Two former Bedford Girls School students have taken big steps in their respective sporting careers; the latest alumnae from the school to begin their journeys in the world of professional sport.
Florence Miller, who completed her A-Levels last Summer, has signed her first professional cricket contract with The Sunrisers while Maddie Axford has been selected for the Team GB Women’s Elite Development Programme in the world of hockey.
The school has boasted students in elite competition recently including representation at the Tokyo Olympics, with some going a step further and grabbing medal-winning headlines at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Miller made her senior debut in August 2021, and has featured in nine Sunrisers matches in her career so far, as well as being an ever-present in the 2022 Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign.
Miller duo for Northants
Miller was understandably delighted at signing her first professional cricket contract, a move which will see her develop on already impressive appearances in the Northamptonshire Academy as well as in England’s top T20 competition.
“Being offered my first professional contract is so exciting, and I can’t wait to get going this season.
“It’s also great to start my career with Jodi [Grewcock] alongside me, since we’ve been playing together at Northants for years now, so to begin this journey together is special.”
Florence is the second member of the Miller family to join the ranks at Northamptonshire, with brother Gus already making his mark at Wantage Road in the men’s game.
The Sunrisers are one of eight regional teams in English domestic women’s cricket. The first XI compete in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the T20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
The Sunrisers also sees a performance programme at Academy and Emerging Player level, which looks at developing the breadth of talent across the region.
“We are delighted to add these two high potential young home-grown athletes to our full-time professional staff”, said Sunrisers Head Coach, Andy Tennant.
“Both Flo and Jodi have shown great potential with the bat, and it will be exciting to see how far their games can develop within a full-time professional programme.”
Axford nails spot in Team GB programme
Meanwhile, Maddie Axford, who has been progressing up the ladder since starting out at Bedford Hockey Club, has been selected in the Women’s Elite Development Programme for Team GB.
Axford already has a glistening CV for her age, having already appeared at the EuroHockey Junior Championship in Belgium and the Women’s Junior World Cup, where she gained a bronze medal in Potchefstroom in South Africa and now Axford is looking for her second appearance in the competition in 2023.
Maddie will be joined by high-potential U18 and U21 English players, who will continue to develop their tournament hockey skills and look to secure a place in the team for the next women’s Junior World Cup in Chile in December.
Axford is considered one of the group’s biggest prospects, winning Player of the Match in the bronze medal game at the last Junior World Cup against India in 2021 and she also netted the winning goal in the shootout.
Maddie is currently studying International Media and Communications at University of Nottingham, where she also represents the university in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competition.
Both players will look to make their mark in 2023 with aims of impressing in their respective competitions, with Bedford Girls School continuing to provide a stable platform for sportswomen to springboard on to bigger and better stages.
