Cricket gun Lauren Cheatle on road to recovery after shocking injury run
One of Australia’s brightest young cricket talents has revealed her hopes - and her playing fear - after a long-awaited return to the field following a horrific injury run.
The Bowral News
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Lauren Cheatle has been turning heads in cricket from a young age with her 2021 goal to be back doing so again by the end of this year.
It’s an achievable feat for the Bowral left-arm quick almost lost to the game due to a series of injuries and illness in recent times.
The Sydney Sixers player returned to the women’s Big Bash League this season after an extraordinarily long absence, welcomed back warmly by teammates and rivals alike.
“It was 660 days between T20 game. It’s a long time. And between 50 over games it was 400. I was more than happy it was over,” said the pace bowler who underwent a left shoulder reconstruction last November which followed on from a right shoulder reconstruction in 2017 and a bicep operation also in 2020. She had also been laid low with chromic fatigue in her late teens.
“There was plenty wrong - two shoulder reconstructions and a bicep operation.
“In order in order to get range back I had to get the operation. I’d had a bit of a back issue with a stress fracture.
“So I rebuilt myself. I was so lucky with the physio team. Hopefully it was successful enough not to have to do again.”
Cheatle said she is now “structurally all good”. But there are still some issues.
“It is painful to throw and probably always will be,” she said. “I don’t have the same kind of range which affects my throwing, not my bowling.
“I’m still apprehensive about diving on the ground. It’s something I have to deal with.
“The silver lining is I have learned to do things better and technically more correct.
“I will come back stronger. The lay-off let me spend time in the gym where I did a lot of work.
“It’s given me the platform for hopefully a good season.”
Cheatle was identified as a rising star of the sport early, one of the countries best young talents as a 17-year-old Australian debutant.
Cheatle, whose father Giles represented Sussex and Surrey in England’s County championship for a decade, said she was keen to give the sport ago when he suggested it and honed her skills playing alongside local boys from the under 12’s to under 16s and in Southern Highlands u12s, u14s and u16s rep teams.
A self-confessed tomboy, Cheatle said this time help her become a tougher cricketer.
“I was the only girl I knew who played cricket,” said the former Chevalier student who is delighted young girls and women now have competitions in the Southern Highlands to play in.
“I didn’t mind. I was just obsessed with the game. I wanted to be Glenn McGrath or Brett Lee. They were just our iconic cricketer at the time and opened for Australia.”
While based in Sydney where she is studying business at the University of NSW and working part time, Cheatle said she drives back to the Bowral as often as she can.
“Mum and dad are still there. I try and get back once a week. I just love it,” she said.
“I’m not much of a city person. I like to get away.
“We live in town but I have plenty of mates on properties I can escape too.’’
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