In 2021, medical student Grace Bambury became the youngest person in the country to officiate professional cricket.  

Now in her fourth year of study, Grace balances her degree alongside umpiring at tournaments around the UK including the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the Rachel Heyhoe Flint trophy and The Hundred, and her commitments as a Royal Air Force (RAF) medical cadet.

Grace says, “I got into cricket when I played for my local under-11s team, Endon Cricket Club. During Year 7, my PE teacher put me forward for county trials with Staffordshire Cricket Club and I ended up playing for the under-13s team. I also had the honour of being part of Staffordshire’s under-15s team which won the 2016 National Championships and, due to the team’s performance and attitude throughout the season, we also won the 2017 Stoke Sports Personality Team of the Year.”   

Grace’s passion for the game extended from playing to umpiring during her GCSE PE course after she discovered that she could receive a mark for learning to officiate a sport, subsequently completing her first umpiring course. She says, “I then did my further development course and started to umpire lower local leagues in 2015. I began to move up divisions to youth county work and then onto the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) young official pathway which gave me a lot of opportunities. I was allocated to youth games and had regular observers who would attend to see how I performed and give feedback. It was a great environment to learn in as there was no pressure to perform, and I could work my way up the ladder to more prestigious fixtures. 

“I worked on higher-profile games until the end of the 2021 season, when I did my first professional games as part of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, an English women’s Twenty20 competition. I’ll never forget walking out at Derby with former England women’s cricketer and umpire Sue Redfern in front of the crowd. It was the most daunting thing I’d done at that point and having 11 people screaming at you to make a decision is never easy!”

Grace has also umpired at The Hundred; a televised 100-ball cricket tournament which involves teams across England and Wales and took place for the first time in 2021. She says, “The Hundred is an incredible tournament which is bringing a lot of youth and female participation to the game. I arrived at my first televised game in Edgbaston five hours early as I was a bit nervous! I had to fall back on my basics, remember my processes, and remind myself that I was chosen to be there for a reason. The atmosphere more than makes up for the nerves though and I’ve always had an amazing team on hand to support me. In 2022, I was fourth umpire and responsible for ensuring the game ran smoothly off the field.”

Grace was also recently awarded a highly sought after RAF medical cadetship. Competition for the accolade is high and applicants need to show true commitment to their studies and envisage a future with the RAF after graduation. Grace applied twice during her first three years at Keele and spent her spare time volunteering for the RAF as a reserve.

She says, “My cadetship makes me strive for excellence, both physically and academically. While I’m at Keele, I’m part of the local University Air Squadron based in Cosford, which has given me so many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, from flying to adventurous training. The RAF offers a diverse and interesting career that can take you all over the world, and becoming a medical cadet was something I wanted to do from the second I got my offer to study medicine, so I’m fortunate to have made it a reality. During my studies, the RAF supports me by providing international training trips, opportunities for professional development by inviting me to attend symposiums, and the chance to get involved with sports teams that tour the country.”  

Grace is interested in pre-hospital medicine and emergency anaesthetics and became a Bank Medical Assistant at our local hospital, Royal Stoke, in June 2023 to maintain her practical skill competencies and complete observer shifts with the West Midlands Ambulance Service. The role allows students to support emergency staff by taking bloods, placing cannulas, and performing ECGs (electrocardiograms). It has also provided Grace with the chance to work in a fast-paced and stressful environment, a skill which will be crucial in her future career. 

She says, “Being a Bank Medical Assistant and doing observer shifts has provided me with great opportunities to apply my knowledge and get involved in hands-on learning outside of the lecture theatre. Once I’ve graduated, I’ll work for the RAF as a doctor. My aim is to do medicine in the back of an aircraft, and I would like to do my anaesthetic training with the RAF as it can be used in a variety of areas, like the Critical Care Air Support Team (CCAST).” 

Now in her penultimate year of studying, Grace admits that balancing her commitments can be hard. She says, “Being so busy can be difficult at times, both mentally and physically, so organisation is key. I plan my cricket and university work months in advance and then populate the rest of my life around my commitments. I try to compartmentalise my life, so I don’t take medicine to the cricket pitch, and I don’t take cricket to the lecture theatre. I find this allows me to focus on what I need to do at that moment so I can prioritise effectively. The Medical School has been excellent in helping me to keep up my cricket commitments. I have been able to take professional sport leave and my lecturers have been great in helping me to rearrange teaching sessions so that I don’t miss anything.”