Desert Island Discs: Who is today's guest Ebony Rainford-Brent, her cricket career and full name

Rainford-Brent made history in the sport by being the first black woman to play for England. A right-handed batter who played for Surrey her entire career, she has stayed heavily involved in cricket more than a decade after her retirement.

Born at St Thomas’ Hospital, Greater London, on New Year’s Eve in 1983, Rainford-Brent was the youngest of four children and the only girl. At the age of nine she was introduced to cricket, and it soon became not only her chief passion, but something she was incredibly good at.

She soon found herself in Surrey’s under-11’s team, and rose through the academy ranks to make her senior debut in 2001.

Cricket career

Playing 168 matches during her playing career, the batter found herself in the England women’s team almost immediately, making her one-day international debut in August 2001 against the Netherlands.

She was shaping up towards having a record-breaking career, but an injury at the age of 19 almost put an end to everything. Rainford-Brent was diagnosed with two prolapsed discs and a pars defect, with doctors advising her to give up all forms of sport.

With specialist treament, however, she was able to make a seemingly miraculous recovery - and was soon back in front of the stumps. She became the captain of the Surrey women’s team, and in 2011 helped them gain promotion to the LV County Championship Division One.

She was named in the England squads for both the 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup and the Women’s World Twenty20, winning the latter. Rainford-Brent retired in 2012, and has since turned to commentary, appearing pitchside for both the BBC and Sky Sports.

In 2021, she was awarded with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for her services to cricket and charity.

Battle with imposter syndrome

Like many of us, Rainford-Brent struggled with imposter syndrome throughout her professional career. Imposter syndrome is the feeling that you don’t belong, or deserve to be in the position you have reached - even when doing so on merit.

In an interview with the Independent, she said: “It can happen to everyone - a person who’s super confident and sure in one area can feel it when they try something new. Even if we just exist with imposter syndrome, that’s okay.

“Instead of purging ourselves of it, we need to understand imposter syndrome; it’s just part of who we are and how we operate. Questions like: ‘Have I done the work I should have done?’ help to change my thinking around it.

“The thoughts might still be there, but I question the negative biases, and don’t fall into it accepting them point blank.”

What is her full name

Going by Eboiny Rainford-Brent, the cricketer’s full name is actually much longer than this. The 40-year-old’s full name is Ebony-Jewel Cora-Lee Rosamond Camellia Rainford-Brent.

The reason her name is so long is that she was named after all her grandmothers and great-grandmothers.