Hillingdon teacher Emma Croker has reached the pinnacle of her rugby career after lifting the World Cup with England.
Head of PE at Swakeleys School for Girls in Hillingdon, Croker helped her country beat Canada 21-9 in the final against Canada at Paris' Stade Jean Bouin in France on Sunday.
It is a case of second-time lucky for Croker after the 31-year-old was part of the England side pipped to the trophy by New Zealand on home soil four years ago.
Becoming world champion is an incredible achievement for any player, however the fact that the Hillingdon star didn’t even pick up a ball until the age of 20 makes her rise all the more remarkable.
Growing up in Essex, in a football-mad community, Croker only got involved in the sport during her time at university and was also a talented weightlifter.
She went up to collect the World Cup trophy with daughter Lucy at the weekend, who was born two-and-a-half years ago, and complications during her birth led to mum Emma being banned from rugby for three months.
Lucy had been England’s mascot during the campaign in France and watched the game from the stands with dad James as flanker Maggie Alphonsi and Emily Scarratt, arguably the player of the tournament, starred to ensure redemption belonged to last year’s beaten finalists.
