Norwich teenager Maddy stumps the opposition

The 17-year-old has been crowned the inaugural winner of  The 1 - a nationwide search for a rising star of the game.

Maddy – who lives in Eaton - was put through a rigorous test of her cricketing skills – batting, bowling and fielding – and came out on top.

The national competition was open to girls aged 12-18 and is run by former England cricketer Lydia Greenway’s newly-launched online coaching platform, the Girls Cricket Club.

Maddy attends the City of Norwich School and is currently studying for PE, biology and DT A levels. She began playing cricket as part of the Swardeston youth set-up and now plays for Mildenhall women’s and Ketteringham Hall first team, Rangers T20 team as well as representing Norfolk.

Maddy Reynolds - on the road to success (Image: macesport.com)

"I was very nervous, especially when looking at the competition, and I never thought I’d win,” she said.

“I especially liked the aspect of being able to compare our own stats to that of England players on certain challenges. It gives you somewhere to reach to, a next step

“If you’re thinking about entering, 100pc do it. It’s a great experience and It’s competitive throughout the day. Everyone here thoroughly enjoyed themselves!”

Maddy was the best of the 14 finalists in the Nottingham event, and took home a trophy and prizes including a custom hand-made bat, a 12-month kit sponsorship, one-to-one coaching with top internationals, a training day with a professional women’s cricket team and media training with a leading sports PR agency.

Maddy Reynolds - number one! (Image: macesport.com)

And if you want to know what makes a good all-rounder, this is what she did to win:

- Managed the longest throw at 64 metres

- Smashed the longest six in batting contests

- Bowled a Yorker to win it

And as further proof of her all-round ability, she is also a regular at Dragons hockey club in Norwich where she plays in ladies second team and is also a hockey umpire.