COVERED 2024 Spring

COVERED 34 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK G race Ballinger’s summary of The Blaze’s inaugural season sums up her approach to cricket, and indeed life. “No one wants to come second. It’s the first loser,” she states, bluntly. In truth, Ballinger’s competitive streak belies her playful personality off the field – she freely admits white line fever simply sets in once she crosses the boundary rope. But the 21-year-old is intent on making lemonade from lemons; on vindicating the sacrifices she has made and capital- ising upon the opportunities she’s been afforded. That’s not to say it’s been plain sailing – far from it. TheWarwickshire-born bowler could not have foreseen the present-day land- scape of the game and the situation in which she would find herself when, in 2020, she made the decision to attend Loughborough University. That was one set in motion by her inclusion in Lightning Cricket’s path- way through her teens, during which she was coached by Chris Guest, now Head Coach of The Blaze – on his own progress path. She is now in the throes of completing her final assignments of an English Literature undergraduate degree having split her final year in two when she signed professional terms withThe Blaze in 2023. The conclusion of her time at university will coincide with the rollout of Project Darwin – the ECB’s restructure for the women’s domestic game to take action from 2025. It is an example of Ballinger being in the right place at the right time. Her fortune has mainly been her own making though; calculated decisions which have paid dividends and provided security. On the pitch and away from it, everything she has touched in recent years appears to have turned to gold. But she has faced her fair share of challenges. “In all honesty, it has worked out perfectly for me,” she says. “If I’d been this age five or ten years “NO ONE WANTS TO COME SECOND. IT’S THE FIRST LOSER.” Grace Ballinger