{
  "id": 7774024,
  "title": "Difficult outfield & rains too often - Grace Ballinger ranks her grounds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/difficult-outfield-rains-too-often-grace-ballinger-ranks-her-grounds",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-16T11:19:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/difficult-outfield-rains-too-often-111941540.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Grace Ballinger, a 24-year-old seamer, has had the unique opportunity to play at every single first-class county ground in England. She ranks her favorite 15 grounds based on her personal experiences and opinions, with factors such as performance, location, and weather conditions taken into account. Here are the grounds she ranks highest:\n\n15. OurCoop County Ground (Derbyshire) - Despite being a local ground, the outfield is considered difficult to field on.\n\n14. St Lawrence Ground (Kent) - The only ground she's played at once, with a rainy day and near-empty crowd making it a less enjoyable experience.\n\n13. Ambassador Cruise Line Ground (Essex) - A frequently attended away game with a nice traditional atmosphere and strong support for the home team.\n\n12. Sophia Gardens (Glamorgan) - Has lost every hundred fixture to rain, resulting in a lower ranking. The location in Cardiff is enjoyable, but previous bad memories impact its position.\n\n11. Seat Unique Stadium (Gloucestershire) - A ground she mainly played at early in her career, with no memorable experiences in recent years.\n\n10. New Road (Worcestershire) - A well-suited ground for women's domestic cricket, but poor memories of a disappointing T20 cup final in 2023 lower its ranking.\n\n9. Cooper Associates County Ground (Somerset) - The club and ground have a good feel, with well-attended games and a great clubhouse. However, the pitches take spin well and don't provide much for seam bowling.\n\n8. Edgbaston (Warwickshire) - Ballinger's former home ground, with fond memories and success as a bowler. The commercial feel of the ground is a slight drawback compared to more classical-looking grounds like Taunton.\n\n7. Emirates Old Trafford (Lancashire) - Ballinger called Old Trafford home for the first time this summer while playing for Manchester Super Giants. While she enjoyed her time there, the rain often negatively impacts her bowling performance.\n\n6. County Ground, Hove (Sussex) - Her final ground to play at, with a lovely setting in Brighton. The ground is difficult to bowl on due to the hill, but the weekend spent there was enjoyable.\n\n5. Lord's (Middlesex) - Lord's is beloved for its historical significance and picturesque setting. While the frequent rain affects her bowling, the overall experience of playing at such an iconic ground earns it a high ranking.",
  "summary": "In her latest column, The Blaze seamer Grace Ballinger ranks her favourite county grounds.",
  "key_points": [
    "Grace Ballinger played at every first-class county ground in England.",
    "OurCoop County Ground in Derbyshire is difficult to field on due to outfield.",
    "Emirates Old Trafford's rain negatively impacts her bowling performance."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}