Hi, I鈥檓 Teja and I鈥檓 12 years old, and I LOVE cricket.
I started playing because I thought it looked fun and quite easy to hit the ball but it was a sport my parents knew NOTHING about. They are originally from Lithuania and they don鈥檛 really play cricket there. My dad even thought cricket would be boring.
But once I actually tried it, I realised it鈥檚 not just about hitting the ball 鈥� it鈥檚 about being active, learning new skills and having loads of fun with your teammates.
Now I play A LOT of cricket. I play for Tuddenham Cricket Club, Suffolk County Cricket Club, the City of Cambridge and I鈥檓 also part of the MCC Foundation Hub. It can get really busy 鈥� sometimes I鈥檓 training for three hours and then travelling to another game on the same day! But honestly, I don鈥檛 mind because I just love playing so much.
People sometimes think I鈥檓 a batter because that鈥檚 what you might see more on Instagram, but I actually think I鈥檓 becoming an all-rounder. I bowl as well and I try to be really consistent and make it hard for batters to play. One of my favourite moments ever was when I got FOUR wickets in one over 鈥� all bowled! That felt amazing and I鈥檒l probably never forget it. Also, I loved my recent trip to Lord鈥檚 for two-day cricket training after being nominated Cliff Piper award by Suffolk coaches.
One of the biggest reasons I kept going back after my first ever cricket session was my coaches Richard and Pete. They made everything really fun and brought so much energy, which made me feel happy and relaxed. They didn鈥檛 make it scary if you got out 鈥� they just made you want to come back and try again.
I also share some of my cricket online (with help from my dad!), where I post videos of my batting and training. It鈥檚 not just for fun 鈥� I also want to show other people, especially girls, that they can play cricket too. I get advice sometimes from people watching, and I try to learn from it and keep getting better.
So if you鈥檝e never tried cricket before, I鈥檇 definitely say: just give it a go. It鈥檚 fun, it鈥檚 active, and it鈥檚 a really good way to spend time with friends while learning something new. You don鈥檛 have to be amazing straight away 鈥� you just have to enjoy it.
For me, I just want to keep playing and getting better and I really want to hit my first six soon! Maybe one day I鈥檒l even play professionally, or for England or Lithuania!
So if you鈥檙e thinking about trying cricket鈥� do it. You might end up loving it as much as I do.