Personnel | ||
---|---|---|
Captain | Evelyn Jones (2020–) | |
Coach | Darren Franklin & Justine Dunce | |
Team information | ||
Colours | Black and purple | |
Established | 2020 | |
Home ground | Edgbaston Cricket Ground New Road, Worcester Sir Paul Getty's Ground Scorers, Shirley | |
History | ||
RHFT wins | 0 | |
CEC wins | 0 | |
Official website | Central Sparks | |
Central Sparks is a women's cricket team that represent the West Midlands region, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They primarily play their home matches at Edgbaston and New Road. [1] [2] They are captained by Evelyn Jones and coached by Darren Franklin and Justine Dunce. [3] [4] The team is partnered with Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. [5]
In 2020, women's cricket in England was restructured, creating eight new 'regional hub' teams, with the intention of playing both 50-over and 20-over cricket. [6] Central Sparks were one of the sides created under this structure, representing the West Midlands and partnered with Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. [5] The side was to be captained by Evelyn Jones and coached by Lloyd Tennant. [7] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. [8] Central Sparks finished second in the North Group of the competition, winning three of their six games but failing to progress to the final. [9] At the end of the season, five Sparks players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Evelyn Jones, Marie Kelly, Issy Wong, Emily Arlott and Gwenan Davies. [10]
The following season, 2021, Sparks competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup the side finished third in their group, winning three of their six matches. [11] In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Central Sparks qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament, finishing third in the group of eight with five wins from their seven matches. [12] During the group stages, Amy Jones hit the highest score of the tournament, scoring 163* against Western Storm, whilst Emily Arlott recorded the best individual bowling figures of the tournament against Southern Vipers, taking 5/29 including a hat-trick. [13] [14] In the play-off, however, the side lost to Northern Diamonds by 6 wickets to be eliminated from the competition. [15] In 2022, they reached the final of the Charlotte Edwards Cup after finishing second in Group A and beating South East Stars in the semi-final. [16] [17] However, they lost to Southern Vipers in the final. [18] Sparks batter Amy Jones was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 289 runs, and was named the PCA Player of the Tournament. [19] In July 2022, the side launched the West Midlands Regional Cup, to aid the development of players playing for county sides in the region. [20] The side finished fifth in the group of eight in the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. [21]
In 2023, Central Sparks finished seventh out of eight in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and fifth out of eight in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. [22] [23] Sparks bowler Georgia Davis was the leading wicket-taker in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with 27 wickets. [24]
Venue | Games hosted by season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Total | |
Edgbaston Cricket Ground | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
New Road, Worcester | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
Edgbaston Foundation Ground | – | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
Sir Paul Getty's Ground | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
Scorers, Shirley | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
As per 2024 season. [25]
No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batters | ||||||
2 | Chloe Brewer | England | 12 July 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
5 | Courtney Webb | Australia | 30 November 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
6 | Ami Campbell | England | 6 June 1991 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | |
8 | Davina Perrin | England | 8 September 2006 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
11 | Evelyn Jones | England | 8 August 1992 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | Club captain; on loan at North West Thunder |
16 | Meg Austin | England | 7 September 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
All-rounders | ||||||
14 | Bethan Ellis | England | 7 July 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
28 | Charis Pavely ‡ | England | 25 October 2004 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
77 | Ria Fackrell | England | 16 September 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
99 | Katie George ‡ | England | 7 April 1999 | Right-handed | Left-arm medium | |
Wicket-keepers | ||||||
27 | Abigail Freeborn | England | 12 November 1996 | Right-handed | — | |
29 | Poppy Davies | England | 23 June 2000 | Right-handed | — | |
40 | Amy Jones ‡ | England | 13 June 1993 | Right-handed | — | |
– | Sophie Beech | England | Unknown | Right-handed | — | |
Bowlers | ||||||
3 | Hannah Baker ‡ | England | 3 February 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
9 | Grace Potts | England | 12 July 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
17 | Anisha Patel | England | 17 August 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
19 | Hannah Hardwick | England | 1 May 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
37 | Emily Arlott | England | 23 February 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
45 | Ellie Anderson | England | 30 October 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | On loan at Western Storm |
64 | Georgia Davis ‡ | England | 3 June 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
95 | Issy Wong ‡ | England | 15 May 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
The Central Sparks Academy team plays against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selects players from across the West Midlands region, and includes some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2024 Academy are listed below: [26]
Name | County |
---|---|
Meg Austin | Staffordshire |
Sophie Beech | Staffordshire |
Phoebe Brett | Worcestershire |
Lexie Cantrill | Staffordshire |
Emily Churms | Warwickshire/Shropshire |
Isabel Ellsmore | Staffordshire |
Hannah Hardwick | Worcestershire |
Amy Griffiths | Shropshire |
Libby Thomas | Wales |
