Essex cricketer Esmae MacGregor completed a rare double in July: within a week, she graduated from her International Business degree at Loughborough and signed a deal in The Hundred with Manchester Originals.
The banner of the article confirming the draft picks placed MacGregor alongside England legend Sir Jimmy Anderson, who also signed for Originals, putting the seamer’s breakthrough summer into perspective.
“[The Hundred] was an unbelievable experience. Just being around people, and learning from them and the experiences they’ve had; you can never come away having learnt enough. Getting the most out of training, and almost over-analysing things – it’s so good for your game. I took a lot of confidence from it.”
MacGregor’s chance came off the back of a stellar T20 Blast season for Essex. In just eleven matches, she took 21 wickets at an average of 13.38 – the most in the league stage of the tournament – earning a nomination for the PCA player of the month award in June.
“The addition of [bowling coach] Darren Stevens has been great for me, working alongside someone who’s had so much experience – I’m understanding a bit more about the game, and taking pressure off playing.”
“[Since debuting in 2023] I haven’t played that much, and unfortunately we did have a few injuries this year which gave me a bit more of an opportunity. Luckily all the girls are back now and fit. I think getting that consistency and being able to play a bit more improved my flow a lot.”
Maybe, then, it’s no coincidence that her sparkling form coincided with the end of her degree. “I won’t sugarcoat it, it was a bit chaotic.”
“It was tough. There came a point where both Loughborough and Essex had to be a bit flexible with me so I could get my degree done – and I was quite set on getting it done in the three years.”
“But we managed to do it. There were a few stressful months in there, but I feel like when you know you’ve got to do it, you somehow end up doing it.”
Part of that flexibility meant travelling to and from Chelmsford for Essex training. “We would try and do it so when I’d come home, I’d do two or three sessions a week there, and then if I was in Loughborough when Loughborough were training, I’d join in on that as well.”
Despite not always being a regular for the Loughborough side – “the last two years were just a bit chaotic” – being part of the Performance Squad still had a massive influence on MacGregor’s career. “When I came to Loughborough, I was in the Sunrisers Academy – so not professional – and I was striving to play cricket, but not at that level. And being at Loughborough pushed me to the next level.”
“The coaching I had, particularly in first year when I was there more consistently, was great. And having the girls around you in the performance environment, having Powerbase on your doorstep – I just think in all avenues Loughborough really boosted me forward.”
“It’s also nice having a whole new social group and you can all relate to one thing. Being able to go from lectures to training and all have a laugh together is something that’s quite special.”
“You’ve got some people who are striving to be professionals in the squad, and then you’ve got people who are playing purely for the love of the game. So it’s nice to have a balance, and then be able to come to Essex and be around professionals – I got the best of both worlds.”
On a personal note, I’ve followed MacGregor’s career closely as she is currently the only professional women’s cricketer from my home county, Suffolk, and played up to under-15s with my older sibling.
“[Playing for Suffolk] feels like a very long time ago. And back then, I was still playing netball, still playing hockey and deciding which path to take.”
“From school to Suffolk, my development improved so much that it allowed me to go to Essex. So I think Suffolk was the right thing for me at the time, and then obviously when I came to Essex, I did progress and start to play with the older groups. I think the level was probably a bit better at Essex, purely because we had people coming in from a wider range.”
Before she goes, I tell her that her Suffolk under-15 team now makes up the core of the senior squad – including Sophie Hughes, who captained Loughborough’s second team last year.
“We had a great little team. It feels like years ago, but I remember them all so well.”
