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On 5 January 2023 the England and Wales Cricket Board announced the squad for the upcoming Women's International T20 World Cup, which will be taking place in South Africa throughout February. Alice Capsey OL (Manor 2017-2020), a very promising top-order batter and off-spinner, has been included in the squad despite suffering from a broken collarbone. Alice sustained the injury during the Women's One Day International series in the West Indies before Christmas, whilst fielding on the boundary.
Before that series Alice was in Australia playing in the Women’s Big Bash League for the first time, representing the Melbourne Stars. Despite the busy schedule of a professional cricketer and being on the other side of the world, Alice was kind enough to answer a few questions that we sent to her whilst she was out there:
How did Lancing College help you to develop as a cricketer?
The College played an important part in my development as a cricketer. It is a really good school, and I received a lot of support and encouragement during my time there. The facilities are great, and the staff were a big factor in helping me progress my sporting aspirations.
What is your standout memory from your time with the Lancing College Cricket Team?
It’s hard to pick just one, I really enjoyed my time playing for Lancing College. Making my debut was special, because that’s something that you only ever get to do once, and it’s something I’ve thought of since when I’ve been lucky enough to make my first appearance at international or franchise level. It’s a one-off moment, so even though I don’t think I was old enough to really appreciate it at the time, looking back, that was pretty cool.
Did any of your experiences of being educated in a school with such a diverse international community help in your career so far?
Absolutely, the College was great for introducing me to many different cultures. One of the best things about cricket is the amount of travel involved and the different cultures and countries you are able to experience; it is definitely beneficial to have been at a school that welcomed and embraced that. It also teaches you how best to be part of a group, a team, and that is something I have learnt from being in a boarding school as well.
You’re still the youngest player to turn out for Lancing First XI at 13, is it hard to believe that there was just 5 years between receiving your first Lancing Cap and your first England Cap?
It’s all gone pretty quickly! I’ve been very happy with how my career has progressed across the last few years, playing for Oval Invincibles at Lord’s was special and then my England debuts in both ODI and IT20 cricket; as well as the Commonwealth Games. You can’t look backwards too much, though, you need to keep looking forward to whatever’s next.
We are sure that you have further ambitions within the game, especially with England, but you must be proud of what you’ve achieved already. How have you found the journey from Lancing College to Melbourne, was it little steps or big leaps?
A bit of both! Sometimes it’s lot of little steps and then before you know it you’ve taken one big leap. Sometimes you spend a bit of time working away under the radar for what seems like a while, and then lots of things happen at once. In a way, it teaches you that there’s no magic answer. You just need to keep working hard and trying to do your best. That’s all you can do. You can’t control what happens next, but you are in control of how hard you work and how much effort you put in.
We have no doubts that you remember your timetable at Lancing College, how does the schedule for a typical day with a professional cricket team compare?
Well, a career of doing cricket all the time is pretty great, whichever way you look at it! It’s slightly different from being sat in the classroom. Our typical day depends a bit on whether we’re on tour overseas or whether we’re at home. Generally, we’d be training, and that might be a group session involving some fielding, or it could be just us choosing to practise batting or bowling that day. Then there’s the gym, too. We’ve often got a few meetings around cricket as well, whether that’s about how we play or something off-field. Either way, it’s a lot of fun to be able to play the sport I love for my job.
Finally, is there any chance that we will see you turning out for the Lancing Rovers in between all your International and global cricket franchise exploits? The Cricketer’s Cup would look good in the trophy cabinet after all.
Never say never! I’m always keen to add another trophy to the trophy cabinet.
Encouraging to hear that despite her exploits throughout 2022 Alice isn’t ruling out helping the Lancing Rovers win the Cricketer’s Cup in the future.