“I met Natalie when I worked at the University of Loughborough,” says former fast -player Katherine. “She was testing at the National Cricket Performance Center there.
“She came in with an arm wrench because her elbow hyper-if she extends. Mark Lane, coach of England at the time, was trying to pour myself saying that she could play faster than me. I thought ‘she’s not all.’ Laney’s Evol-up worked because I noticed.”
Katherine and Nat became homemates and business partners. They invested in a property and rented it to England teammates Amy Jones, Beth Langston and Fran Wilson. The group was so tight that the other players dubbed them ‘small mix’.
While the rest could see the potential development relationship, Katherine took a while.
“It’s not like we wanted to hide anything from someone, it’s just that Nat and I didn’t know either,” says Katherine. “We were and we’re still so close, that I didn’t want to spoil any of that. I was holding on.
“One day I realized that she was the best thing that has happened to me.”
Nat and Katherine have become public about their relationship, engagement and eventual marriage. Last year Nat had egg freezing treatment and announced the birth of Theo, transported by Katherine in April.
“We felt it was important to touch matters that some people would find useful,” says Katherine. “We cover many difficult bases in the eyes of the public, practicing international sport, being gay, being women.
“We marked many boxes that played areas where people could fight. We felt that if we could help people feel a little less uncomfortable, why not?”
With two huge events of life – becoming a father and captain of England – happening at the same time, there are simultaneous struggles at stake.
Katherine managed to travel with NAT in the winter tours of England, but was very deep in pregnancy to go to the female Premier League (WPL) in February and March. While Katherine spent time in the hospital, Nat was in India becoming the main scorer and player of the tournament. If Katherine had gone into labor, Nat would not have arrived at home in time.
There was an initial plan for NAT to lose the West Indies series, but after England fired Heather Knight, they needed a captain.
“Watching WPL and as she dealt with what we were going, it showed me that she will look good as Captain of England,” says Katherine.
“We know her because she is calm, calculated and being able to perform her best performances in the worst situations. So if there is someone for work, it’s NAT.”
And Katherine?
“I’m going to look away,” she says. “I have a distraction, which is good. I will make sure Theo see the first ball so I can say he saw his mother’s first game as captain of England.”
