Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE

Former cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent MBE is castaway by Lauren Laverne.

Ebony is the first black woman to play for England and she was part of the team which won the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2009.

Today she is a broadcaster and cricket commentator for Channel 4, Sky Sports and the BBC’s Test Match Special.

Ebony was born in south London and as a child it was football that caught her attention, especially Liverpool FC and her hero Robbie Fowler. At primary school she was encouraged to have a go at cricket through a charity called Cricket For Change which was set up to encourage more state school children into the sport. Holding a bat in her hands for the first time, she hit the ball as hard as she could and, as she watched it soar through the air, she was hooked.

Ebony started out playing for Surrey Cricket Club’s Under 11’s team as a bowler. In 2003 a serious back injury forced her to stop playing and she thought her sporting career was over. She was determined to prove the medics wrong so she retrained as a batswoman as batting was easier on her back.

In 2007 she made her debut for England and two years later was part of the World Cup-winning team.

In 2020 Ebony joined forces with Surrey Cricket Club and founded the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE) to build grassroots cricket programmes for young people in black communities across the UK.

In 2021 she was awarded an MBE for her services to cricket and charity.

DISC ONE: Cold Sweat - James Brown
DISC TWO: Girlie Girlie - Sophia George
DISC THREE: Pass Me Over - Anthony Hamilton
DISC FOUR: A Long Walk - Jill Scott
DISC FIVE: Rock Steady - Aretha Franklin
DISC SIX: Never Forget - Take That
DISC SEVEN: Superheroes - Stormzy
DISC EIGHT: Work To Do - The Isley Brothers

BOOK CHOICE: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
LUXURY ITEM: A drum kit
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: A Long Walk - Jill Scott

Producer: Paula McGinley

A BBC Studios production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2024.