COVERED 2024 Spring

39 @TRENTBRIDGE Those key contributions include the fielding performance of the summer as Northern Diamonds were dismissed for 63 in Durham. Ballinger and de Klerk accounted for all 10 wickets. That match-winning performance indicated her value to the side on the pitch, while she is equally crucial off it – she has embraced inclusion in the winter leadership group as much as she has theWest Bridgford base over the last 18 months. Her heart is set on moving to Notting- ham at the conclusion of her studies shouldTrent Bridge remain the base for an elite domestic team. It points to a devotion to the East Mid- lands one could scarcely have expected as a proudWarwickshire pathway grad- uate. A bubbling rivalry with Central Sparks – based at her old stomping ground, Edgbaston – is even talked up by Ballinger. But a bit of needle is no bad thing. “Warwickshire were great to me growing up,” she says, “I think they were ahead of their time as the EPP and the Academy were mixed gender and that was really crucial for my development – it challenged me.” “There is probably less need for that now with the depth of talent in the women and girls’ game, which is a good thing. “But I haven’t got a foot in that camp at all now – I am fully-fledged East Midlands. “I actually don’t know how the rivalry with Sparks came about, it is something we speak about a lot. It’s weird, because we all get along with them, but our team dynamics seem very different. “It’s not a bad thing though, I think that’s what is lacking in women’s cricket sometimes. “If you look at the men’s game, the spray that is thrown around on the pitch, there is lots of it.That doesn’t stop you being mates off the pitch. “You’ve got to be quite self-assured to be like that I suppose, and it is a small circuit so you come into contact with each other a lot, but with the increased professionalisation, I think it is coming.” Ballinger will embrace it if it does, as with anything that comes her way. She possesses the attributes and the attitude of an athlete at the top of their game, and the resilience to confront the hurdles. “If you are doing something, you might as well win it,” she summarises. Fun-loving though she may be away from cricket – when it comes to devel- oping and performing, she will leave no stone unturned. Little will stop her in the pursuit of victory. “IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT AS WELL WIN IT.” Grace Ballinger