Somerset Women’s Cricket Players Gallery – Jan Godman

Jan moved to Somerset in 1993, after being part of the women’s England team that won the World Cup and when my her Husband got a job at Westland Helicopters in Yeovil.

Whilst starting a family, she continued to coach and still play club cricket for Somerset Wanderers Ladies C.C.

She played International Cricket until 1996 when England played a home series against New Zealand. Even though she didn’t have many opportunities for England, her most memorable performances were against New Zealand that year, when she scored a century for the Women’s Cricket Association President’s Xl. She was also expecting her 2nd child at the time, so it was a bit tiring. Needless to say her daughter went on to play for Somerset too!

In between children, she started playing for the Western Counties side in 1995, but when the ECB took over the governance of Women’s cricket from the Women’s Cricket Association in 1998, it was recommended to start County sides instead of Area sides. 

Before the ECB took over, she had set up the first Regional Girls training centre at the Somerset  County Ground. As an Elite coach at the time (she was coaching the England U.23 side) she also decided to set up the Somerset women’s team again, inheriting most of the players from the now disbanded Western Counties side.

2000 was the first competitive season as a Somerset side in the National League. Jan was Player/ Coach until 2002, then a dedicated coach was appointed so that she could concentrate on playing. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also still playing in the Super 4’s Regional side.

She continued playing occasionally for Somerset when needed, until 2011 and by this time was the part time Women and Girls Development Officer for the County, busy trying to start up the different age group sides, a women’s club league and the first girls only EPP.

Somerset Women moved from strength to strength and saw new outstanding youngsters coming in to the side. She still wanted some competitive cricket so for the 2013-14 seasons, moved to Wiltshire as an opening batter. She finished County cricket playing in Buckinghamshire, where she first started playing as a 12 year old and last played for Bucks in 2018.

Pictures- 1993 World cup winner, 1992 Batting at North Sydney Oval, 2000 Somerset Women at their first County Champs. (See caption above), 2020 Coaching at Bath

Career Statistics

CompetitionWTestWODIWLAWT20
Matches2710919
Runs scored14582,795414
Batting average4.669.6634.0837.63
100s/50s0/00/02/210/3
Top score1217117*89
Balls bowled1,337153
Wickets378
Bowling average19.7515.37
5 wickets in innings10
10 wickets in match00
Best bowling5/132/4
Catches/stumpings0/–4/–32/–2/–

The long photo of all the ’93 World cup teams (below) belonged to Jan’s Grandmother (Mrs Ethel Stapleton) and her, Mother, Mrs Patricia Siderfin donated it to the Somerset Cricket Museum, after her Grandmother had passed away.