The club comms team had a chat to Iona Dizon, captain of the Women’s XI, about the team, the club and what a successful season would entail for her side.

Iona has been involved with the club for over 10 years. She took on the role of captain of the Women's XI which was formed in 2023, is part of the club committee and is also a member of the social sub-committee. Iona and her partner, Ash Thorpe, are familiar faces at the club on weekends with Ash also playing for Claygate in the Saturday 1st XI and T20 sides.

Iona was instrumental in securing the Zeitoun restaurant sponsorship for the Women’s XI. She was heavily involved in arranging the extremely enjoyable and successful end of season party at Zeitoun. Iona also took the lead in getting the Women’s XI to join the Smash IT softball league for 2025.

It’s wonderful to have her energy and enthusiasm in the women’s section and we have no doubt that the side will continue to grow from strength to strength under her guidance.

A conversation with Iona
How did you get involved in the side?
My partner Ash and I lived in Italy for four years and moved back in 2020. With Ash previously having played at Claygate back in 2014 we knew about the village and felt it was a perfect place for us to call home.

One sunny Friday evening at the Rec, Sarah Murray mentioned that Claygate were going to start a Women’s team. Despite being a huge sports fan, I have never really played any team sports but thought I would throw myself into the deep end and give it ago and have never looked back.

What do you like about the club?
It’s a great place to meet new people in the village, be active and the Rec is a lovely setting to enjoy a glass of wine or a OJ on a Friday evening (perfect way to de-stress from a week at work).

How would you describe the atmosphere of the women’s XI?
Everyone who comes down and joins in brings their own unique strengths and skills. Some (myself included) haven’t played any form of sport since school so have started from the very basics of cricket and we are still learning.
We are a very supportive group, all working together and empowering each other. At the core of everything we do is just to have fun and enjoy ourselves!!

What are the things that would make the season a success?
As previously mentioned, we want people to come down, have fun and enjoy themselves. Learning how to play cricket and improving our skills is a bonus!
A successful season would be having a good crack at the new league and seeing how we get on, we would love to be able to grow the side even further and increase the number of U16+ girls in the team.

What do you and the team want to gain from winter nets training?
To really get to grips with the basics and then improve our skills and confidence as we head into the season.

What do you enjoy most about playing cricket?
The social aspect of it has been a huge plus, cricket practice on a sunny Friday evening followed by a glass of Pistachio’s finest wine is the perfect way to end the week.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about joining the women’s XI?
Just come down and see what it's all about, no previous experience required (I had none until 2 years ago and even now it’s questionable). It’s a great way to get active and to have some fun and be social!!

What is your favourite moment, so far, as captain and why?
Getting the chance to play a couple of competitive matches last season and seeing us all line up in our match shirts was a great moment!

Do you have a favourite match/cricketing moment/cricketing quote?
Watching Ben Stokes’s innings to take England to a Super Over vs New Zealand in the World Cup Final and shouting at the TV when Jos Butler took all 3 stumps out the ground to run out the New Zealand batsman and win the World Cup.

What is your cricketing dream?
To go to Australia to watch us win the Ashes!!

Are you interested in joining the club?
As Iona mentioned, it's all about fun and enjoyment. If you would like to get involved in the Women's XI (or other sides) then please take a look at our our "new joiners" pages for full details..

Thanks to Iona for chatting to us and we'll be catching up with the other captains as well as junior managers in the coming weeks.

All the best to Iona and the team in the Smash IT league for 2025!