Josie Groves has signed a four-year contract with The Blaze, securing her place with the team until 2028. The young wrist spinner had a phenomenal outing in The Blaze’s recent triumph in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. After signing this contract, she became the fifth player for The Blaze to commit to the side for the upcoming domestic revolution as they look to rebuild. The team had already signed captain Kirstie Gordon, Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, and Grace Ballinger before signing Groves. The Blaze will next feature in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, which resumes on June 30th.
Groves played a vital role, especially in the knockout stages for The Blaze, against Central Sparks and South East Stars in the semi-final and final, respectively. The leg spinner didn’t have an optimal tournament before the knockout stages, picking up four wickets in eight matches, going wicketless on three out of the six occasions she bowled.
However, she stepped up for the side when it mattered the most in the knockout stages. During the semi-final against Central Sparks, she took two wickets and later finished the proceedings with the bat, scoring a quickfire 14 off 4 balls while her side was chasing 141. She played an essential role in the team’s victory and then took three wickets in the final against South East Stars.
Groves herself is thrilled with the new contract, stating, “I’m really happy to be signing with The Blaze for four years.”
Groves made her county debut in 2019 for Northamptonshire, claiming five wickets in her debut season in the Twenty20 Cup. In the 2023 Twenty20 Cup, she went on to pick 10 wickets, which also included her maiden fifty with a score of 68 against Suffolk. She was also part of the Trent Bridge women’s side in ‘The Hundred’ in 2023 but didn’t get a game.
Groves also captained the England U19s team on a tour to Sri Lanka, having helped the same side reach the final of the ICC U19 Women’s World Cup in March 2023. She also had an impressive 2023 season with The Blaze in the domestic circuit, picking a total of 23 wickets – 12 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, including a three-fer against Southern Vipers in the final, and 11 wickets in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.