It has been quite a year for Katherine Fraser. From her Eagles debut in last season’s Regional Series through to her first international cap against Germany in La Manga this summer, the fourteen-year-old off-spinner has shown herself to be one of Scotland’s brightest prospects.
Speaking the day before she flew out to the Netherlands for Scotland’s T20 Quad-Series against Ireland, Thailand and Holland, Katherine reflected on what has already been a season to remember.
“It’s been very exciting,” she said. “La Manga was a great experience. Obviously it wasn’t quite the result we were looking for, but there were a lot of positives we could take away and use to our advantage going forward.
“Personally I really enjoyed it and I learnt a lot. I enjoyed bowling against good batters and had a bit of success with my fielding as well, a catch and a run-out, so that was nice!
“I’m really looking forward to the Netherlands as well and challenging myself again. It’ll be good to play in a different country, too, as I haven’t been there before. I can’t wait to get started!”
After taking three wickets in her first appearance for the Eagles in April 2018, Katherine has become a fixture in the Regional side. Although a broken finger kept her out at the start of this season, a return of 2 for 2 against the Stormers in July saw her hit her stride once again.
“As far as my bowling goes, I’ve been working hard on my variations,” she said. “Developing an arm-ball has been my main focus, and I’ve been using that a bit for the Eagles. I’m also more consistent, I would say. I could be quite expensive sometimes, but I’ve really brought down the number of runs, particularly wides, that I’m giving away.
“Away from the Regional Series I haven’t actually played that much domestic cricket, but I got a hundred for Edinburgh South/Stewart’s Melville in the Women’s Premier League which was great. I haven’t really had that many other batting opportunities, so it was nice to be able to get some time out in the middle.
“Most of my focus is on my bowling, but I’ve done a lot of work on my batting as well, particularly against spin. I’ve been working on getting the ball away with Knoxy [Head Coach Steve Knox] over the winter and in the summer training we’ve been doing.”
Her skills with the bat were called on again last month as, requiring eight to win with one wicket remaining, Katherine saw Scotland A over the line against the Ireland Women’s Academy.
“That was nerve-wracking!” she said. “There were a few close shouts, I was bowled off a no-ball and almost edged one behind, so my heart was in my throat for most of that innings. But I managed to get the ball away to the boundary which was a massive relief!”
Katherine’s composure both on and off the field, as shown by her contribution in Ireland, is as striking as her ability with the ball. Alongside fellow La Manga debutants Megan McColl and Charis Scott, Katherine exemplifies the talent contained within Scotland’s next generation, and as she looks ahead to the remainder of the summer there is one goal on her mind.
“The Global Qualifier is going to be massive,” she said, “and it would be amazing to have the opportunity to be part of it. Getting to the World Cup would be a brilliant thing for Scottish sport, and hopefully I can contribute something to help get us there.”