Catherine Dalton
Catherine Clare Dalton (born 24 October 1992) is a cricketer who plays for Middlesex in English domestic cricket, having previously also played for Essex.[1] A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler,[2] Dalton gained Irish citizenship in 2015, and was subsequently named in the Irish national team's squad for the 2015 World Twenty20 Qualifier in Thailand.[3] She made her Twenty20 International debut in the tournament's final, against Bangladesh.[4]
Biography
Catherine Dalton is a fast bowler and top order batswoman who spent 2011 and 2012 on the England Academy. A former West Ham United and recent Tottenham Hotspur footballer, Dalton has focused her efforts on cricket and was rewarded with selection on the prestigious International Cricket Camp, in Potchesfstroom, South Africa in 2009.[5]
After a brilliant year with Essex, where she averaged in excess of 100 with the bat in 2010, she was rewarded with selection for the ECB Academy at Loughborough.[6] The ECB has always looked upon Dalton as a fast bowler though as shown with her selection for the England Women's Academy team to tour South Africa in April 2012.
At domestic level, following a lack of opportunities for Essex at county level in 2011, Dalton moved across to play for Middlesex in 2012 and Finchley Women. She plays men's cricket for Hutton CC in Essex.[7]
In 2013, she was named as Middlesex Player Of The Year at an awards dinner at Lord's. She finished 5th in the ECB National Batting Averages, and the only non-full International in the Top 10. However, despite this, she didn't gain further England recognition.
Playing for Halstead men's team against Felixstowe on May 29, 2015, Catherine became the first female on record to score a 100 in The Two Counties men's cricket leagues [8]
By the end of the 2015 season, Dalton had gained her Irish citizenship and chosen to commit her International future to Ireland. She was initially called up for the World Cup Qualifiers in Thailand [9] before playing for Ireland in the T20 ICC World Cup in India in 2016.
She is a current ECB Level 2 coach and has a 1st Class Honours Degree from St Mary's University College, London. She is also assistant coach at The Ultimate Pace Foundation that has hosted camps in Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune & Hyderabad.
Recently she was appointed as a Bowling Coach of the Rajasthan Cricket Association becoming the first female to have such an honour bestowed for men's cricket.
References
- "Player Profile: Catherine Dalton". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- "Player Profile: Catherine Dalton". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- (27 October 2015). "Preparations step up ahead of T20 WCQ" – Cricket Europe. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- Bangladesh Women v Ireland Women, ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier 2015/16 (Final) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- "Dalton Lands Place At Top Cricket Camp". The Guardian. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- "Women's Academy squad selected". England and Wales Cricket Board. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- "Cath Dalton could be first female to play in EAPL". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- http://www1.skysports.com/watch/tv-shows/sportswomen/news/9872456/woman-cricketer-hits-century-for-men8217s-team
- http://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/ireland-squad-named-for-icc-womens-world-twenty20-qualifier-in-thailand