- Ava Lee, Abi Norgrove, and Megan Sturge all sign on for Hampshire
- All three are products of the Academy and made senior appearances for Southern Vipers
- Spinner Lee and batter Norgrove have both represented England U19s
- Sturge is an up-and-coming all-rounder who can also keep wicket
Academy graduates Ava Lee, Abi Norgrove, and Megan Sturge have all signed for Hampshire.
The trio also made senior appearances for Southern Vipers, the former regional team based at Utilita Bowl.
Ava Lee – Photo Dave Vokes
Off spinner Ava Lee and batter Abi Norgrove have both represented England Women U19s, whilst Megan Sturge is an all-rounder in every sense as she can bat, bowl, and keep wicket.
All three made their professional debuts against Sunrisers at Chelmsford in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2023, and helped Southern Vipers complete a historic double as they won both the 50-over and T20 competitions in the same year.
Originally from Berkshire, Ava Lee was awarded a place on the Academy for the winter of 2022-23. She impressed in her first season with the Vipers, as she claimed 10 wickets in eight matches, before a further 11 wickets in 2024 which included best figures of 4-52.
Adam Carty, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket, added: “In Ava we have a player of real potential. As an off-spinner who generates genuine turn and bounce, and a batter who will undoubtedly develop with opportunity, she has already shown her value to the club as a first XI wicket taker, in addition to making her England bow, as an U19 tourist, early this year, when she performed admirably in a tri-series tournament in Sri Lanka, versus the host nation and Australia.
“Having not qualified, by a number of days, to be part of the forthcoming U19 World Cup, I am sure she’ll return from a winter overseas, ready to hit the ground running for Hampshire in 2025.”
Lee was picked for England U19s in the winter of 2023, and toured Sri Lanka with teammates Mary Taylor and Abi Norgrove. In four matches – three T20s and one List A – she claimed nine wickets, with a best of 4-19 coming against Sri Lanka. In a multi-day Academy match against Thunder, Lee claimed match figures of ten wickets for three runs, which included a nine wicket haul in the first innings.
Megan Sturge – Photo Dave Vokes
Born in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, Abi Norgrove played for the nearby club of Charlbury before moving to Shipton-under-Wychwood. She joined the Academy at the end of 2021, and remained on the programme until 2024 as she became a more regular feature in the Vipers 1stXI.
Adam Carty commented: “Abi is another Viper Academy graduate who has made her mark in the senior team across the past two summers. We are super excited by her potential with the bat, emphasised by her contribution to a competition seasonal record-breaking, and match winning, fifth wicket batting partnership at Chesterfield this past July.
“We are also looking forward to seeing her represent England U19s at the World Cup in January. Abi has demonstrated the ability and temperament to bat at the top or in the middle order for us, which is a priceless for our squad.”
She made a best score of 64 against The Blaze at Chesterfield earlier in the summer as the Vipers chased down 279 with four balls to spare. In the U19s tri-series against Sri Lanka and Australia, Norgrove scored 98 runs, and was named in England’s U19 World Cup squad for the second edition of the tournament which begins in January 2025.
Megan Sturge moved from the Kent pathway at the end of 2022, and was awarded a place on the Academy that winter. She made her debut for Southern Vipers alongside Norgrove and Lee at Chelmsford in 2023, and picked up a wicket in her first match.
Adam Carty added: “In Megan we have a player of intelligence and real character. A three-dimensional cricketer who offers an option with bat, ball, and gloves. Megan is another player who has represented the senior Vipers in 2023 and 2024, and on both occasions, did herself and the region, proud.
“Meg will be our back up keeper for 2025 and will pose a selectable option as both a top order batter and effective leg-spinner, should an opportunity arise.”
She went on to play two more fixtures for the Vipers, the most recent coming in 2024 where she took four catches – the most of any wicket keeper in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy – standing in for the injured Rhianna Southby.
During this winter, Sturge is out in Australia playing for Manly Warringah CC in grade cricket where she has helped the team to third place in the league.
With thanks to Hampshire CCC via New Reach
