Player Profile

Grace Johnson. Rapidly developing all-rounder, trophy-winning captain and - fingers crossed - Red Rose star of the future. 

Johnson heads into the 2026 campaign with a professional contract at Emirates Old Trafford under her belt, while she also played once in last summer’s triumphant Vitality T20 County Cup campaign. 

She subsequently made a handful of appearances in the T20 Blast. 

Johnson, 21, penned a two-year contract in November 2024 - her maiden pro deal. 

It came on the back of a mightily impressive 2024 summer which saw the young up and comer debut for Thunder in both 50-over and T20 regional cricket. 

Burnley-born Johnson has been playing senior county cricket since 2021, having first represented Cumbria Women and then - a year later - Lancashire. But her first taste of regional action in 2024, in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup, was another step up.

She debuted first of all in the CEC T20 competition, a mid-June clash with local rivals Northern Diamonds at Durham, in which she made one with the bat in the middle order and bowled two cheap overs of seam up. Unfortunately, Thunder were beaten that day. 

The right-hander and right-armer followed that with two 50-over RHFT appearances in September, tasting victory in the second of those against Western Storm at Taunton. Johnson hit 23 in that win and claimed 1-14 from four overs with the new ball. 

It capped off a summer she won’t forget in a hurry, having also captained Lancashire’s Under 18s Women to two national titles. 

In all cricket for Lancashire and Thunder sides in 2024, she scored 1,286 runs and took 61 wickets. The awarding of a professional contract was, therefore, absolutely no surprise.

Johnson, who came up through the Lancashire age-groups, started out at Lowerhouse - the same club which ex county colleague Liberty Heap calls home - before moving to play for Ramsbottom Women.

She was the 11th graduate of the Thunder Academy to go on and play senior regional cricket. 

In 2025, she claimed a second-team five-for in a T20 friendly win over The Blaze in mid-May.