Simply the Bess

Bess Alice May Heath, nicknamed Bam by her team-mates. Some sporting nicknames are bonkers, others unfathomable. This one, however, works perfectly given it sums up the England star’s aggressive style of play.

With the bat, the Chesterfield-born all-rounder, 22, loves to give it a whack in the middle order. Behind the stumps or even in the outfield, she’s all action.

Heath, who in 2023 made her senior England debut, could have gone down the rugby union route having been offered a trial by Worcester Warriors before committing her future to cricket.

Her decision to prioritise bat and ball has been the right one. In 2022, not only did she help the Diamonds to Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy glory, she also impressed in England A colours and progressed through to play senior one-day and T20 international cricket a year later.

Heath came through the Derbyshire age-group system and first played senior county cricket for them in 2014 – just weeks before her 13th birthday.

She played Kia Super League cricket for the Yorkshire Diamonds in 2019 and has since worn the White Rose in senior county cricket.

Away from the game, Heath still works in the family Tree Surgery business and has a passion for renovating old cars and vans, etc.

On the field, in 2022, she hit an impressive 893 runs in all cricket, including a best of 84 not out in a T20 clash for England A against the senior New Zealand team at Somerset’s Millfield School.

She finished the year playing for Big Bash side Melbourne Stars as an overseas player, returning to the same competition in 2023 to help the Brisbane Heat reach the final. Either side of that competition, she made her first two England appearances.

The first was an ODI against Sri Lanka at Leicester in September, scoring a brisk 21 in a victory. The second was a T20 against India in Mumbai in December.

The summer of 2023 was also notable for her helping the Northern Superchargers reach the final of the Hundred.

Heath is now on a full-time development contract with England.

UPDATED: Feb 2024.

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