England Next Gen: Meet Sophia Smale - Oval Invincibles' 'born competitor'

Throughout the 2023 Hundred, BBC Sport is running a feature series called England Next Gen, designed to look at players who may make the step up to international cricket in the next few years. Next up is Oval Invincibles and Western Storm's Sophia Smale.

When a 13-year-old Sophia Smale won a Lady Taverners competition with her hometown club, Newport, England spinner Sophie Ecclestone was in attendance to hand out the medals.

And Smale, a left-arm spinner like Ecclestone, still remembers what was said to her.

"You'll be knocking on my door one day."

With those words coming from a player who is now the world's number one bowler, it is no wonder they have stuck in Smale's mind.

And, after a whirlwind 2022 that saw her burst on to the scene as a 17-year-old for Oval Invincibles, it seems Ecclestone's prediction was a pretty good one.

On the back of her impressive Hundred campaign, taking eight wickets at an average of 18.25, Smale signed her first professional deal with Western Storm in November 2022. A trip to South Africa for the Under-19 World Cup then followed, where England were runners-up.

Smale was called up to the Invincibles late, as an injury replacement, but immediately made an impact.

She claimed Australia legend Alyssa Healy as her first Hundred wicket, and dismissed India opener Smriti Mandhana in the final at Lord's.

"I had nothing to lose last year," says Smale, 18. "Nobody really knew me. I was the small fish in a big pond, but now I've noticed players trying to take me on more. They've figured me out a bit, so that's given me a lot to work on."

Smale likes the big moments, but she is a player with big ambitions too.

She describes her first experience of The Hundred as the best month of her life and considers herself "very lucky" to be able to play cricket as a career - while she already has her sights set on higher honours.

"Growing up, the professional structure wasn't in place so, for me, it was always about playing for England," says Smale.

"I love playing for Storm, but I've not achieved my biggest goal yet."

One word comes up quite a lot in conversations about Smale - competitive.

For ex-England spinner Laura Marsh, who coached Smale at the Under-19 World Cup and Invincibles, it was the first thing she noticed.

"To see her perform like that in her first year of The Hundred, at that age, what stood out was her competitive nature," says Marsh.

"And the way she was just so unfazed by the big occasion - it's a key attribute. She has that ability to perform under pressure."

Smale may have handled the pressure, but her next challenge is to cope with the expectation that comes after a breakthrough year.

"It's about not looking too far ahead too quickly," adds Marsh. "It's expected that she will be quite far away from Sophie Ecclestone at this stage - but she's only 18.

"She's got time and she has to make the most of these experiences by challenging herself against some of the best in the world."

But a challenge is one thing Smale will not shy away from - it is not in her instincts.

"When I get hit for a four or six, all it does is make me want to get them out even more with the next ball," she says.

"As a spinner, you have to accept that's going to happen sometimes, but I pride myself on being able to bounce back most of the time."

Smale attributes her competitive nature to her mum, who is driven at everything - even her Hundred fantasy team.

But family, and its importance, is another recurring topic of conversation about how and why she has succeeded so far.

Older brother Will, 22, and her beloved grandfather Malcolm are two major influences.

"We didn't have much of a sibling rivalry growing up, we have always been close," says Will, who currently plays for Glamorgan.

"But as a kid, she'd be on the side of the pitch during my games, hitting balls for hours on end, wanting to do everything perfectly.

"She hates losing and I think that means she's a bit hard on herself sometimes. But I wouldn't discourage that in her - it's a big part of why she has been successful so far."

When talking about her grandfather, Smale gets a little emotional. A well-known coach in Wales, both Sophia and Will credit him for playing a huge role in their careers.

"I wanted to be a fiery fast bowler as a kid but grandpa told me that left-arm spinners are gold dust, so that's what I should do," she recalls.

"I'll always listen to grandpa. He is my harshest critic, but my biggest fan at the same time.

"When he came to watch me at Lord's last year and he got interviewed on the BBC, he was absolutely overwhelmed and even made sure to get his best suit on for the occasion.

"It was probably the best day of my life, to have him there with me."

Smale may have one big goal left to tick off her bucket list - but make no mistake about who will be the first person to credit if she gets there.