

I understand that you went to Reed’s School. How did Reed’s help support your career in cricket?

I was very lucky to be part of Reed’s. I was actually part of the very first full cohort of girls at Reed’s. There were no female sports because there weren’t girls there before. The headmaster knew how important sports was to me, so he wasn’t quite sure how to navigate this hurdle. He asked Alex Balls, who was the Director of Sport at that time (now Deputy Headmaster): “How on earth would this work?” Alex’s response was something that, to this day, I still think was instrumental for me. He just said: “If she’s good enough, she’ll play.” It was that simple. Based on merit: “if she’s good, she’ll play.” My gender didn’t come into it and it was just such an open-minded response. Especially as a woman playing in a male-dominated sport, it was fantastic!

What I loved about Reed’s then and now is that they have always opened doors instead of closing them, and that has made all the difference in the world to me. As a girl, there is no better way to improve in sport than to play with the boys. Generally, they’re more physical, they’re quicker and you have to adapt to this and get better. You also have to get mentally stronger if you’re the only girl playing with the boys. But, to be honest, in all of the sports that I’ve played over the last few decades, those are some of the fondest memories that I have.

How has this continued at Reed’s School since you left?

They’re great, I’m always in touch with them because the Old Reedonian network is always alive and well. Girls’ cricket at Reed’s has really taken off. It was formally introduced four years ago and it’s now a major sport for girls in the summer alongside tennis. They field three teams and a lot of the girls there are new to cricket, and they play matches against other schools. Reed’s have a fantastic pitch, that Surrey CC also use, but they also have an amazing indoor cricket centre with five lanes. This means that they can train throughout the winter. The girls just love it and they’re very capable, and again, still, if they’re good enough, they play with the boys’ team. There is still that open-door policy where it’s all based on merit, which I just love.

What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges that you have faced throughout your career?

This is a funny one, because parts of my challenges no longer exist anymore, which is fantastic! I was an Irish girl playing cricket. This, to most people, was hilarious. You’d tell people what you do and, even when I was playing for Ireland, people still, sort of, look at you sideways, going: “You’re a girl, and you play cricket?” They couldn’t compute. The recognition of women in cricket and in sport has now changed dramatically, so people no longer give you that sideways glance - it is now… normal. When I was growing up it was totally different, and it’s funny to look back on now. Myself and others owe a debt to the women who came before us and blazed trails, and also to the women who have now gone ahead of us and demanded equality. We’re in a beautiful place in women’s sports where our voice is getting louder. For example, the Irish women’s football teams were demanding equal pay; the American women’s football team were also doing it; the cricket teams were demanding contracts and prize money. Australian sport teams are also trailblazers in this, really trying to increase women’s equality in terms of the pay.

How did Surrey County Cricket support you with your journey?

I would not have reached the heights or had the incredible experiences that I had without Surrey Cricket, and I am very aware of that. There are a couple of people who stand out to me: Sharon Eyers was the Women’s Development Officer for Surrey when I was playing. She was and is one of the most selfless, funny people that I know. She was so fun and just so passionate about girls’ cricket. She kept pushing and pushing for us to have more and more, she was our voice. It’s something that I didn’t get until I was much older and she championed us. There are many of us at Surrey cricket who are very lucky that we had her for our journeys.

Another one is the coaches. He still makes me laugh, Jeremy Greaves - fantastic coach, with an infectious energy. But most of all, my teammates: a number of those girls actually went on to represent their country. They were the best girls and, not only did they represent their country, other girls have blazed trails in other areas of life. And again, I think this comes back to why sport is so incredible: it gives you the confidence and the skills to go out and do things, it gives you your voice. Growing up would not have been the same without them.

Likewise, what was your experience like playing for Ireland?

I think there’s nothing in the world that can explain the pride of pulling on the jersey for your country. There are highs and lows that you can only experience that come with really, really wanting something. Every cap you gain for your country is special, because there are no guarantees in international sport. You never know when it’s going to be your last cap. You fight for your position