Catherine Dalton hopes her big-scoring achievement for Halstead Cricket Club will help inspire more women to get involved in the sport and battle on an even footing alongside men in the game.

The 22-year-old joined an exclusive Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship list last weekend as one of the only women to have ever scored a century in a game in the main structure of the competition.

She made 100 in Halstead seconds’ 37-run division four win against Felixstowe and admits she has been “overwhelmed” by the response, having been inundated with congratulations including messages on Twitter from former England and Essex stars Darren Gough and Alex Tudor.

Dalton, who plays for Middlesex Ladies as well as at Halstead, said she hopes it will encourage more women to play cricket in leagues, like the Two Counties Championship, that are still dominated by men.

She said: “I’ve had a few centuries in women’s cricket and have got 50s for Halstead, but never got to a hundred so to finally get across the line was wonderful.

“It’s my fourth year of playing for them so I feel I owe them it.

“It was a chanceless hundred to be honest, but my heart rate was certainly up when I was in the 90s.

“It was a really good day.

“The club have been so supportive and I’ve been overwhelmed with the response. To get Tweets from players like Darren Gough and Alex Tudor, who are players who I grew up watching on TV, was amazing.

“It was brilliant for me and brilliant to highlight women’s cricket. Hopefully girls will see it and be inspired.

“We have a couple in the youth age groups at Halstead and it would be nice to think I can inspire girls like them to progress and to play alongside men.

“Hopefully more will give it a go and not be frightened to do it.

“There’s no reason why women shouldn’t play. "