COVERED 2024 Spring

35 @TRENTBRIDGE GRACE BALLINGER sooner, professional cricket wouldn’t have been a clear avenue for me. “I had to explore different avenues anyway as when I went to university there were about three professional contracts in each team, and I was nowhere near getting one.” In essence, going to higher education served a dual purpose for Ballinger; it provided a time cushion both for her to progress as a player and for the women’s game to throw up more opportunities. “But there have been hurdles for sure. I had a difficult run with injuries – At 15, I had a stress response in my back, then at 17 a stress fracture. I tore my hamstring and displaced my ACJ (acromio-clavicular joint) in my shoulder when I was 18. “There were times where my goals felt quite far away.When I was 19 I spent most of the season running drinks, and in the first year of The Hundred I wasn’t picked up by anyone.” Yet, nearly three years later, she stands as a senior player withThe Blaze and is able to reflect positively on a momentous year, even if it was not quite the finish she hoped for with second-placed finishes in both domestic competitions and with the Northern Superchargers. With her left-arm seam, she claimed 18 wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy – more than any of her team- mates – bowling a competition-leading 14 maidens at the top of the order. She claimed a further six scalps in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. “Moving toTrent Bridge gave us a clear programme and direction, it was a good time to start afresh and it tied in well with me pushing on in my career,” she says, looking back on how the change of bases and a rebrand gave her team added impetus. “MOVING TO TRENT BRIDGE GAVE US A CLEAR PROGRAMME AND DIRECTION, IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO START AFRESH AND IT TIED IN WELL WITH ME PUSHING ON IN MY CAREER.” Grace Ballinger