As the 2026 season enters its final hurrah, it has been the most surreal summer for Somerset seamer Mollie Robbins who created the most special delivery of her life in June after putting her cricket on hold to start a family.
Returning to training in October 2025 after undergoing shoulder surgery just days after her debut season for her new county in the Tier 1 era, the 27-year-old was ready to build on a progressive campaign. A campaign that contained a career-high 22 games, six more than her previous best in 2024 and many would say Robbins was entering her prime as she established herself amongst the elite performers in the professional domestic game.
Sixteen wickets in 14 T20 games supports that argument, despite Somerset having a tough introduction to the Vitality Blast, the right-armer was their top wicket-taker and set to lead the attack in 2026.
While life on the pitch was going from strength to strength, there was always an unknown off it.
Robbins and her partner of 10 years, Dan, always wanted to start a family but were aware it would not be straight forward, and not just because she is in the middle of her career as a professional athlete.
No cricketer in England and Wales has given birth and returned to the elite level, while the Bristol-based bowler lives with endometriosis, which can cause fertility issues, meaning a journey to motherhood would be nothing short of trailblazing.
Admitting there’s never a perfect time for anyone to have a child, if indeed you are fortunate enough to do so, in the early, dark days of pre-season training while rehabbing post-surgery, Robbins’ Oura ring alerted her something may be happening…
Fast forward nine months, the PCA sat down with Robbins, her partner Dan and baby Sulley in their Bristol home to detail her remarkable journey so far and even more remarkable future for an exclusive interview in issue 38 of membership magazine Beyond the Boundaries as it evolves into a digital product on thepca.co.uk.
“I was just cracking on with batting, bowling, fielding and with the gym which was quite hard because I felt not quite like myself and was just trying to act normal,” admitted Robbins.
“As soon as you get it out there in the open and people know the news, it’s even more special. Feeling that first kick was amazing and then it all starts to seem a bit more real.
“After Christmas, that was when I told Somerset and my training adapted from there. I think that period of people not knowing was probably the toughest one for me,” said the former Western Storm player.
”Watching the Somerset girls play this year has been hard at times, but now that Sulley is here, it's put everything into perspective for me.
Mollie RobbinsSomerset
Robbins broke the news to her Somerset teammates during a meeting, asking the team psychologist for a moment to speak.
Unable to find the words, the 27-year-old simply held up her scan photos to an elated audience, “They all just started screaming, it was very funny and a special moment.”
Dan admitted the joy and acceptance from her teammates was wonderful to see and really helped Mollie, “I remember when she came home after telling the girls she said ‘that was just amazing’ because I know that was something she was really worried about but they were all buzzing for her and that moment made her realise that it is all ok.”
For many female athletes, the decision to start a family often involves a choice between their career and motherhood. However, Robbins was determined not to wait for retirement, especially knowing that it could potentially be harder for her to have children as someone living with endometriosis.
”If I waited another three of four years it then makes the return (to playing) a little bit trickier in your thirties.
Mollie RobbinsSomerset
“My view is if you know you really want something like this (having a child) and the opportunity is there to allow you to do it, you’ve got to take it. If I waited another three of four years it then makes the return (to playing) a little bit trickier in your thirties.”
Sulley’s arrival was an elected C-section which was ‘chilled and relaxed’ despite the initial stress of a cancellation and a day spent waiting, the procedure went ahead the next day with Sulley Ivor William Jackson born to the sounds of Mumford and Sons’ ‘Little Lion Man’ on Friday 26 June 2026.
“I definitely had my fair share of tears, but happy tears. I’ve been crying at random TV and music. I had a C-section in the theatre and they tell you to put on a playlist and now whenever I hear that music, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, get me a tissue.’ Now he’s here, I’m loving it, you can’t really describe the feeling to anyone, it’s lush.”
Coming home with a newborn just 24 hours later was ‘crazy’ but the couple have learnt on the job and swiftly realised their new world revolves entirely around Sulley, who has kindly been gifted lots of clothes from friends and family, including an England kit or two, that he’ll need to grow into.
