This is the second in a series of blog posts from Head Coach Olivia,  introducing some of the incredible people she has met through coaching and the wider messages that we can potentially learn from the sharing of stories. Here we meet Nandu, an u13 player Olivia coached during the winter of 2018/2019 at Berkshire county indoor trials. Nandu: the only girl. By Olivia Rae Head Coach, Rae Cricket Coaching The best part of playing cricket is that moment when I bowl fast and seeing girls scared to face me, it’s an exhilarating moment which stays in my mind everyday making myself feel proud ..read more

The women’s county championship starts for most teams tomorrow, an exciting time in the cricket calendar.  We are extremely proud to announce that our Head Coach Olivia has been selected for Middlesex 1st XI against Worcestershire at Mill Hill School. The women’s competition has been strengthening every year and gaining a greater following. Middlesex are starting to live stream their games for the first time this season. A great opportunity to inspire budding young cricketers and grow wider support for the women’s game. The official press release and details of how to watch the game live ..read more

By Olivia Rae I want to advocate for more awareness and support so neurodivergent athletes can thrive and ultimately feel like they belong in sport. Recently I have learned to think differently about how we coach, integrate, and shape our sporting environments.  I have found out at the age of 34 that I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This has been a life changing and positive diagnosis and has been the light at the end of what has been a dark tunnel for several months. I am on a journey and by no means have it all figured out, but I have had a few months to reflect and start looking ..read more

Olivia Rae It feels good to receive a gift but it also feels great to give someone a gift. This is how I’ve come to think about individual contributions to team environments.  The importance of giving and receiving in equal measure. Having the awareness to know that you’re achieving close to a balance of the two I believe is a key element in a thriving team environment. When you go to a training session or a game day, it’s important to look to make the most of it. It feels good to learn, to take away something for you (like taking home a gift that you’ve received). Yet, how good does it f ..read more

Some of the things I experienced in cricket growing up. Bowlers bowling slower at me because I’m a girl. Fielding on the boundary in whites and the opposition boys saying nice ass and pants. I was wearing white underwear. Now I wear shorts underneath and I’ll still check what it looks like before I go outside. On getting a wicket hearing “I can’t believe you got out to a girl”. Turning up to an away game knowing every previous time I got stared at when I arrived being the only girl. And hearing whispers of “is that a girl?”.  Getting changed in the same changing room as the boys and men ..read more

By Olivia Rae I slept maybe an hour at best the night before the Surrey game. I wasn’t sure if I could play. And that is where for the second time in 2020 I had to dig deep inside. My purpose was to help others and, in cricket, was to help the team. I have been doing a lot of self reflecting since March last year. As the world was shaken by the global pandemic, we all found ourselves pressing pause on a lot of what we used to perceive as normality. I had spent 6 months focussing solely on my game. Coaching had taken a back seat, Rae Cricket Coaching became more of a platform to share ideas, an ..read more

By Olivia Rae     I am proudly participating in Miles for Mind this month, committing to cricketing (coaching, playing, training) at least 50 miles in May. It is a cause that means a great deal to me because I suffer with anxiety and Mind has really helped me to manage this. Every step I take this month is to raise funds for Mind and therefore raise awareness about the work it does for better mental health. It’s May 24th and I’ve recorded 62 miles already (and there are some miles missing when I have forgotten to charge my Fitbit..!) Even though I have surpassed my official tar ..read more

By Olivia Rae On May 7th 2019 the Street Child United street child cricket world cup finals day was held at Lords. This event brought together street connected children from 8 countries to the Home of cricket. A task that was in no way easy but one that truly has changed the lives of each player involved, giving them not only an opportunity to play sport for their country but a voice and an identity. The street child united assembly after the tournament saw the players themselves demand rights for all street-connected children across the world. It was more than a cricket world cup; it was a pl ..read more

  After being one of the Head Coaches in the 2018 inaugural Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy (TMGA) Camp, we are proud to announce that Olivia will again be one of the coaches this summer. Olivia took to her twitter to comment;                 Here are the dates of this years UK camps! May Half-Term  – Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood 10am to 4pm, Tuesday 28th to Friday 31st May 2019 Summer camp – Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood 10am to 4pm, Monday 12th August to Thursday 15th August   ..read more