Durham Cricket are delighted to announce that Grace Thompson has signed her first rookie deal with the Club.
Thompson, 17, has put pen to paper on a two-year deal, having progressed through the Durham Academy and was recently part of the Durham squad which toured Zimbabwe.
The all-rounder made history against Essex in Durham’s opening fixture becoming the first Durham player to claim a wicket as a professional side.
She claimed 2 wickets against Essex, conceding 34 runs in 10 overs and has impressed throughout pre-season for Durham, which included 106* against Durham UCCE.
Thompson – who plays her club cricket at Durham City, has been part of the Durham pathway from 13-year-old and represented the North East Warriors in recent years.
She made her professional debut against Essex in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and played for Durham throughout their tour of Zimbabwe making three appearances.
The Durham School student was also part of the England Under 19s squad for their tour of Malaysia for the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup.
Grace said: “I’m so excited to have signed my first professional deal with Durham.
“Becoming a professional cricketer has been a dream of mine for many years and I am really excited about the next two years, and hopefully what we can build as a squad in the future.”
Director of Cricket, Marcus North added: “Grace is an exciting talent, she has impressed during our preseason tour to Zimbabwe and throughout out preseason friendlies.
“Her maturity and match awareness at just 17 have been impressive.
“She has performed well when opportunities presented which was evident in our opening game against Essex and in the winter for England Under 19s.
“She is another success story coming through Durham pathway and further shows the exciting talent we have across our pathway.
“We look forward to seeing her develop and grow her game throughout the summer as she begins his professional journey as a Durham Cricketer.”