FIELD WORK: Interview with Kent Women’s Cricketers Megan Belt and Jodie Hobson
Kent Women’s Cricket captain Megan Belt and all-rounder Jodie Hobson on the new season and balancing sport with their day jobs
Heading into the huge 2025 season, which will see the Kent Women’s Cricket team compete in League Two of the Women’s Vitality Blast and Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup, there is a feeling of optimism around the camp.
Captained by Megan Belt, who has been at the club for 12 years, the Horses will be heading out on to the grass of The Spitfire Ground in Canterbury with a squad that boasts a core of county-produced talent with 11 players from Kent’s Female Talent Pathway in the team.
But while things ramp up on the pitch as women’s cricket gets bigger and bigger year-on-year, the balance of being a semi-professional sports person comes into play this time of year. You can only imagine how it feels to play alongside the likes of Kent and England men’s star Sam Billings in front of the international TV cameras before going back to your regular job the following day.
For bowler Megan Belt, who has also played for the Oval Invincibles in the hugely-watched Hundred competition, heading back to teach sport and maths at Kent College Canterbury must be surreal.
“It is at times,” says Megan. “I remember when we played Surrey, it was the same day as our teacher-training and I remember turning up in my teaching gear and everyone said I looked so different! It can be hard to then get in that frame of mind. I think when you’ve been teaching all day and we play an evening game, it’s hard because I think teaching is quite mentally draining. You’re getting your name asked about 100 times, with so many questions, but I love it and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
““... teaching young girls gives me inspiration because I know that I didn’t have as many opportunities as they have now.””
Likewise for all-rounder Jodie Hobson, who has been with Kent since 2017, travelling from her home in Sevenoaks to her teaching position at Ashford School and then on to the field of play takes balance. But the Horses do feel support from their male counterparts.
“The men’s team really care about the women’s cricket here,” says Jodie. “And especially becoming a tier-two county now, it’s really exciting. They can see the positives, we can see the positives and we’re all going forward as one club, which is really exciting.”
The hope remains that the team will one day be able to turn professional, but while they are still splitting their time between playing cricket and their students, Megan and Jodie are able to inspire the next generation of cricketers.
“My students love it,” says Megan. “We had a game last year and l had nearly every single child from Kent College come to watch, and they made a little banner for me. It’s so nice to see them come through and I think teaching young girls gives me inspiration because I know that I didn’t have as many opportunities as they have now. So I really try to create that for them.”
Jodie agrees: “A lot of girls are really interested because previously it wasn’t an opportunity for them, and now it is an opportunity. I get a lot of questions and I actually get a lot of questions from boys as well, asking about it all, which is really nice.
“It’s one of those jobs where you feel you could actually make a difference. And if we can get one girl hitting a ball, smiling, walking off the field loving cricket, I think that’s a win.”
Former Canterbury Christ Church University student Megan began playing cricket with her sister and cousin at their local team before processing through Canterbury Cricket Club and into Kent aged nine before eventually breaking into the women’s team aged 15.
Sports nut Jodie followed in her father’s footsteps to play cricket and first picked up the bat in primary school.
“I could hit the ball quite hard. I could catch a ball and, luckily, my school was opposite a cricket club [Holmesdale]. When I went over, I was the only girl at the cricket club. But me being me, I still wanted to prove that I was just as good as all the boys, and that’s definitely one of the reasons I’m here now. I’ve loved it ever since.”
Having international players around like Billings and Zak Crawley, Megan and Jodie have a great sounding board for advice, but with the women’s game still burgeoning, what advice would they give to girls looking to get into cricket?
“For me, it’s confidence and just knowing that I can do it,” says Megan. “I’ve had to grow up playing with boys because girls’ cricket wasn’t big back then, so that was kind of a barrier in itself. But back yourself, overcome it and you’ll prove yourself when you hit him for six!”
Jodie adds: “Don’t be afraid of being a little bit different. When I was younger, I was the only girl in my whole cricket club, and I’m still here today and I’m friends with all those boys I used to play cricket with, and they respected me. I think it’s all about your confidence and just don’t be afraid to be who you are!”
