Somerset Women’s player Chloe Skelton is spending the winter in Australia playing cricket for Parramatta.
She told the club’s media it has been “really good” so far and said she is loving the training, the culture and “playing out here”.
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She added: “Being a pro out here in an Ashes winter brings its own pressures and as you can imagine I’ve copped a fair bit of stick. It’s been good though and it’s great to have a bit of banter with teammates and opposition alike.
“A trip like this is about taking every opportunity that you can and hopefully I’ll come back better than I was when I left so I can hit the ground running at the start of the season.
“The time I’m spending out here will help me get used to different conditions and different pitches with the ball whilst also trying to develop my game with the bat. It’s given me a really good insight into a few things, and it’s been nice to have plenty of sunshine too! The people are great and the family I’m staying with are brilliant.”
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Skelton has helped Parramatta reach the T20 semi-finals and is happy with her form in the shortest format.
“Hopefully, I can continue that into the New Year and the next block of 50-over games. It was great to reach the semis in the T20s, and we feel like we can hit the next block of 50s strongly and pick up some more wins,” Skelton added.
Skelton follows fellow Somerset player Sophie Luff to Parramatta and said her Somerset team-mate was “instrumental” in landing the move.
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Skelton said playing in Australia brings “a few differences”, adding: “There’s the pitches and there’s also the weather. You need a few extra Powerades and to chug down the water a bit more. It’s certainly opened my eyes to the hydration side of things and making sure that you recover well.”