Laura Alexandra Marsh is an English cricketer. Born in Pembury, Kent, she began playing cricket at 11 and started her career as a medium pace bowler but found greater success when she switched to off spin. She plays county cricket for Kent Women, represents the Rubies and made her Test debut against India in 2006. She was part of the England team that retained the Ashes in Australia in 2008 and in England in 2009. In December 2019, Marsh announced her retirement from international cricket.
Career
She took a career best 5/15 against Pakistan in the 2009 Women's World Cup in Sydney and finished the competition's top wicket-taker, with 16 wickets at 10.31. She opened the bowling for England in the Twenty20 World Championship in 2009, taking 6 for 68 in the tournament which England won by defeating New Zealand at Lords, and struck the winning runs off the last ball of the match to secure England's first victory over Australia in a One Day International series in 33 years in July 2009. She made her highest Test score of 38 in a last-wicket stand of 59 against Australia in the one-off Ashes Test later the same year. In the absence of Sarah Taylor, she opened the batting for England in the Twenty20 series against Australia in 2010 as well as opening the bowling and being named player of the match in England's series-winning win at Canberra on 16 January 2010 after scoring 45 from 44 balls, and again the following day when her 43 from 23 balls saw England post a winning total. Off the field of play, after attending Skippers Hill Manor Preparatory School and Brighton College, she took a Sports Science with Management degree at Loughborough University. She is the holder of one of the first tranche of 18 ECB central contracts for women players, which were announced in April 2014. Marsh was a member of the winning women's team at the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup held in England. In February 2019, she was awarded a full central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board for 2019. In June 2019, Marsh played in her 100th Women's One Day International match, during the series against the West Indies. Later the same month, the ECB named her in England's squad for their opening match against Australia to contest the Women's Ashes.
