Rebecca Clarke, Team GB Wheelchair Cricket player, BEM recipient and final-year biomedical engineering student at King's College London, has joined Maiden Cricket's growing ambassador community, becoming one of the most prominent voices in a programme now 250 strong and spanning players aged eight to 60 across the UK.
21 year old Rebecca plays wheelchair cricket for the UK and Surrey disability teams and also turns out for Spencer Cricket Club's women's second XI, competing alongside non-wheelchair users. She came to Maiden through the brand's partnership with professional services group Gateley, whose sponsorship of the Team GB Wheelchair Cricket squads meant the women's team received Maiden kit — and with it, the chance to look and feel their best on the pitch.
Rebecca is passionate about changing perceptions of wheelchair cricket. "So many people don't know it exists," she says. "A lot of people played when they were younger, or loved watching it and then they become a wheelchair user and think it's the end of their cricketing journey. I'm here to tell them it's not. You absolutely can still play, for disability-specific teams and mainstream teams alike."
Cricket, for Rebecca, has been more than a sport. She adds: "I was angry at the world. I could channel that energy into bowling fast or hitting hard. I still have hard days but cricket helps me get through them. It's my safe space. I've found a community of people who support me and make me happy."
That sense of community is central to what the Maiden Ambassador Programme is built around. The programme connects players, coaches and supporters across the women's and girls' game giving members access to role models, shared experience and real opportunities at every stage of their cricket journey. It's not a campaign. It's how Maiden operates.
Cat Black, co-founder of Maiden Cricket, said: "Our mission is to champion women and girls' cricket and to build a community where every female cricketer, at whatever level, whatever background feels like they belong. Rebecca embodies exactly that. She's a genuine role model, and the kind of ambassador who makes others think 'if she can, I can.'"
Louise Hodgkinson, Responsible Business Manager at Gateley, added: "We're proud to support Maiden in championing the female cricket community. Giving young women equal access to sport and everything that comes with it, is something we care deeply about."
Rebecca was recently awarded a BEM for her work with young people with disabilities. She plans to continue into an Occupational Therapy MSc at City St George's after completing her degree.
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