Interview: Danielle Gregory

We’d be surprised if there were any players in the cricket circuit that are more driven and dedicated to the beautiful game than Danielle Gregory. A professional player, part-time coach and Masters student - the leg spinner found her love of the sport at 10 years old and hasn’t looked back since.

We recently sat down with Danielle to learn more about her journey, the positive growth in Women’s cricket over recent years and talk about THAT delivery she bowled a couple years ago that was shared around the world.

Let’s start at the beginning, how did your cricket journey start?

So I first started playing cricket at Rowledge Cricket Club, just because my brother played cricket there so I used to go and watch him play and begged my parents for a couple years to let me play cricket…eventually they gave in so I started playing when I was 10 years old.

I played at Rowledge for a couple years with the boys, then we had a ladies set up that I ended up captaining at the age of 13, before I got into the Surrey set up after trialling with them. I managed to work my way through the age groups and then finally in 2018 I made my Surrey women’s debut and been representing them ever since! 

I was offered a pay-to-play contract last year in The Hundred - which was an incredible experience, I never even imagined I’d be in that situation, but I got a little late call up and ended up playing four or five games. Going on to win the trophy was huge, just learning from people in that environment was unreal with the South African’s coming over, as well as people like Tash Brown.

Then fortunately in November, I got offered a full-time professional contract with The Stars. Safe to say that phone call coming through was a massive shock!

But yeah, just a massive journey. My dad coached me from when I was a young girl, and the amount of time he’s put into me has been incredible, and all the driving my parents have done is just…for me to go out and play the game…it’s just a massive thank you back to them for all of the hard work they’ve put in so it’s very much been a family journey. Hopefully by representing them I’m making them proud on the pitch.

A journey that is far from over as well! When growing up, did you have a cricketing idol?

It’s probably cliche to say as a leg-spinner but Shane Warne was unreal. Obviously it’s very unfortunate to have lost him, but just to learn from watching him on tv and listening to his commentary - he was very good at giving back to the community.

He was the best. I don’t think anyone is ever going to come close when it comes to ripping the ball like he did. It’s such a skill and he was the one person that mastered it, so was massive hero to look up to.

There were a few people making comparisons between his ‘ball of the century’ and a ball you bowled in the 2020 season to dismiss Natasha Miles. Was that delivery part of ‘the plan’?

I would love to take full credit, that I absolutely planned for that ball to happen, but I’m quite fortunate as a leg-spinner to have quite a lot of natural variation. We had a good wicket on the day, I hit the right spot and it turned that much - although I don’t want to take away from my action as I’ve put the work in to deliver that type of delivery - but safe to say it was probably a surprise to me as it was to the batsmen at the other end! Even now I watch the video back and don’t quite believe I bowled it - I’m not sure I’ve bowled the same ball since..but maybe I’ll pull a couple out this season.

It was an incredible delivery. Was professional cricket always on the cards for you?

I think as a 10-year-old girl starting out, it wasn’t on the cards because it wasn’t a thing. Obviously the development of the England women gaining their contracts and then the regional set-up being introduced and the girls getting professional contracts, I said to ‘Bedders’ [Richard Bedbrook, former Regional Director of Women’s Cricket] on the phone when I was offered it “I never would have imagined it would have been me”. I would have picked four or five girls ahead of me - hence why it was such a shock to me.

It’s always been a way I’ve wanted to go, I’ve always been passionate to throw my all into my cricket and try to take it as far as I can, whichever way that may be. Obviously I’d love to play for England in the future, but I’m just going to keep working in the ‘now’ and take it as it comes.

How have you seen the change in Women’s cricket from 10 years old to now?

Yeah it’s been massive. I was actually in the crowd in 2017 when the girls won the World Cup and at that point I was just playing a bit of county cricket, but to just see that, and then off the back of it all of the coverage it got was huge. Now they’ve managed to feed that through and develop the regional structure which I think has been amazing. The academy below us has got a really talented group of players coming through, and it’s only going to keep getting better and better - especially with the coverage of The Hundred last year.

I never would have imagined that we’d be breaking records in terms of spectators, even on TV. The atmosphere in the crowd was huge and hopefully that continues this year, everyone seemed to enjoy it. I had people from uni walk up to me afterwards, even people who weren’t interested in cricket, and be like “I saw you on TV!”. At first my godparents never watched too much cricket…and now they love it. And they want to come to all the games.

