Personnel | ||
---|---|---|
Captain | Kirstie Gordon (2023–) | |
Coach | Chris Guest | |
Team information | ||
Colours | Red and yellow | |
Established | 2020 | |
Home ground | Trent Bridge Grace Road Haslegrave Ground County Ground, Derby John Fretwell Sporting Complex Queen's Park | |
History | ||
RHFT wins | 0 | |
CEC wins | 0 | |
Official website | The Blaze | |
|
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. [1] [2] They are captained by Kirstie Gordon and coached by Chris Guest. [3] The team carries over many elements of the WCSL team Loughborough Lightning. They are partnered with Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. [4]
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. [5] The team, then known as Lightning, were one of the sides created under this structure, effectively replacing the Women's Cricket Super League team Loughborough Lightning and representing the East Midlands, partnering with Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, as well as Loughborough University. [4] The side was to be captained by Kathryn Bryce and coached by Rob Taylor. [6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. [7] Lightning finished bottom of the North Group in the competition, winning two of their six matches. [8] At the end of the season, five Lightning players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Kathryn Bryce, Sarah Bryce, Bethan Ellis, Lucy Higham and Abigail Freeborn. [9]
The following season, 2021, Lightning 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 bottom of their group, losing all six of their matches. [10] In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Lightning finished fourth in the group of eight, winning three of their seven matches. [11] 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. [12] Lightning bowler Kirstie Gordon was the leading wicket-taker in the competition, with 16 wickets. [13] Rob Taylor left his role as Head Coach at the end of the season, and was later replaced by Chris Guest. [14] [3]
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. [15] [16] 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. [17] The side finished sixth out of eight in the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. [18]
In November 2022, it was announced that the team had been renamed The Blaze. [19] Kirstie Gordon was named as the side's new captain in April 2023. [20] The side went unbeaten through the group stage of the Charlotte Edwards Cup, but lost in the final to Southern Vipers. [21] [22] 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. [23] [24] However, they again lost to Southern Vipers in the final. [25]
Venue | Games hosted by season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Total | |
Trent Bridge | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Grace Road | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Kibworth Cricket Club Ground | – | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Haslegrave Ground | – | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
County Ground, Derby | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
John Fretwell Sporting Complex | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |
Queen's Park | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batters | ||||||
4 | Georgie Boyce | England | 4 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
11 | Bethany Harmer | England | 30 October 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
23 | Marie Kelly | England | 9 February 1996 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
All-rounders | ||||||
10 | Nat Sciver-Brunt ‡ | England | 20 August 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
17 | Kathryn Bryce ‡ | Scotland | 17 November 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
21 | Teresa Graves | England | 10 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
32 | Nadine de Klerk ‡ | South Africa | 16 January 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
Wicket-keepers | ||||||
8 | Sarah Bryce ‡ | Scotland | 8 January 2000 | Right-handed | — | |
12 | Tammy Beaumont ‡ | England | 11 March 1991 | Right-handed | — | |
25 | Michaela Kirk | South Africa | 30 June 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
33 | Ella Claridge | England | 28 September 2002 | Right-handed | — | |
– | Scarlett Hughes | England | 18 June 2002 | Left-handed | — | |
Bowlers | ||||||
1 | Grace Ballinger | England | 3 April 2002 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
3 | Sarah Glenn ‡ | England | 27 August 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
5 | Josie Groves | England | 5 September 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
6 | Cassidy McCarthy | England | 23 July 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
7 | Lucy Higham | England | 17 October 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
22 | Sophie Munro | England | 31 August 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
24 | Kirstie Gordon ‡ | England | 20 October 1997 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Club captain |
– | Rhiannon Knowling-Davies | England | Unknown | Right-handed | Right-arm medium |
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: [28]
Name | County |
---|---|
Hayva Abbott | Nottinghamshire |
Maria Andrews | Derbyshire |
Libby Armitage | Lincolnshire |
Olivia Baker | Nottinghamshire |
Flora Davies | Leicestershire |
Evee-Mae Hicklin | Nottinghamshire |
Bella Howarth | Essex |
Rhiannon Knowling-Davies | Nottinghamshire |
Brianna Ray | Leicestershire |
D'Nica Roff | Leicestershire |
Lara Shaw | Derbyshire |
Prisha Thanawala | Leicestershire |
Amy Wheeler | Staffordshire |
Annie Williams | Nottinghamshire |
Season | Final standing | League standings [30] | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
2020 | Group stage | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.113 | 4th | DNQ |
2021 | Group stage | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | +0.274 | 4th | DNQ |
2022 | Group stage | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | –0.630 | 6th | DNQ |
2023 | Runners-up | 14 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 38 | +0.173 | 2nd | Lost to Southern Vipers in the final |
Season | Final standing | League standings | Notes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
2021 | Group stages | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1.139 | 4th | DNQ |
2022 | Group stages | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | –1.072 | 4th | DNQ |
2023 | Runners-up | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32 | +1.765 | 1st | Lost to Southern Vipers in the final |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
2021 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
2022 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 28.57 |
2023 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 50.00 |
Total | 36 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 41.67 |
Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Sparks | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 83.33 |
Northern Diamonds | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
North West Thunder | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33.33 |
South East Stars | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
Southern Vipers | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
Sunrisers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
Western Storm | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 25.00 |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
2022 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
2023 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 87.50 |
Total | 20 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Sparks | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
Northern Diamonds | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
North West Thunder | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
South East Stars | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
Southern Vipers | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
Sunrisers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Western Storm | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
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.
