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Nicole Harvey: Record Breaker!
The 2024 season ended in disappointment for Somerset Women.
However, there were still a huge number of positives to take from the summer. One of these outstanding moments was when Nicole Harvey claimed a major record.
The Somerset allrounder finished the year as the all-time leading wicket taker in the Women’s County Championship.
She now has 196 wickets, six more than Katie Levick. Nicole’s wickets have come at an average of 14.73 with a best of five for 22.
We caught up with Nicole recently to discuss the remarkable achievement.
“To go ahead of a brilliant bowler like Katie Levick and to hold the record means an awful lot to me,” she said. “I knew I was second at the start of the season and it was nice that the team knew about it and wanted me to get the record. I’m delighted to have achieved it. Whenever I play, I just want to take as many wickets as I can and make an impact for the team.”
Looking back, was cricket always the dream?
“When I was much younger, I think I wanted to be a horse rider,” she remembered. “Cricket didn’t come into my life until I was about eight. I played a lot with my older brother and played a lot of boy’s cricket. I went for my first County boy’s trial at the age of 10 and I was the only girl there. I always wanted to be the best that I could be and was always looking for the next challenge. Playing in the boys set up was character building. I went away to tour South Africa with Cornwall boys with the likes of Jake Libbey, and when you’re the only female you have to stand up, do well and prove yourself.”
We are now moving into an era of professional women’s cricket, but players like Nicole have had to fit the game around jobs and family etc. How difficult was that?
“At the time cricket wasn’t a viable career unless you played for England,” she explained. “Even then, the money at the time wasn’t brilliant. I went to university to study Sport & Exercise Science before going on to do a teaching degree. I tried to play as much cricket as possible with Somerset, the MCC and even men’s cricket. If I could get to a game then I would, but having to study alongside that was hard. It’s brilliant that cricket can now be a full-time job for women and girls. It’s exciting for the girls that are coming through.”
Nicole has had a distinguished career, representing both Western Storm and Welsh Fire amongst others. Looking back on her time in the game, would she change anything?
“I don’t think I would,” she said. “Everything that’s happened has made me who I am today. Obviously, I’d like to be 18 and coming into the game with women’s cricket the way it is now because it’s now a viable career. Having said that, I feel like I’m more resilient because of having to do everything that I did to get to where I am.”
The women’s game has changed a huge amount in a short time. What does Nicole hope that the future holds?
“It’s a really exciting time. The more professional players that you have, the more the standard will increase. That will hopefully bring more supporters through the gates because The Hundred has shown that there is a fan base for women’s cricket.”
What would Nicole’s advice be to young players wanting to get into the game?
“You’ve got to work hard because things won’t be handed to you on a plate. Even when you think you’ve done enough, do a little bit more. It’s also important to be yourself and to know your strengths. Don’t overcomplicate things and don’t ever lose hope or give up on the dream.”
