WOMEN’S sport has enjoyed a stellar summer and gripped the country.

England’s footballers reached the semi-finals of the European Championship this month, the rugby union side are thrashing all before them in the World Cup over in Ireland, and Britain’s female athletes stormed to World Championships medals last weekend.

But probably the biggest winners of the summer so far have been the England women’s cricket side, led by Western Storm’s Heather Knight, who won the World Cup in front of a packed audience at Lord’s in July when beating India by a tiny nine-runs margin.

It has been back to reality for England captain Knight as she leads Western Storm in the Kia Women’s Super League which saw them lose to Southern Vipers at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, after a miserable opening performance but bounce back with victory over Loughborough Lightning by five wickets on Saturday.

In a break from practice this week at Frenchay Cricket Club, Knight said she believes female sport in Britain is shining bright this summer.

The England skipper said: “It’s a bit like a golden age for women’s sport. I think women’s sport in this country has been very successful for a long time, it just feels now that the public and the media are taking a bit more interest.

“And that sort of success is being celebrated a bit more. We know as players that, when you are successful, that is when you will put the sport you play and women’s sport as a whole out there. Hopefully it continues.

“The rugby girls are going well and the hockey girls are off to their World Championships very soon so it is a perfect opportunity to keep women’s sport in the spotlight.

“It feels like a community with the different sports supporting each other and it is lovely to see.”

And that ‘community’ feel among female athletes has seen Knight mixing with the skippers and squads of the other disciplines.

She added: “I have done a few things this year. I have met Sarah Hunter (England rugby) and Steph Houghton (England football) for an interview earlier in the year and it is just nice to speak to people who are in the same boat as you.

“It is definitely about keeping the momentum going (for women’s sport). If sports can keep being successful, that is when you bring in people to watch, bring in sponsors and bring in the media and interest.

“We can concentrate on getting better as cricketers and keep playing the type of game that people want to watch. That is what we have done this summer and I hope it continues into the Super League.”

Winning the World Cup would be considered the top of the tree for England, but Knight says there is another tournament which the national squad think is of higher importance.

The 26-year-old right-hand batswoman said: “We have an Ashes Series (against Australia) coming up and, for many of the players, that is even bigger. That is the pinnacle.

“We lost the Ashes in the last Series back here so there are some wrongs we want to right. If we can look back on 2017 with that World Cup trophy and Ashes trophy, it will have been a good year.

“I do not think there is too much motivation needed to get going for that Series.”