Linsey Claire Neale Smith is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers, Northern Superchargers, Sydney Sixers and Otago. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, she originally played for Berkshire before moving to Sussex ahead of the 2017 season. In October 2018, she was named in the England women's cricket team squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament, and made her Women's Twenty20 International cricket (WT20I) debut in the tournament against Bangladesh.
Georgia Louise Adams is an English cricketer who is the captain of Sussex and Southern Vipers, as well as playing for Southern Brave, Adelaide Strikers and New South Wales. Adams has previously played for Loughborough Lightning in the Women's Cricket Super League and Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. Adams is an all-rounder.
Sunrisers are a women's cricket team that represent the London and East region, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at various grounds, including the County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford. They are captained by Grace Scrivens and coached by Andy Tennant. The team is partnered with Middlesex, Essex, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire, as well as Marylebone Cricket Club.
South East Stars are a women's cricket team that represent the London & South East region, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at various grounds, including the County Cricket Ground, Beckenham. They are captained by Bryony Smith and coached by Johann Myburgh. The team carries over many elements of the WCSL team Surrey Stars, but are now partnered with both Surrey and Kent. The team won the inaugural Charlotte Edwards Cup, beating Northern Diamonds in the final.
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. They are captained by Evelyn Jones and coached by Lloyd Tennant. The team is partnered with Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Northern Diamonds are a women's cricket team that represent the traditional areas of the North East and Yorkshire, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at Headingley, the Riverside, Roseworth Terrace, North Marine Road and Clifton Park Ground. They are captained by Hollie Armitage and coached by former England cricketer Danielle Hazell.
North West Thunder, commonly referred to as Thunder, are a women's cricket team that represent Lancashire and North West England, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at various grounds, including Old Trafford Cricket Ground. They are captained by Eleanor Threlkeld and coached by Chris Read. The team carries over many elements of the WCSL team Lancashire Thunder, but are now partnered with Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.
Marie Kelly is an English cricketer who is currently the captain of Warwickshire, as well as playing for The Blaze, Northern Superchargers and Trinbago Knight Riders. She plays primarily as a right-handed batter. She led Warwickshire to the 2019 Women's Twenty20 Cup title, and was the leading run-scorer in Division 1 that year. She previously played for Southern Vipers, Central Sparks, Birmingham Phoenix and Trent Rockets.
Lucy Florence Higham is an English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire, The Blaze and Northern Superchargers. She plays primarily as a right-arm off break bowler. She has previously played for Leicestershire, as well as for Loughborough Lightning in the Women's Cricket Super League and Trent Rockets in The Hundred.
Joanne Lynda Gardner is an English cricketer who currently plays for Northamptonshire, Sunrisers and Trent Rockets. She plays as an all-rounder, bowling right-arm off break and batting right-handed. She has previously played for Warwickshire, Essex, Loughborough Lightning, Oval Invincibles and Southern Brave.
Sophie Elizabeth Naseem Munro is an English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire, The Blaze and London Spirit. She plays as a right-arm medium bowler. She previously played for Yorkshire Diamonds in the 2018 Women's Cricket Super League and Trent Rockets in The Hundred.
Teresa Monika Graves is an English cricketer who currently plays for Nottinghamshire and The Blaze. An all-rounder, she is a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She previously played for Yorkshire, Yorkshire Diamonds and Trent Rockets.
Grace Ballinger is an English cricketer who currently plays for Leicestershire, The Blaze and Northern Superchargers. She plays as a left-arm medium bowler. She previously played for Warwickshire and London Spirit.
Bethany Charlotte Harmer is an English cricketer who currently plays for Derbyshire, The Blaze and Northern Superchargers. An all-rounder, she is a right-handed batter and right-arm off break bowler. She previously played for Norfolk, Essex and Lincolnshire.
Ella Caterina Claridge is an English cricketer who currently plays for Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire and The Blaze. She plays as a right-handed batter and wicket-keeper. She has previously played for Trent Rockets.
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 2023 season saw The Blaze compete in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Twenty20 Charlotte Edwards Cup. The season was the first since their rebrand as The Blaze, having previously been known as Lightning, with the team also primarily based at Trent Bridge, having previously been based at Loughborough University. The side were runners-up in both competitions. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, the side finished top of the group stage, winning all seven of their matches, but lost to Southern Vipers in the final. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the side finished second in the group stage before beating South East Stars in the play-off, but again lost in the final to Southern Vipers.