The Blaze
Personnel
CaptainKirstie Gordon (2023–)
CoachChris Guest
Team information
Colours   Red and yellow
Established2020
Home groundTrent Bridge
Grace Road
Haslegrave Ground
County Ground, Derby
John Fretwell Sporting Complex
Queen's Park
History
RHFT wins0
CEC wins0
Official websiteThe Blaze

Playing kit

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]

History

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]

Home grounds

Venue Games hosted by season
20212223Total
Trent Bridge11125
Grace Road21227
Kibworth Cricket Club Ground–1––1
Haslegrave Ground–2327
County Ground, Derby–1113
John Fretwell Sporting Complex–––22
Queen's Park–––11

Players

Current squad

As per 2023 season.[26][27]

  • No. denotes the player's squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt.
  • ‡ denotes players with international caps.
No. Name Nationality Birth date Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batters
4Georgie Boyce England4 October 1998Right-handedRight-arm medium
11Bethany Harmer England30 October 2000Right-handedRight-arm off break
23Marie Kelly England9 February 1996Right-handedRight-arm off break
All-rounders
10Nat Sciver-Brunt ‡ England20 August 1992Right-handedRight-arm medium
17Kathryn Bryce ‡ Scotland17 November 1997Right-handedRight-arm medium
21Teresa Graves England10 October 1998Right-handedRight-arm medium
32Nadine de Klerk ‡ South Africa16 January 2000Right-handedRight-arm mediumOverseas player
Wicket-keepers
8Sarah Bryce ‡ Scotland8 January 2000Right-handed—
12Tammy Beaumont ‡ England11 March 1991Right-handed—
25Michaela Kirk South Africa30 June 1999Right-handedRight-arm off break
33Ella Claridge England28 September 2002Right-handed—
–Scarlett Hughes England18 June 2002Left-handed—
Bowlers
1Grace Ballinger England3 April 2002Left-handedLeft-arm medium
3Sarah Glenn ‡ England27 August 1999Right-handedRight-arm leg break
5Josie Groves England5 September 2004Right-handedRight-arm leg break
6Cassidy McCarthy England23 July 2002Right-handedRight-arm medium
7Lucy Higham England17 October 1997Right-handedRight-arm off break
22Sophie Munro England31 August 2001Right-handedRight-arm medium
24Kirstie Gordon ‡ England20 October 1997Right-handedSlow left-arm orthodoxClub captain
–Rhiannon Knowling-Davies EnglandUnknownRight-handedRight-arm medium

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:[28]

Name County
Hayva AbbottNottinghamshire
Maria AndrewsDerbyshire
Libby ArmitageLincolnshire
Olivia BakerNottinghamshire
Flora DaviesLeicestershire
Evee-Mae HicklinNottinghamshire
Bella HowarthEssex
Rhiannon Knowling-DaviesNottinghamshire
Brianna RayLeicestershire
D'Nica RoffLeicestershire
Lara ShawDerbyshire
Prisha ThanawalaLeicestershire
Amy WheelerStaffordshire
Annie WilliamsNottinghamshire

Overseas players

Coaching staff

  • Head coach: Chris Guest
  • Regional Director: James Cutt
  • Assistant coach: Jon Bateson
  • Team Operations Executive: Sally Clarke

As of the 2023 season.[3][29]

Seasons

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Season Final standing League standings[30] Notes
P W L T NR BP Pts NRR Pos
2020 Group stage 6240008-0.1134th DNQ
2021 Group stage 73400113+0.2744th DNQ
2022 Group stage 72401111–0.6306th DNQ
2023 Runners-up 147403438+0.1732nd Lost to Southern Vipers in the final

Charlotte Edwards Cup

Season Final standing League standings Notes
P W L T NR BP Pts NRR Pos
2021 Group stages 6060000–1.1394th DNQ
2022 Group stages 6150004–1.0724th DNQ
2023 Runners-up 77000432+1.7651st Lost to Southern Vipers in the final

Statistics

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy - summary of results[30]
Year Played Wins Losses Tied NR Win %
2020 6240033.33
2021 7340042.86
2022 7240128.57
2023 16850350.00
Total 3615170441.67
  • Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
  • Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy - teamwise result summary[31]
Opposition Mat Won Lost Tied NR Win %
Central Sparks6500183.33
Northern Diamonds6240033.33
North West Thunder6220233.33
South East Stars5140020.00
Southern Vipers5140020.00
Sunrisers4310075.00
Western Storm4120125.00

Charlotte Edwards Cup

Charlotte Edwards Cup - summary of results
Year Played Wins Losses Tied NR Win %
2021 606000.00
2022 6150016.67
2023 8710087.50
Total 208120040.00
  • Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
  • Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
Charlotte Edwards Cup - teamwise result summary
Opposition Mat Won Lost Tied NR Win %
Central Sparks3120033.33
Northern Diamonds3120033.33
North West Thunder3210066.67
South East Stars3120033.33
Southern Vipers6150016.67
Sunrisers11000100.00
Western Storm11000100.00

Records

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Charlotte Edwards Cup

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Women's Regional T20 2021 - Fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Guest appointed as new Lightning Cricket Head Coach". Loughborough University. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Loughborough Selected as Host for Women's Cricket". Loughborough University. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "ECB launches new plan to transform women's and girls' cricket". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Taylor appointed as new Head Coach for Lightning Cricket". Loughborough University. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: The special-edition 50-over competition explained". the Cricketer. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2020/Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  9. ↑ "Forty-one female players sign full-time domestic contracts". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Charlotte Edwards Cup 2021/Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2021/Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "Bryce sister-act powers Lightning as Sparks face play-off roulette". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Most Wickets". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "NEWS: Lightning Seek Replacement Coach As Rob Taylor Departs". CricketHer. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Tammy Beaumont's 59 leads Lightning to first-ever Charlotte Edwards Cup win". ESPNcricinfo. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Charlotte Edwards Cup 2022/Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Nottinghamshire to Become Women's Regional Host for East Midlands". Trent Bridge. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2022/Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "Trent Bridge - Based Women's Regional Team Announced as 'The Blaze'". England and Wales Cricket Board. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "Captain Gordon Prepared for Challenge as New Season Nears". Trent Bridge. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  21. ↑ "Charlotte Edwards Cup 2023/Tables". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole star as Southern Vipers defend Charlotte Edwards Cup in style". ESPN Cricinfo. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  23. ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2023". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Blaze emerge victorious after the deluge to book RHF final spot". ESPN Cricinfo. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "Windsor ties knot on Southern Vipers domestic double". ESPN Cricinfo. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Blaze Announce Contracted Players Ahead of 2023". Trent Bridge. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "The Blaze: In Profile". Trent Bridge. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  28. ↑ "Blaze Academy: Introducing the Class of 2024". Trent Bridge. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  29. ↑ "Loughborough alumnus appointed Lightning's new Regional Director of Women's Cricket". Loughborough University. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  30. 1 2 "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Tables". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  31. ↑ "Lightning Match Results". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  32. 1 2 "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  33. 1 2 "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  34. 1 2 "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  35. 1 2 "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  36. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  37. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  38. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  39. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  41. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  42. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  43. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  44. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  45. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  46. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  47. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  48. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  49. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  50. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  51. ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  52. 1 2 "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  53. 1 2 "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  54. 1 2 "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  55. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/High Scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  56. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/High Scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  57. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/High Scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  58. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  59. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  60. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  61. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  62. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  63. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  64. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  65. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  66. ↑ "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.