Why do some players stay in cricket for years… while others quietly drift away?

In this episode of The Cricket Mind Podcast, Nathan Wood and Briony Brock are joined by coach Laura de Silva and player Charlotte Bernstein for a powerful conversation about confidence, pressure, enjoyment, and the environments that keep players coming back.

This episode offers a unique perspective from both sides of the same environment — a coach working to build meaningful relationships and supportive cultures, and a young player experiencing those environments firsthand.

The conversation explores girls’ cricket, but the lessons apply across the game for players, parents and coaches alike.

• Why players really drop out of cricket
• The importance of confidence and enjoyment
• Why “unlucky” is banned in Laura’s coaching environments
• Building strong coach–player relationships
• Pressure, expectations and performance
• The difference between boys’ and girls’ cricket environments
• How coaches can create environments players want to return to
• Why support matters more than frustration
• Managing cricket alongside GCSEs, school and life
• The role friendships play in long-term engagement
• Why great environments help players perform better

00:00 – Are we still losing too many players from cricket?

01:01 – Introducing Laura de Silva & Charlotte Bernstein

02:56 – What makes players want to keep turning up?

06:01 – What great coaches do differently

14:11 – What makes a strong coach–player relationship?

22:44 – Building real confidence in players

27:32 – Why “unlucky” is banned

30:06 – Pressure, expectations and performance

38:15 – Have you ever thought about quitting cricket?

45:06 – Why there still aren’t enough female coaches in cricket

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