Kent Women star Grace Scrivens has expressed her pride in captaining the Horses for the first time, branding the event “a really good way to progress” in her career.

17-year-old Scrivens skippered Kent in their rain-affected T20 exhibition draw against Essex on Monday on the back of a call up to the Hundred competition and in the middle of a regional campaign with the Sunrisers.

Fresh from a Charlotte Edwards Cup match with the Sunrisers on Friday, Scrivens made her way back to Canterbury to captain Kent in the match, and it’s safe to say she enjoyed the occasion.

In an exclusive interview with KentSportsNews, Scrivens said: “It was a brilliant experience. I came into the squad a few years ago and to be captaining now is so good. It is a really good way to progress my career in leadership and my overall cricketing career – it is lovely.

“I’m feeling really nice. I haven’t converted as much as I would want to, but I have got a few scores on the board and the Hundred will be another great opportunity, even if I don’t play. To go out there and be with people like Heather Knight and Deepti Sharma; I am going to learn so much and it is a brilliant step for my career.”

Kent were facing rivals Essex in essentially a friendly match on a night when seven county caps were presented, whilst the team received their winners medals and a trophy after winning the Southeast Vitality Women’s County T20 tournament.

The Horses beat Surrey, Middlesex and Essex to the title in an unbeaten campaign, and Scrivens insisted everything went to plan.

She said: “It was a brilliant campaign, a brilliant way to start the season off. The girls went out there and converted everything we did in training and everything like that. We have pushed through, shown what we’ve got, and it was brilliant.”

Kent are on the verge of more success too, waiting on other results after losing just one game in the Women’s London Championship.

“That campaign didn’t go as well, but we can’t really complain,” said Scrivens. “I think we lost one and had really brilliant form, and to convert the form we had in T20s to the 50 over was really brilliant for us.

“To draw on the experience we have been learning from regional stuff and bring it into county stuff has really helped us, so that has been great. Playing at regional level and coming back to Kent allows you to showcase what you have learnt.

And the secret to it all? Team spirit.

“Our team spirit is one of the best I have played in,” admitted Scrivens. “All the girls get on and we love playing together – it is really rare, so when we come back as a team we love it, and we really get on brilliantly.”