Ebony Rainford-Brent

History-making Cricketer, Ebony Rainford-Brent is the first black woman to represent the England Cricket team and has been appointed MBE for her Services to Cricket & Charity. The nature of her rise to fame and the interest around her story has helped to make her an accomplished and desirable cricket and after dinner speaker. Making her International debut in 2001 aged just 17, Ebony formally played domestic cricket for Surrey. Ebony played for Surrey from a very young age, joining their under 11 team before progressing all the way to the senior team. Whilst part of the senior Surrey team, Ebony was given the chance to be the captain of the women's team. With such a successful career to her name, Ebony is now available to speak on cricket at a variety of corporate events. 

Under her watch, the Surrey team gained promotion which landed them at the top flight of domestic women's cricket. The team got to play in the LV County Championships Division One, which is one of Ebony's greatest achievements. Undoubtedly the highlight of Ebony's career was during 2009 when the England Women became World Cup Champions after beating New Zealand in Australia, quickly followed by claiming the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 crown and retaining the Ashes. Currently involved with the coaching charity Cricket for Change, Ebony now delivers coaching sessions within primary schools in a bid to increase participation and find the next generation of international superstars- the same method which brought her into cricket at primary school. 

Alongside her career in cricket, Ebony has also spent time in media work and as a cricket executive. Over the years Ebony has taken part in a number of media engagements for esteemed British television broadcasters. She has appeared as a guest presenter on the BBC programme Newsround and occasionally as a pundit on Sky Sports channel and BBC Breakfast. As well as featuring on television, she has also written content such as blogs and articles for BBC Sport and Cricket World. A passionate voice accelerating change, Ebony was awarded the Freedom of the City of London award in December 2020 for standing up to systemic racism that continues to exist today. She has also been a commentator for Test Match Special, ran the podcast The Art of Success and in 2020 joined the Sky Sports cricket commentary team. Outside of playing cricket, Ebony has also been an Ambassador of Beyond Sport and been the Chair of ACE Programmes charity. 

With a list of achievements that some players will never experience throughout their entire careers, let alone within the space of 12 months, Ebony and the rest of the England Women’s team became an inspiration within women's sport. Her role model persona has escalated Ebony to a prime position when it comes to delivering talks as an after-dinner speaker. Her story alone as a cricket speaker will engage and absorb the audience throughout her time on stage, and she has established herself as a firm favourite. She is widely regarded as a role model to young girls wanting to participate within the sport, especially those who could find themselves facing potential barriers. Ebony is an exceptional example to anyone of what hard work, determination and a never say die attitude can achieve. Those values are the attributes she centres on as a cricket speaker, drawing on such qualities to deliver a truly special after-dinner speech.