A University of Worcester student who captained the Isle of Man to an international tournament final and became the leading run-scorer in the competition has been named ICC Women’s Player of the Month.
Lucy Barnett
Lucy Barnett led the side to a runners-up finish in the Continental Cup in Romania before being named Player of the Month for August 2026.
The ICC is the global governing body for cricket and the award recognises outstanding performance among those playing in all formats of women’s international cricket that month. She became the first cricketer from the Isle of Man to win the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award.
“I was honoured to get this award,” said the 20-year-old, who is also in the University’s Women’s Cricket Performance squad. “With the amount of people that played and the number of strong individuals that were playing that month, to be named the best is pretty amazing.”
Lucy, who is in the second year of a PE and Sports Coaching degree at Worcester, captained her side to the final of the Continental Cup T20 International (T20I) tournament in Romania in August, also scoring her maiden T20I century (100 runs). She was also the leading run scorer for the whole Continental Cup tournament, with 257 runs in total and named Most Valuable Player. “I was pretty happy with my season. It’s the best I’ve played as an international player,” said Lucy.
Despite this success, she was surprised at the Player of the Month accolade. “I was on my own at a service station on the way back to university when I got the news,” said Lucy, who is an all-rounder but favours batting. “I didn’t even expect to be nominated. My family are very proud.”
Lucy, from the Isle of Man, began playing cricket at the age of eight and progressed through the Isle of Man’s development pathway before making her senior international debut at 16.
In April 2025 she became the youngest and quickest player to reach 1,000 T20I runs in women's T20I cricket. In the summer months Lucy spends around 20 hours a week in training and playing matches. She also plays for Herefordshire Women’s Cricket Team.
“I like that every day is different in cricket,” she said. “You’re not going to score 100 every game or get out for a duck every game. It’s a different challenge each time.”
She added that increasing recognition of and attention to the women’s game is positive progress. “I think it’s really good – women’s sports in general,” she said. “I think it’s becoming what it should become really. It’s good to see women’s sport growing.”
Liam Walker, Head Coach of the Women's Cricket Performance Programme at the University, said: "Lucy becoming ICC Women's Player of the Month is a fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved. To be the first cricketer from the Isle of Man to receive the award makes it an especially significant moment.
He added: "She's already shown she can perform at the highest level internationally, but what excites us most is that she's still developing as a player. Having someone with her experience, ambition and professionalism within our Women's Cricket Performance Squad is hugely valuable, both for the programme and for the players around her.
He added: "We're delighted to support her as she continues to combine her studies with her cricket career, and we're looking forward to seeing what she achieves next."