Cricketer, Chloe Tryon (24), originally from Ifafa Beach and ex-Scottburgh High School pupil, has just been acclaimed as one of South Africa’s ‘big hitters’.
Being a woman and achieving this status really meant a lot to her and motivates her to work even harder and improve herself.
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“The women’s game is reaching great heights right now,” said Chloe, “especially T20 cricket because it’s so high intensity. People actually enjoy watching us play, so we can prove to them that we are just as entertaining as the men.”
Chloe’s passion for the sport began when she received her first cricket bat at the age of three. She has always been an outdoor type of person and constantly played cricket with her dad from then on.
In primary school, she joined the boys’ cricket team and set goals to play for the country one day. She felt that women’s cricket didn’t have much exposure at the time and that it was hard to make a sporting name for herself as a woman.
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However, when she received a call for a cricket camp with the Proteas team, she seized the opportunity with both hands.
“I was 16 at the time. I wasn’t happy at all with how I did and thought I completely threw away this opportunity, until I got the call telling me I made the team for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean,” she said.
This is when Chloe got a wicket off her first international ball for the country.
Since then, Chloe has played 55 one-day international (ODI) matches and over 40 T20 matches for the country. The highlight of her career has got to be making her South African debut.
“I doubt anything can top that – and being appointed vice-captain was something I really didn’t expect – but I’ve learned and grown so much after the last year, not just on the cricket field but off the field too,” she said.
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Every tour Chloe goes on, she describes as ‘memorable’ as she gets to meet players from around the world and learn not just about them, but their cultures and so forth. Chloe considers herself a very friendly person, so she’s always open to meeting new people.
Training-wise, Chloe doesn’t have a specific routine but, whatever she chooses to do, she makes sure that she listens to her body.
“Training is never easy, you have to be disciplined. It’s hours of not just being in the gym but hitting thousands and thousands of cricket balls a week. In the end it’s just all worth it – put in the hard yards and get the rewards,” she said.
Chloe said it took a lot of sacrifice to get to where she is now, but the journey to achieve her dream job was a whole lot easier with the help of her parents.
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To all aspiring sportsmen she says:
“If you give 100 percent all the time in whatever you do, somehow things will work out in the end. It might be tough now, but stay motivated and work towards your goals and you will get there eventually. The sky is the limit, believe in yourself!” – Chloe Tryon.
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