Abigail_Freeborn

Abigail Freeborn

Abigail Freeborn

English cricketer

Abigail Johanna Freeborn (born 12 November 1996) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Staffordshire, Central Sparks and Birmingham Phoenix. She plays as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She has previously played for Sussex, Yorkshire and Leicestershire, as well as Loughborough Lightning and Lightning in regional cricket and Trent Rockets in The Hundred.[1][2]

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Early life

Freeborn was born on 12 November 1996 in Eastbourne, East Sussex.[2] She attended Loughborough University.[3]

Domestic career

Freeborn made her county debut in 2013, for Sussex in a match against Surrey. She kept wicket and made one stumping, but did not bat.[4] She soon became a regular for Sussex, and she was a part of their 2013 Women's County Championship and 2015 Women's Twenty20 Cup title victories.[5][6]

Freeborn joined Yorkshire on loan for the 2019 season. She achieved her List A high score of 58 that season, off just 40 deliveries against Surrey.[7] In 2021, it was announced that she has joined Leicestershire, but she did not play for them that season.[8] She joined Staffordshire ahead of the 2022 season.[9] She scored 83 runs at an average of 20.75 in six matches for the side in the 2022 Women's Twenty20 Cup.[10]

Freeborn was also part of Loughborough Lightning's squad in the Women's Cricket Super League from 2017 to 2019. She was part of the side that reached the semi-final in 2019, and had a high score of 16* in a victory over Lancashire Thunder in 2017.[6][11]

In 2020, Freeborn played for Lightning in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She scored 167 runs at an average of 33.40 in five matches, with a top score of 40 in a victory over Central Sparks.[12][13] In December 2020, it was announced that Freeborn was one of the 41 female cricketers that had signed a full-time domestic contract.[14] In 2021, she scored 105 runs at an average of 15.00 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, as well as being ever-present for the Trent Rockets in The Hundred.[15][16] Her best performances came in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, where she was Lightning's leading run-scorer, with 161 runs.[17] She made her Twenty20 high score of 61 in a match against South East Stars, as well as becoming the first wicketkeeper in the tournament to make four dismissals in an innings, all stumpings, in the same match.[18] At the end of the season it was announced that Freeborn had moved to Central Sparks, and signed a professional contract with her new side.[19] She scored 163 runs in the 2022 Charlotte Edwards Cup, including 52 made against Western Storm.[20][21] She was also Central Sparks' leading run-scorer in the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with 227 at an average of 45.40.[22] She made what was at the time her List A high score against North West Thunder, scoring 72 from 72 deliveries.[23] She also played seven matches for Trent Rockets in The Hundred, and scored 45* in her side's victory over Manchester Originals.[24][25]

In 2023, she played 20 matches for Central Sparks, across the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup, and scored her maiden List A century, with 107* against Sunrisers.[26][27][28] She also moved to Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, playing seven matches and scoring 43 runs.[29]

References

  1. [1]
    "Player Profile: Abigail Freeborn". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Player Profile: Abigail Freeborn". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Abigail Freeborn". Loughborough University. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. [4]
    "Sussex Women v Surrey Women, 6 May 2013". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Women's List A Matches Played by Abigail Freeborn". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Women's Twenty20 Matches Played by Abigail Freeborn". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. [7]
    "Surrey Women v Yorkshire Women, 5 May 2019". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  8. [8]
    "Women sign Lightning trio". Leicestershire County Cricket Club. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  9. [9]
    "18 April 2022 @ 11:00: Staffordshire Women v Worcestershire Women". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  10. [10]
    "Batting and Fielding for Staffordshire Women/Vitality Women's County T20 2022". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Lancashire Thunder v Loughborough Lightning, 20 August 2017". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  12. [12]
    "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy/Lightning Batting and Fielding". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  13. [13]
    "Lightning v Central Sparks, 19 September 2020". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  14. [14]
    "Forty-one female players sign full-time domestic contracts". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  15. [15]
    "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2021 - Lightning/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Records/The Hundred Women's Competition, 2021 - Trent Rockets (Women)/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  17. [17]
    "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  18. [18]
    "Tash Farrant, Alice Capsey help set up Stars victory over Lightning". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  19. [19]
    "ECB fund sixth professional contract at each women's regional team". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  20. [20]
    "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Central Sparks/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  21. [21]
    "Amy Jones, Abigail Freeborn fifties give Central Sparks a winning start". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  22. [22]
    "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2022 - Central Sparks/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  23. [23]
    "Emma Lamb, Kate Cross give Thunder first 50-over win of season". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  24. [24]
    "Records/The Hundred Women's Competition, 2022 - Trent Rockets (Women)/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  25. [25]
    "Alana King hat-trick sees Trent Rockets past Manchester Originals in low-scorer". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  26. [26]
    "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2023 - Central Sparks/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  27. [27]
    "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - Central Sparks/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  28. [28]
    "Sunrisers stun Sparks through fifties to Villiers, Scrivens and Carr". ESPNCricinfo. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  29. [29]
    "Records/The Hundred Women's Competition, 2023 - Birmingham Phoenix (Women)/Batting and Bowling Averages". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
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