On the pitch, Robbins has played over 100 List A and T20 matches, taking 89 wickets, having first represented Gloucestershire in 2013, before playing professionally with Western Storm in 2021 and then Somerset in the maiden Tier 1 campaign. But now committed to the sidelines for a period, Robbins has kept busy by remaining involved with the squad, attending games, participating in socials, trying her hand at commentary and introducing Sulley to his 15 new cricket aunties.
”Now he’s here, I’m loving it, you can’t really describe the feeling to anyone, it’s lush.
Mollie RobbinsSomerset
Recently, the PCA has worked hard with the ECB and professional counties to introduce maternity provisions in domestic cricket as part of the new employment terms, a stark improvement to the early years of professional contracts where nothing was standardised.
Those provisions include: six months paid maternity leave, automatic contract extension for 12 months, providing support on match days and at training, ensuring appropriate facilities for breastfeeding, a support person to help with childcare for 12 months and travel and accommodation costs for children under the age of three.
The purpose of these provisions is to try and make it easier for players to have a child and carry on playing cricket in the professional game, something not attempted in England and Wales – until Mollie Robbins.
“I think it’s always something that I’ve wanted to do, to go back to playing (after pregnancy) and I think with women’s cricket where it is now, you can do that which is amazing but how it should be.”
”The PCA has been amazing, it’s an unbelievable support network.
Mollie RobbinsSomerset
The right-arm pace bowler was quick to praise the support she’s received from the PCA, especially her Personal Development Manager, Martin Cropper, who has been a constant source of care.
“The PCA has been amazing, it’s an unbelievable support network. Me and Crops have had countless coffees where we’ve been just catching up, checking in and mapping out what my summer looks like. He’s been at the heart of that organising and making my life as easy as possible. Crops has been great and I’m really grateful for that support.”
Dan also praised the important work of the Players’ Association, “I know the PCA has done lots of work to make the maternity quality decent and give young women and girls the best opportunity to know that it’s achievable (to return to playing), which is really good.”
As her employer, Somerset has played a vital role in supporting throughout the process, with the player appreciating the club’s ‘honesty’ in allowing her to make her own decisions as they both look to navigate the new territory of maternity in professional domestic cricket, with Robbins reaffirming, “It’s been a learning curve for everyone and Somerset have been great.”
In an emotional moment during the interview for Beyond the Boundaries, Robbins was shown a video of her teammates sending messages of support for her, Dan and Sulley, further highlighting the family bond at Somerset.
Robbins is already looking ahead at her return to the crease, with the ambitious goal of being fit for the start of the 2027 season. This six-month window of maternity leave allows for quality time at home before hitting the gym and starting cricket specific training again.
”I'm in a good position now and determined to get myself back to full fitness and back to playing cricket but also be a mum as well.
Mollie RobbinsSomerset
She acknowledges that the timeframe may shift but her resolve is clear, “I feel like I’m in a good position now and determined to get myself back to full fitness and back to playing cricket but also be a mum as well. So it’s exciting.”
With careers in cricket potentially extending into one’s late thirties, Robbins sees no reason why she can’t return to play for many more years. The prospect of having Sulley and Dan in the crowd is also a major motivation, drawing inspiration from seeing England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt walk out with her son Theo at the recent T20 World Cup and other inspiring athlete-mums such as rugby player Abbie Ward who returned to play four months after a C-section.
As she begins her road back to taking her mark, the PCA is to record her steps in a docuseries to be released next summer with the aim to inspire fellow women, “It’s going to be really cool to document the journey and hopefully be something that people can learn from in the future.”
With a strong support network, Robbins is positive about her ability to manage a hectic next six months. Her main focus remains on balancing her life as a mother and a professional athlete, proving that with the right support, both roles can thrive.
For Robbins, the goal is simple yet ambitious: to share her journey, to inspire others and to show that returning to the field as a mum is very much a reality in the new era of women’s professional cricket.
