Ahead of the Vitality Blast League 2 Finals Day in Northampton on Saturday 26 July, we caught up with batter Charlotte Scarborough who summed up the emotions and excitement in the group.
Charlotte, one of the many talented Welsh players in the current Glamorgan squad, has been impactful with the bat every time she has put on the Daffodil shirt in the Vitality Blast. While training on Thursday 24 July, after the conclusion of play in the County Championship, Charlotte stepped aside to talk us through the feeling in the camp ahead of the big day at Northampton on Saturday.
Q. Charlotte, it's not often a team can say that we're going to a Blast Finals Day, but to be able to do that in your first-ever season, that must feel special.
Charlotte: It's an incredible feeling. To get to Finals Day in our first-ever season is special. Some of us have never played cricket at this level before, so to be able to share this stage with the likes of Lauren (Parfitt) and Gammo (Bethan Gammon) and heading for a T20 Finals Day is wonderful.
Q. Just one more sleep before you take the field against Yorkshire in the semi-final. Is there excitement in the squad, or maybe a bit of nervousness, or both?
Charlotte: A lot of excitement, to be honest. As I said before, for many of the girls in the team this is a first-time experience of playing at such a big stage, so we are all pretty encouraged and excited to put on a great show against a quality team in Yorkshire at Northampton. It's normal to feel a bit of those nerves closer to the first ball, but overall I think it is quite a relaxed and exciting atmosphere in the team.
Q. Now, Rachel Priest has been there, done that, for many years in international and franchise cricket. How is she like as a Head Coach of this young team?
Charlotte: It is so good to have Priesty (Rachel Priest) with us, the experience and knowledge she has has been invaluable to us. She's very relaxed person and a coach, and we've all benefitted greatly from that. I think the younger players, especially, have really taken a lot from her. With the mix of younger and experienced players in our side, Rachel is the perfect fit to bring the best out of us.
Q. Niamh Holland is going to join us for the Finals Day, alongside Gemma Porter and Bethan Ellis who will continue their loan spells. How important have our loan signings been in getting us to this stage?
Charlotte: Massively important. They've come in and settled in well with the girls. They're obviously highly skilled cricketers, so we have benefitted from them immensely, and it's great to have Niamh (Holland) from Somerset for tomorrow. Gemma (Porter) and Bethan Ellis have been so good for us since they've joined, and as I said, they've really fit in well in the changing room which makes it even better.
Q. You also have a core group of Welsh players, from the experience of Lauren Parfitt and Bethan Gammon to youngsters in Sara Phillips and even yourself. That must feel so special to have local talent in Glamorgan?
Charlotte: Absolutely. A lot of us have grown up playing cricket together, right from the Wales age-group stuff to now playing senior cricket under the Daffodil for Glamorgan. So it definitely feels special to be able to take the field tomorrow with some of these girls who have played with each for a long time.