Carla Rudd

A wicketkeeper batsman with a steadfast presence behind the stumps, Rudd played age-group cricket for Sussex; but with Sarah Taylor standing in the way of a 1st XI place at Sussex, she took the decision to try her luck elsewhere, joining Berkshire in 2011.

It was a smart move, as the 17-year-old Rudd developed an early reputation for reliability with the gloves, while also contributing some useful late-middle-order runs. Selection for the England Women's Development Program and then the England Women's Academy followed, as Rudd later combined cricket with studies in Sport and Physical Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

After graduating with first-class honours, she was appointed girls cricket coach at Felsted School, following the school's decision to switch to cricket as its main girls summer sport and its designation as an MCC Foundation Hub and official partner of Essex Cricket for both boys and girls.

However, whilst Rudd's wicket-keeping continued to be dependable, contributing over 50 dismissals behind the stumps for Berkshire between 2011 and 2016, her form with the bat never quite lived up to its early promise, and in 2015 Rudd was dropped from the Academy in favour of the up-and-coming talent of Lancashire's young gun Ellie Threlkeld.

Nevertheless, the standard of Rudd's keeping continued to warrant selection at the elite levels of the game, and in 2016 she joined up with her old Berkshire coach Nick Denning at the Southern Vipers for the inaugural Kia Super League, and she was a regular in the squads for the next four seasons. She was also an ever-present feature of the side that won the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2020.

Syd Egan and ESPNcricinfo staff