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Taking part in the top competition of a sport is something only a handful of us could ever aspire to. Managing to do this before you’ve even finished school seems next to impossible, but it is something that Amy Hunter has managed to do.

Amy says: “I often have to pinch myself because it is just a dream come true to represent my country in cricket. So I’m getting the opportunity to travel the world and do something I love.”

“I go to Methodist College in Belfast, so I am still in school. I am studying my A-levels at the moment, I’m studying biology, chemistry, and maths. And to be honest, it is tricky enough at times to try to balance both cricket and studies.”

“The coaches are very helpful, giving you more time if you need that and [in terms of] attendance and training around exam times. I think teachers definitely helped me out a huge amount [with] knowing my schedule and when I am away on tour or anything like that, they send me all the materials that I need.”

A unique balancing act

Amy isn’t alone in being a world-class athlete who needs to keep up with her studies though, as the teamwork with the other players extends beyond the field, too:

“And then also because there are a couple of the other girls also still in education now, so we can group together and motivate each other to do a bit of work when we are away, so you don’t get too behind.”

Amy and her entire team also get support from Certa, the largest fuel supplier in Ireland, who are the title sponsor for the Ireland Women’s cricket team, behind them all the way as they compete to qualify for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.

Travelling internationally for the love of the game is nothing new to Amy though, as she catches us up on her impressive achievements to date.

Taking their talents on tour

“The Instonians cricket club is where I learned to play cricket. Pretty much all of my cricket until I was about 12 was with boys. But then my first game with women was the Super Series, which is the regional competition,” Amy said.

“I first debuted for Ireland, I think it was in 2021, was I was 15, and that was just down the road, versus Scotland. It kind of meant even more to me that it was in Belfast.”

“My 16th birthday, about two years ago now, I became the youngest player to score a century, and that was against Zimbabwe, in Zimbabwe. Up until that, I was kind of disappointed about how I had done in the international games, and I felt like I was better than I was showing, so it was a huge relief, to be honest.”

And as for that support from Certa, it is something that Amy is very aware of, not just for her and her current team, but for entire future generations of potential World Cup contenders.

“It’s hugely important to have a big sponsor like Certa because it has raised the profile of the game by a huge amount. And we saw back in July there, a sold-out home series against Australia,” Amy states.

“And there are the kinds of opportunities for girls now in sport. The idea of a World Cup is such a huge opportunity for any girl. I hope it does really encourage the next generation to continue with cricket and really push off.”

Certa’s ambition is to empower the team to continue pushing new boundaries and to perform competitively against the top nations in women’s cricket. They are also working with Cricket Ireland to help the sport thrive from grassroots to elite level and to inspire young players to follow their dream of becoming professional cricket players in Ireland.

Certa, part of the DCC plc, operates Ireland’s largest network of unmanned, pay@pump forecourts and home heating oil depots.

See certaireland.ie for more information.