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Windsor: ‘Did I Ever Think I’d Be A Professional Cricketer? No’
Windsor: ‘Did I Ever Think I’d Be A Professional Cricketer? No’
Emily Windsor is one of four players to be awarded their first professional contract with Southern Vipers
“Five or six years ago, would I ever think I’d be a professional cricketer? No.”
The words of Southern Vipers batter Emily Windsor, who, just a handful of years ago, had to pay to play women’s cricket, but is now under a professional contract at the Vipers for the first time.
Windsor made her senior Vipers debut in the 2020 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy against Sunrisers, and announced herself with 47* against South East Stars before following it up with 37 in front of the cameras in the final against Northern Diamonds.
She then projected herself even further by scoring a gutsy 47* in the final of the 2021 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, hitting the winning runs with just two balls to spare as the Vipers won by only three wickets.
Born in Portsmouth, Windsor is Hampshire through and through, where she has played for the county since 2013 before joining the Vipers ranks in 2020.
“To get the opportunity here at my home grown club, and after a pretty cool summer for me,” Windsor said, “it was the icing on the cake when I got that call.”
An increase of £3.5m until the end of 2024 by the ECB has allowed each county to allocate a seventh professional contract to their players, increasing from five pro contracts per region at the start of the 2020 season.
Now a full-time professional cricketer, Windsor will take a step back from work outside of cricket once the 2023 season begins.
She said: “I’m finishing my physiotherapy apprenticeship which I can officially leave my role in May.
“I’ll be keeping up physio alongside my professional career as that’s important to me, but now a full time contract here means I can focus solely on my cricket.”
However, her voice won’t be amiss from the airwaves, as she plans to continue her broadcast work with BBC Radio Solent and Test Match Special.
“I’m hoping to do a mixture of the Hampshire men’s stuff across all formats,” she said, “and hopefully get involved in the Women’s Ashes commentary, and not having that NHS role will help me to have the opportunity to do that.”
At times over the summer, Windsor found herself commentating alongside teammates Georgia Elwiss and Anya Shrubsole, in between being the club’s leading run scorer in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Windsor said: “In that game [against South East Stars] I think I played the best I’ve ever played, and probably the best I played all summer.
“But I’ve still got a lot to work on this winter, and moving forward, I’m excited to see where my game will go.”
The best way to watch Emily and the rest of the Southern Vipers squad is with a Hampshire Cricket Membership.
Memberships for 2023 are now on sale, from £180 for a standard membership, whilst junior and young adult memberships start at £25.
A Hampshire Cricket Membership provides the chance to be part of the Hampshire family and incorporates a whole host of exciting benefits for 2023.
Members are at the heart of everything that happens at Hampshire Cricket and The Ageas Bowl, and the Club continuously looks to improve the Membership offering.