So just to see the impact it’s had, and all the little girls that I’ve coached as well at Surrey, just to see their face when you turn up to the training session is unreal. And that’s what we want to do, we want to inspire those boys & girls to pick up a bat and then play.

The Hundred was undoubtedly a huge success. As a player, how did you adjust to the new format? Did you ever find yourself wanting to bowl a 6th ball?

Yeah it was definitely an adjustment to make. I think at one or two warm-up games, I didn’t even know the rules as I wasn’t expecting to play until I got that late call up and then I was thrown into a world I wasn’t sure about, so it was very much quickly learning on the job. But I think everyone was in the same situation so we were just trying to help each other out. It had a massive effect though and it built a family environment, even our Academy ended up playing a few hundred ball games, so it definitely feeds down.

How have Surrey been involved in supporting women’s cricket?

Yeah the Surrey boys have been really good. They started my career so I’ve got a lot to thank them for, as well as our county set-up as it has been so important. The ECB actually withdrew from the 50 over competition in terms of it being a league, but we (with local clubs, Middlesex and Sussex etc.) created our own league as we wanted to keep that competition going so the county age groups have something to look forward, and they know the stepping stones, they know the pathway to get to being in my shoes (as a professional cricketer). So Surrey have been great in terms of that and obviously keep driving us to keep getting better.

Not only are you forging your path as a professional cricket, but you’re also going through the coaching ranks as well at Surrey right? Becoming the youngest Level 2 coach in the country in 2016 at just 18 years old…has coaching been a path for you?

Yeah it’s always been a big part in my family as my dad coaches, my brother coaches as well, so it was a natural course to take. But as part of my Masters degree I’m also doing Performance Analysis, and I’m on a placement with the Surrey men’s team as well, so hopefully in the future I can obviously combine the coaching role and the analysis role once the cricket career eventually ends - which I know inevitably over time it will - and I’ll have something at the end to loop in around my professional career. So, yeah, it’s definitely an avenue.

How do you balance everything, whilst also ensuring you have enough downtime to relax??

It’s a great question. The question I get asked on the regular. It’s a challenge to say the least. I can’t say there’s too much free time, too much down time, but as and when I get it I cherish it. It’s just about remaining organised, making sure communication channels are open between everyone that’s involved, making sure I’m on time to everything and maximising the time I have in those spaces. [Surrey] Stars are really, really great as the head coach has been really good with the communication, just making sure training is all organised and running efficiently so I can get to A and B. Natalie Doyle, who is my line manager for my Analysis stuff, is so accommodating as well. There’s been no dramas so far, not to say there won’t be a few pinch-points this season, but it’s just about staying on top of it.

Well, kudos to you and the team. What do you like to do in your downtime?

Haha watch a bit of Netflix! Chill with family and friends. Yeah, cherish those moments that I get with them when I don’t have to be sat on a laptop or in the car driving here there of everywhere.

What are you watching on Netflix as the moment?

Just finished Bridgerton Season 2 - managed to finish that in a weekend!

Good effort! When it comes to downtime in the changing room during a rain delay…what do you and the team get up to?

Most of the time, the girls will find a football. Especially if we have a sports hall or something, we’ll usually kick a ball about. Play a bit of ‘PIG’ which is a competition we have which is quite fun. If not, put some tunes on in the changing room and have some relaxation before the get back out there.

The new season is upon us. What are your goals? Do you set targets?

Yeah I do. I very much go out there and put exactly what I’ve been doing in training and do it on the pitch.

It’ll be great to take more wickets this season, and keep the runs down which is my role in the team. If I’m needed with the bat then I’ll try to go win us the game. But very much back myself and back the team just to put the skills we’ve been pushed out of our comfort zone in training, to learn some new skills, develop the skills we have, so hopefully we can showcase those out on the pitch.

Finally, a question we ask everyone…what’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Take each game as it comes. You can get a bit carried away in the moment sometimes and look too far ahead. So very much try to stay in that moment and try to cherish everything.

Especially with The Hundred, as the first game went in a flash. So you’ve just got to try and take it all in whilst you’re there and embrace it.

At 23 years old, Danielle has a seriously mature head on her shoulders, and has accomplished so much already, yet is determined to achieve more. Keep an eye out for her this season, and her wristy leg breaks.