 Colvin playing againstSouth Africa, August 2008. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Holly Louise Colvin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-09-07)7 September 1989 (age 35) Chichester, Sussex, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm orthodox spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 143) | 9 August 2005 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 22 January 2011 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 106) | 14 August 2006 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 3 November 2013 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 18) | 10 August 2007 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 26 October 2013 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2015 | Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:CricketArchive,14 March 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holly Louise Colvin (born 7 September 1989) is an English formercricketer who played as aslow left-arm orthodoxbowler and right-handedbatter. She appeared in fiveTest matches, 72One Day Internationals and 50Twenty20 Internationals forEngland between 2005 and her international retirement in 2013.[1]
Born in Chichester, Colvin attended the nearbyWestbourne House School. A right-hand bat andslow left arm bowler, she originally played as a batter and started playing for the 1st XI in year 7 and soon averaged over 100. After Westbourne House, Colvin followed in the footsteps of England women's captainClare Connor by playing in the boys' team atBrighton College. Competing in the Lord's Taverners under-15 Cup in 2004, Colvin and fellow BrightonianSarah Taylor were the only girls among the 1,000 participating teams.[2] Colvin and Taylor's involvement in the competition caused controversy within theMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with presidentRobin Marlar calling their inclusion "absolutely outrageous".[3] He proceeded to argue that, "if there's an 18-year-old who can bowl at 80mph and he's been brought up properly then he shouldn't want to hurt a lady at any cost".[3] Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, dismissed the comments as "show[ing] a huge generation gap";[3] Colvin herself commented that "we just thought it was funny... [they] don't treat me any different. They bowl at me just as fast and hit the ball just as hard".[4] On a cricket tour toSri Lanka in December 2004, she was one of the last people to play at theGalle International Stadium before it was flattened by thetsunami ofBoxing Day that year.[5] In December 2006, Colvin was named as 'Female Pupil of the Year' byThe Telegraph's 'School Sport Matters' campaign, receiving the award atLord's from Olympic gold-medallistKelly Holmes.[6]
Colvin played forSussex from May 2005 to September 2015.[7] She was part of the Sussex teams that won the women's County Championship in 2005, and again in 2008.[8] The West Sussex Cricket League has named a trophy after her, awarded annually to the most-improved young female cricketer in the county.[9]
Colvin's first involvement with international cricket came in August 2005, when the England team was preparing to face the Australian women's international team at theHove County Cricket Ground. She was invited to bowl against the English team in thenets to give them practice against aleft-arm spinner, who the Australian team was fielding in the form ofShelley Nitschke.[4] After the practice session, Colvin was asked to be available for the four-daymatch by team coach Richard Bates.[4] Team captain Clare Connor admitted that her inclusion was "pure hunch", believing that the dry, dusty wicket would be favourable tospin bowling.[10] Bates explained toThe Times that "the pitch [was] a little worn, and we felt that Holly could help us exploit it".[10] Colvin made her England debut on 9 August 2005, becoming at 15 years and 336 days the youngest cricketer (of either sex) to playTest cricket for England.[11] She took three wickets in her inaugural game,[12] dismissingKate Blackwell andJulia Price in two consecutive balls and nearly takingJulie Hayes for ahat-trick.[10] Reminiscing over the experience in February 2008, Colvin remarked that "I think I was fortunate... I had no idea who I was playing against – all these big names that were coming up against me and I had pretty much no idea".[13] She described her near-hat-trick as a "pretty special [moment]".[13]
Although Bates said that "she might have to wait a few years before she gets another chance [to play for England]",[10] Colvin became a regular member of England's international teams. By August 2007, she had twoTest matches and elevenOne Day Internationals to her credit.[12] In the Women's Quadrangular Series inIndia in 2006, Colvin took three wickets for 47 against New Zealand,[14] and then 3 for 50 in the 3rd–4th playoff to secure the England team 3rd place.[15]
On 10 August 2007, Colvin took a wicket and two catches in her inauguralTwenty20 International match, against South Africa atTaunton.[16] Despite being the smallest member of the squad – a photograph published by theBBC shows her fitting comfortably inside a cricket bag[17] – she proved her worth in the subsequent three-match T20I series against New Zealand, taking wickets in both games that she played.[18][19]
In February 2008, Colvin played her third international Test match, on tour in Australia,[20] as part of the England Women's Team defending theAshes won in 2005. Colvin admitted that she felt "a little under pressure" before the one-match series;[13] England had not won the Women's Ashes for 42 years prior to the victory in 2005. She claimed that the team were "definitely looking to win... we’ve got more to lose".[13] The England Team won the match by six wickets, successfully retaining the Ashes trophy.[20] Colvin set a new personal best for Test matches, taking three for 42 during the second innings.[20] Her best bowling analysis in ODI cricket was exceeded on 1 September 2008 when she took 4 for 20 against India in the second match of the series at Taunton.[21]
She was an integral part of the England attack during the2009 Women's Cricket World Cup, taking 9 wickets at 18 in the competition and hitting the winning runs in a tense finish in the final against New Zealand. She was the highest wicket taker, with 9 for 106, in the inauguralWomen's World Twenty20 in England in 2009.
Colvin gained 10 A* grades in her GCSEs, three As in AS-level exams, and 4 As in her A-levels.[22] In 2009, she started studying natural sciences atDurham University,[23] to which is attached one of England's sixUniversity Centres of Cricketing Excellence.
After retiring from playing aged 32, Colvin worked as Sports Competition Manager for Cricket at the2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[24]
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