Phoenix plays cricket with a real passion

 
That Phoenix Phillips should love cricket comes as no surprise because her family is steeped in the game, with dad Christian having been a stalwart player  at Kilgetty but is now a regular in Cresselly’s first team because he was spending so much time there with his daughter it made sense to switch clubs since he coaches there and spends much of his spare time that it has made life easier for him and mum Joy, who was also a cricketer in her younger days.
 
Joy is the daughter of Michael Cole, who played at Lawrenny and is perhaps better known for his owning of horses like ‘To Be Fair’,  which was a top hurdler and a great favourite with local followers of the equine sport. Joy played ladies’ cricket alongside Jennifer Cole, Sharon Lewis, Rhona and Alison Williams, whilst her brothers Andrew and Steve (known to all as Spanner’) have played for many years in the village.
 
Older children Dylan (captain of Kilgetty 2nds) and Isha, very busy these days after giving birth a few months ago to Zarina – and giving Joy and Christian their first grandchild, whilst Christian’s late grandfather, Joe Dring, was a great character who was hugely respected as a scorer, with Kilgetty and Pembrokeshire.
 

Early start to soft-ball cricket

 
Phoenix, now 14, went to her first coaching session with Kilgetty Juniors when she was five years old and she was already used to going to the ground because of her dad Christian and she went along with mum Joy to support him and play alongside other children on the boundary.
 
She clearly enjoyed herself with the soft balls they used and it wasn’t much later that she went to regular sessions at Cresselly - and by the time she was six she was playing in matches where everyone batted and bowled in pairs so she quickly adapted to match situations.
 
“My coaches were my dad, Simon Cole, Stefan Jenkins, Phil Williams; Grant James and Haydn Shapcott,” she told us, “and I couldn’t wait for Sundays to come around so that we could play in local festivals against plenty of other teams.
 

On to hard-ball stuff at nine years of age

 
“And it got even better when we were old enough to start using proper cricket balls at nine and I was in the Cresselly team which won our age-group section and final, with only Mari Cole and me alongside boys who included Harry Broadhurst, Ieuan Prout, Finley Rowlands, Cody James, George Hughes, Jack Mears, Bobby Shapcott and Alfie Morgan.”
 
Another highlight came when Phoenix was invited to attend training with the Welsh Girls’ team for her age group at Sophia Gardens, In Cardiff, with other hopefuls from all over Wales - and obviously impressed because she attended other trials/training sessions at Cardiff and Baglan, followed by more weekly training sessions in Neath with coaches Mark Cox, Sara Jenkins, Sara Phillips, Seren Hughes, Kelsey Hughes and Georgia Parfitt.
 

Played well for Wales

 
It demanded total commitment but at least her parents had the burden eased somewhat when they shared transport with Mari Cole and her dad Simon - and the end product was selection for the squad of 22 to represent Wales against the likes of Devon, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Millfield School.
 
She also played against the West Wales Boys’ team that was a year younger and says, “We stuffed them,” with a typical chuckle!
 
Phoenix grabbed 3 for 21 in that match and had a top score of 38 against Devon at Taunton as her best performances at that high level for the season.
 

Gaining experience as the youngest player for Cresselly Ladies

 
Back home, Phoenix began to gain more experience by being the youngest player in the Cresselly ladies’ team, marking her debut with a couple of wickets - and also playing more recently for them in the indoor league, where she showed how much she has developed in a match against their counterparts from Llangwm, where she reached 26 before having to retire - and then in her two-over spell with the ball not only bowled a rare maiden over but finished with a 3 for 3 analysis!
 
“My team mates there are Ffion Ashman, Zoe Minnett, Chrissie Toy, Jess Lewis, Meg Arthur and Lucy Johnson - and we are doing well this campaign, as we did in the 2024 season.”

 

And finally . . .

 

Phoenix has also gained selection for the next outdoor campaign with the West Wales Region, not only at under 14 girls’ level but with the under 16s as well. Her coaches there are Carl Harding, Dan Field, Rob Seymour, Sara Jenkins and Sara Phillips - and she is quick to sing the praises of the work they are already doing!
 
She will also play for Cresselly, with boys and girls in the team, when the new season begins soon.
 
Not content with that little lot, Phoenix helped out last year as scorer for the club’s first team whenever Cerys Jenkins was unavailable - and since Cerys will be too busy with her studies and cattle this year it is likely that Phoenix will take over the role, because she and mum Joy will be there anyway, cheering her dad on!
 
There is no doubt that Phoenix Phillips loves her chosen sport and at 14 years old it would be hard to find anyone who is more committed – and we at PembrokeshireSport.co.uk wish her every success because she is a talented and modest young lady cricketer!