The following season, 2021, Lightning competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Lightning played their home matches at various grounds, including Trent Bridge and Grace Road.[11][12] In the Charlotte Edwards Cup the side finished bottom of their group, losing all six of their matches.[13] In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Lightning finished fourth in the group of eight, winning three of their seven matches.[14] In the final match of the season, Lightning scored 320/6 in their victory over Central Sparks, with the Bryce sisters, Kathryn and Sarah, sharing a 207-run partnership, the highest across the competition.[15] Lightning bowler Kirstie Gordon was the leading wicket-taker in the competition, with 16 wickets.[16] Rob Taylor left his role as Head Coach at the end of the season, and was later replaced by Chris Guest.[17][18][19]
Lightning again finished bottom of their group in the Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2022, but did win their first Twenty20 match, beating North West Thunder by 5 wickets.[20][21] In September 2022, it was announced that Nottinghamshire CCC would become the new host of the team, replacing Loughborough University, and it was also announced that the name of the team would change.[22] The side finished sixth out of eight in the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[23]
In November 2022, it was announced that the team had been renamed The Blaze.[24] Kirstie Gordon was named as the side's new captain in April 2023.[25] The side went unbeaten through the group stage of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, but lost in the final to Southern Vipers.[26][27] They also qualified for the knockout stages in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, finishing second in the group, before defeating South East Stars in the play-off.[28][29] However, they again lost to Southern Vipers in the final.[30]
In 2024, The Blaze won their first title, winning the Charlotte Edwards Cup. They finished top of the group stage after winning nine of their 10 matches, before defeating Central Sparks in the semi-final and South East Stars in the final.[31][5] The Blaze batter Kathryn Bryce was the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 478 runs, whilst The Blaze bowler Kirstie Gordon was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 wickets.[32][33] The side finished fifth in the group stage of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[34]
At the end of the 2024 season, another restructuring of domestic cricket meant that regional sides would be replaced by county teams.[35] However, in September 2024 it was confirmed that the Nottinghamshire-based side would retain the name and branding of The Blaze.[36][37][3]Craig Cumming was appointed as the club's new head coach in December 2024, replacing Chris Guest who left to become England women Under-19 performance lead.[38][39][40]
↑ Gordon has also played international cricket for Scotland.
Academy
The Blaze Academy team plays against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selects players from across the East Midlands region, and includes some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2024 Academy are listed below:[42]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
