Teen cricket star Grace Foreman joins Central Hinds for 2024/25 season

Grace Foreman (left) with fellow Taranaki players Jessie Hollard and Charlotte Stent, after Central Districts U19 won the 2022 NZC U19 national championship.

A Taranaki cricket player has been awarded her first cricket contract.

The Central Districts Cricket Association has announced seam bowler Grace Foreman as the final contracted player for the Central Hinds 2024/25 season.

The tall 19-year-old from New Plymouth has steadily impressed through Taranaki’s and Central Districts’ pathway systems over recent summers.

Following selection at CD U15 level, Foreman captained the New Plymouth Girls’ High First XI and has represented CD U19 since 2021/22 – winning the NZ national title in 2022.

Foreman debuted for Central Districts A last season and was invited to an NZC female U19 national camp at the end of last season.

Now, the young Taranaki rep is one step closer to a full domestic debut with the Hinds, and can’t wait for preseason training.

“I’m grateful and honoured to get this opportunity with the Hinds,” said Foreman.

“I was shocked when Hinds head coach Jacob Oram phoned me to offer me the contract as it has been a goal of mine for some time now.

“The prospect of playing with some of my role models is surreal, and I’m looking forward to joining the team.”

Foreman hails from a talented Taranaki cricketing family. She is the younger sister of Amy Foreman who has coached the Taranaki women’s team and was an NZC Pathway to Performance coaching scholarship recipient last season.

The Foreman sisters have represented Taranaki as teammates in The Mike Shrimpton Trophy, while mum Helen has previously been immersed behind the scenes for Taranaki Cricket.

Central Districts high-performance manager Dave Meiring said Foreman comes into the Hinds’ squad to bolster our up-and-coming seam bowling stocks.

“She’s performed well at both age-group and district level over the past couple of seasons, taking wickets regularly. We have several good spinners on our Hinds contract list, so it’s great to be able to provide an opportunity to another strong seamer.”