10.50am - Wicket! The first wicket of the day has fallen, slashed to point, who juggled and held on at the second attempt. The celebrations involve a squirt of hand sanitiser from someone who runs on from the sidelines. Stay safe, folks. MCC Red are 42-1 off 29 balls.

It’s an innocuous description for a seminal moment. 

Nottinghamshire all-rounder Amelia Kite had just taken the first wicket at Lord's in the hundred ball format, in a test event for the inaugural competition later in the summer. The match was watched exclusively by The Telegraph, who ran a live blog, and by workers constructing new stands at the North West London venue.

As a probationary MCC member Kite was eligible to apply to play, and she was eventually selected alongside Beth Barrett-Wild – Head of The Hundred’s women’s competition – and former England captain Charlotte Edwards.

She admits it was an “amazing day”, albeit it seems a long way from rural Worcestershire where, as a nine-year-old, Kite made her first foray into the sport. 

"I could hear these kids running around and having a great time at junior training, and I wanted to wanted to join in."

Amelia Kite

“I was that child who did every sport; the cricket took off later,” she says, reflecting on her early beginnings.

“I still play hockey, and do some horse riding, but I used to do it all when I was little.”

Those first steps were forged at Astwood Bank Cricket Club, a small village south of Redditch.

Kite was made aware of the Club by a family friend who was chairman, and, more tellingly, by the raucous atmosphere drifting across the road on a Friday night.

“What really attracted me to cricket initially was that there would always be this loud noise at the ground opposite my house during junior training,” she recalls.

“I could hear these kids running around and having a great time, and I wanted to wanted to join in.

“I was literally the only girl there at the first session, so it was a bit daunting. I remember holding my mum’s hand saying ‘please don’t leave me alone with the boys’.”

The presence of boys was something Kite became used to, and indeed relished, plying her trade for her age group and, latterly, for a senior team on a Saturday.

"She will be knocking on the door of regional cricket if she continues to perform in this way."

Martyn Kiel

“I’m not sure if it’s because I have always played with boys, and I still play every week in a men’s team back home, but they are really supportive, and I really enjoy my cricket with them," she says.

“I think if a girl is good enough, there is no reason why she can’t be playing. It becomes harder when the men are bowling that bit quicker and hitting the ball that bit harder, because girls don’t necessarily have the same strength, but if we are playing at a standard in which we feel comfortable, it is absolutely fine.”

Now 19 years old, Kite’s cricketing journey since those summer holiday Friday nights at Astwood Bank has taken her across three counties, playing countless games each season whilst at The King’s School, Worcester and, now, Oxford Brookes University.

Representative cricket began in her home county, before moving slightly further north – much to the resentment of her Pears teammates – and finally to the green and gold of Nottinghamshire.

“A couple of years after I started playing for my club, a Worcestershire county manager was at one of the games, and she asked me to come along to Worcestershire training sessions,” Kite says.

“From there it started to get more serious, although at that point, the structure wasn’t how it is now. It was a bit of a shambles, to be honest, quite unorganised. They almost brought in too many girls, and there was a massive range of ability.

“I made my debut for the Worcestershire senior side when I was 13, so I was really young. I did enjoy it, but after a couple of seasons I didn’t really feel like I was being pushed enough.

“Warwickshire had a good reputation whenever we were playing against them, and I wanted to be pushed, so I moved there. It didn’t go down too well, but in terms of moves, I don’t think it could have gone any better for me. I was given loads of opportunities.

"Women’s cricket has come a long way, but there is still some progress to be made."

Amelia Kite

“It got to the point where there were a few all-rounders in the team, though, so I wasn’t really fitting in in that environment. I knew a couple of the girls from Notts, so I thought I would come and test the waters here. This has been my first full season, and I have been able to get a few games in, so that has been really good.”

It’s no surprise that Kite is pleased with how her move has worked out.

She took nine wickets at an average of 12.78 as Nottinghamshire won all five playable games in their 2021 East Midlands T20 campaign, winning the title at a canter as a result.

Given the speed at which Kite’s six-year county career has progressed, it has been difficult for her to take stock of her own progress and that of women’s cricket during her time in the game.

Yet the initiation of eight regional centres around the country, which each offer five full-time domestic contracts and add a layer of depth below those centrally contracted to play, means that Kite is well placed to benefit from ECB’s focus on the women’s game.

Indeed, Nottinghamshire coach Martyn Kiel is effusive in his praise for Kite, and backs her to take the next step on the pathway.

“Amelia is someone who you can just throw the ball to, and whether she is opening, bowling in the middle overs or at the death, she quietly goes about her business, and will bowl her four overs for not many runs,” Kiel says.

“She will be knocking on the door of regional cricket if she continues to perform.”

Considering how female cricket has changed during her teenage years, Kite concedes there has been heightening of expectations on the pitch, yet believes that there is still work to be done for women’s cricket to be on an even keel with their male counterparts when it comes to provision and exposure.

“There has been a huge change over time; the standard of the coaching is so much better,” she says.

“With the women’s game becoming professional now, there is a major emphasis on fitness. That’s the main thing I’ve noticed. You’ve got to able to field, you can’t get selected if you are not good enough in that aspect.

“So I think women’s cricket has come a long way, but there is still some progress to be made. A big movement recently has been the Oxford University Women trying to get their Varsity match played on the main square at Lord’s.

“It makes you think when you hear that 97% of the games played on the main square are for men [with women’s games played at the Nursery Ground].”

With the governing body pledging investment as part of the 'inspiring generations' strategy, under which a women's and girls pillar falls, it appears Kite will be afforded plenty of opportunities across the remainder of her career.

However, in her heart she remains that young girl who was encouraged into the sport by the screams of enjoyment from across the road. Living in the moment is of paramount importance.

“I definitely think I would like to try and make a career out of cricket,” she says candidly.

“I would like to progress into the regional structure and go from there, but I don’t really want to put too much pressure on myself because I know if I am playing as many games as I can and putting in performances, then it’s hard to ignore the stats.”

It is evident that Kite’s involvement in cricket has more to do with the inherent rewards of playing the game – the enjoyment and camaraderie – than anything else. Having played 49 games in 2019, and 16 already this season, her workload speaks volumes of her desire to play, whoever it may be for.

Yet, it is fitting that she is the one to make history at the Home of Cricket, as a progressive individual who possesses a deep love of the game. As someone who recognises that she, and women’s cricket, can shatter glass ceilings.