Charlotte scores a county cricket hat-trick

A GIFTED young Ripon Grammar School cricketer is honoured to have been selected to play for Yorkshire for the third year running.

What makes Charlotte Jackson’s achievement even more special is that this time, she has been picked to play with the squad in the year above her, having played for the under-11 team for the past two years.

Charlotte, who recently turned 12, went through a gruelling selection process to win her position on the under-13 team, with more than 500 girls competing for 63 places across all age groups during trials at Headingly Cricket Ground.

“I was surprised and thrilled as I didn’t expect to be one of the 13 picked for the team above my age group,” said the aspiring sports psychologist who has dreams of becoming a professional cricketer and competing in The Ashes for England.

The right-arm pace bowler and middle order bats person started playing cricket when she was six years old as she was one of very few girls in her year at her village primary school and the boys encouraged her to join the team.

The highlights of her cricketing career include scoring 45 runs for Yorkshire under-11s in a win against Cheshire and getting two wickets in the same match. She was also part of the Ouseburn Cricket Club team which won the first ever Nidderdale girls’ under-13 league.

Charlotte, from Marton cum Grafton, who also enjoys playing netball at school, is inspired by Lauren Bell and Ben Stokes.

Now getting into the swing of her Saturday morning winter training at Headingley stadium, Charlotte is looking forward to the 2026 season which begins after Easter.