Lauren living her dream

Lauren Filer has always wanted to be a professional cricketer.

Last year her dream came true when she signed her first pro contract with Western Storm.

Ahead of the new season, we caught up with her to talk about her first 12 months in her dream job.

“When I got the call and was offered the contract it was such a proud moment,” she explained. “It’s something that I’ve worked really hard for, so to get that call was amazing. It’s still hard to believe that I can tell people this is my job. It’s something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and it’s so cool to be able to do something that I love every day.

“The women’s game has developed so much in the last few years. The programmes are getting better and better, and young girls can come through and play against some of the best players in the world now. That’s fantastic! We get to play at big grounds and have fantastic training opportunities. It’s great that young girls who are just starting out in the game can see that there is a pathway that can lead to cricket becoming a job rather than just a hobby.

“The support network that the women’s game has in the South West is amazing and everyone at Western Storm wants to inspire generations within the region.”

How would Lauren sum up her first year as a professional?

“It was a bit surreal, if I’m honest. It’s been great to play alongside everyone at Western Storm and also in the Hundred. To make my debut for Welsh Fire was great. To have the backing from the coaching staff to lead the attack against some of the top players in the world was amazing. It was challenging, but that backing was really good to have.

“I would have liked to take a few more wickets but overall I don’t think the year could have gone much better. It’s built my confidence up and it’s all been pretty amazing.

“I wasn’t expecting everything to happen so quickly, but that just shows where the game is at the moment and how quickly it’s growing.”

Along with the rest of the Storm squad, Lauren has been training extremely hard over the winter. In particular, she’s been working with Somerset bowler, Jack Brooks.

“I can’t thank Brooksie enough for what he’s done,” she explained. “He came in to work with us over the last couple of months and has really helped the pace bowlers develop certain skills. We worked on my action a bit and now I’m bowling quicker than ever.

“He was great and it’s good to have someone like him come in because he’s a great guy and we were all really glad to be able to work with him.”

What does Lauren think that 2023 will have in store for her and the team?

“From a personal point of view, I just want to be the best bowler that I can be and to take as many wickets as I can. I want to put in the best performances that I can for the team.

“We’ve got a young squad, but we’ve definitely got that drive to perform. We want to be pushing for finals and trophies, and although the squad is youthful, we’ve got some very good players.

“I’m a Somerset girl, so I always love it when we have the opportunity to play at the Cooper Associates County Ground. The crowd is always really good there and they always back us really well. That’s the same with Gloucestershire and Glamorgan, and the doubles headers are always great.

“To have those three grounds as your home grounds is something exceptional.”