Ebony Tweats | Staffordshire |
As of the 2024 season. [7]
Season | Final standing | League standings [27] | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
2020 | Group stage | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.285 | 2nd | DNQ |
2021 | Losing semi-finalists: 3rd | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | +0.822 | 3rd | Lost to Northern Diamonds in the semi-final |
2022 | Group stage | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | +0.073 | 5th | DNQ |
2023 | Group stage | 14 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 31 | –0.233 | 5th | DNQ |
Season | Final standing | League standings | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
2021 | Group stages | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | –0.669 | 3rd | DNQ |
2022 | Runners-up | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | +0.552 | 2nd | Lost to Southern Vipers in the final |
2023 | Group stages | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | –0.558 | 7th | DNQ |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
2021 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62.50 |
2022 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 28.57 |
2023 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 42.86 |
Total | 35 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 45.71 |
Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Diamonds | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
North West Thunder | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
South East Stars | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
Southern Vipers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
Sunrisers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00 |
The Blaze | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Western Storm | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100.00 |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
2022 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62.50 |
2023 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
Total | 21 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 47.62 |
Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northern Diamonds | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
North West Thunder | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
South East Stars | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
Southern Vipers | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
Sunrisers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
The Blaze | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Western Storm | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
The Southern Vipers are a women's cricket team that represent the South of England. The Vipers wear an orange and black kit and primarily play their home matches at the Ageas Bowl and the County Cricket Ground, Hove.
Western Storm are a women's cricket team representing South West England and Wales, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic cricket. They primarily play their home matches at the County Ground, Taunton, the County Ground, Bristol and Sophia Gardens. They are captained by Sophie Luff and coached by Trevor Griffin. The team is partnered with Somerset, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Cricket Wales. Originally formed to compete in the Women's Cricket Super League in 2016, Western Storm won the competition twice, in 2017 and 2019. When women's cricket in England was reformed in 2020, the Western Storm brand was retained, and they now compete in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
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Katie Louise George is an English cricketer who plays for Hampshire, Central Sparks and Manchester Originals. A right-handed batter and left-arm pace bowler, she made her Hampshire debut in 2013. She has played 5 T20Is and 2 ODIs for England, all in 2018.
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The Blaze, previously known as Lightning, are a women's cricket team that represent the East Midlands region, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at various grounds, including Trent Bridge and Grace Road. They are captained by Kirstie Gordon and coached by Chris Guest. The team carries over many elements of the WCSL team Loughborough Lightning. They are partnered with Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
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The 2022 season was Central Sparks' third season, in which they competed in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side finished second in Group A, winning four of their six matches and progressing to the semi-final as the best second-placed team. They beat South East Stars by 2 wickets in the semi-final, but lost to Southern Vipers by 6 wickets in the final. Central Sparks wicket-keeper batter Amy Jones was named as Player of the Year in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, and was the tournament's leading run-scorer with 289 runs in 8 matches. The side finished fifth in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, winning two of their six matches.
The 2022 season was Lightning's third season, in which they competed in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side finished bottom of Group B, winning one of their six matches. The side finished sixth in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, winning two of their six matches.
The 2022 season was North West Thunder's third season, in which they competed in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side finished third in Group B, winning two of their six matches. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the side finished seventh in the group of eight, winning one of their matches.
The 2022 season saw Southern Vipers compete in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, of which they were defending champions, and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side went unbeaten through the six group stage matches, therefore qualifying directly for the final. In the final, they beat Central Sparks by 5 wickets with 4.1 overs to spare, therefore claiming their first Charlotte Edwards Cup title.
The 2022 season saw Western Storm compete in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side won three of their six matches, finishing third in Group A. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the side finished fourth in the group, winning three of their seven matches.