The_Blaze_(women's_cricket)
The Blaze (women's cricket)
English women's cricket team
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]
| 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 | |
| ||
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 |
Current squad
As per 2024 season.[26]
- 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 | ||||||
| 4 | Georgie Boyce |  England | (1998-10-04) 4 October 1998 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 11 | Bethany Harmer | England | (2000-10-30) 30 October 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 23 | Marie Kelly | England | (1996-02-09) 9 February 1996 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| – | Prisha Thanawala | England | (2001-11-16) 16 November 2001 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 10 | Nat Sciver-Brunt ‡ | England | (1992-08-20) 20 August 1992 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 17 | Kathryn Bryce ‡ |  Scotland | (1997-11-17) 17 November 1997 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 21 | Teresa Graves | England | (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 32 | Nadine de Klerk ‡ |  South Africa | (2000-01-16) 16 January 2000 (age 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
| 77 | Heather Graham ‡ |  Australia | (1996-10-05) 5 October 1996 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Overseas player |
| – | Bella Howarth | England | Unknown | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| – | Brianna Ray |  Bermuda | (2003-11-16) 16 November 2003 (age 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 8 | Sarah Bryce ‡ | Scotland | (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 24) | Right-handed | — | |
| 12 | Tammy Beaumont ‡ | England | (1991-03-11) 11 March 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | — | |
| 25 | Michaela Kirk | South Africa | (1999-06-30) 30 June 1999 (age 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 33 | Ella Claridge | England | (2002-09-28) 28 September 2002 (age 21) | Right-handed | — | |
| 35 | Bethan Gammon |  Wales | (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | — | |
| – | Scarlett Hughes | England | (2002-06-18) 18 June 2002 (age 21) | Left-handed | — | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| 1 | Grace Ballinger | England | (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 (age 22) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
| 3 | Sarah Glenn ‡ | England | (1999-08-27) 27 August 1999 (age 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 5 | Josie Groves | England | (2004-09-05) 5 September 2004 (age 19) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 6 | Cassidy McCarthy | England | (2002-07-23) 23 July 2002 (age 21) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 7 | Lucy Higham | England | (1997-10-17) 17 October 1997 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 22 | Sophie Munro | England | (2001-08-31) 31 August 2001 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | On loan at Sunrisers |
| 24 | Kirstie Gordon ‡ | England | (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 26) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Club captain |
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:[27]
| 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 |
Overseas players
Piepa Cleary – Australia (2022)
Nadine de Klerk – South Africa (2023–2024)- Lizelle Lee – South Africa (2023)
- Heather Graham – Australia (2024)
- Head coach: Chris Guest
- Regional Director: James Cutt
- Assistant coach: Jon Bateson
- Team Operations Executive: Sally Clarke
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
| Season | Final standing | League standings[29] | 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 |
Charlotte Edwards Cup
| 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 |
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
| 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 |
- Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
- Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
| 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 |
Charlotte Edwards Cup
| 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 |
- Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
- Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
| 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 |
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- Highest team total: 320/6, v Central Sparks on 18 September 2021.[31][32][33][34]
- Lowest (completed) team total: 116 v North West Thunder on 13 September 2020.[31][32][33][34]
- Highest individual score: 162, Kathryn Bryce v Central Sparks on 18 September 2021.[35][36][37][38]
- Best individual bowling analysis: 7/33, Nadine de Klerk v Northern Diamonds on 6 May 2023.[39][40][41][42]
- Most runs: 953 runs in 31 matches, Sarah Bryce.[43][44][45][46]
- Most wickets: 42 wickets in 27 matches, Kirstie Gordon.[47][48][49][50]
Charlotte Edwards Cup
- Highest team total: 212/5, v Central Sparks on 26 May 2023.[51][52][53]
- Lowest (completed) team total: 81 v Central Sparks on 10 July 2021.[51][52][53]
- Highest individual score: 96*, Nat Sciver-Brunt v Central Sparks on 26 May 2023.[54][55][56]
- Best individual bowling analysis: 3/21, Nadine de Klerk v South East Stars on 20 May 2023.[57][58][59]
- Most runs: 327 runs in 10 matches, Tammy Beaumont.[60][61][62]
- Most wickets: 15 wickets in 17 matches, Sophie Munro and 15 wickets in 8 matches, Nadine de Klerk.[63][64][65]
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- "Women's Regional T20 2021 - Fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- "Guest appointed as new Lightning Cricket Head Coach". Loughborough University. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- "Loughborough Selected as Host for Women's Cricket". Loughborough University. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- "ECB launches new plan to transform women's and girls' cricket". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- "Taylor appointed as new Head Coach for Lightning Cricket". Loughborough University. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: The special-edition 50-over competition explained". the Cricketer. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2020/Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- "Forty-one female players sign full-time domestic contracts". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
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- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Most Wickets". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
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- "Tammy Beaumont's 59 leads Lightning to first-ever Charlotte Edwards Cup win". ESPNcricinfo. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
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- "Trent Bridge - Based Women's Regional Team Announced as 'The Blaze'". England and Wales Cricket Board. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- "Captain Gordon Prepared for Challenge as New Season Nears". Trent Bridge. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- "Charlotte Edwards Cup 2023/Tables". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
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- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2023". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Blaze emerge victorious after the deluge to book RHF final spot". ESPN Cricinfo. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
- "Windsor ties knot on Southern Vipers domestic double". ESPN Cricinfo. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "The Blaze/Players and Staff". Trent Bridge. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- "Blaze Academy: Introducing the Class of 2024". Trent Bridge. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- "Loughborough alumnus appointed Lightning's new Regional Director of Women's Cricket". Loughborough University. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
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- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Highest totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/High scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Best bowling figures in an innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2020 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
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- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2022 - Lightning/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023 - The Blaze/Most wickets". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Highest Totals". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
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- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/High Scores". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2022 - Lightning/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2021 - Lightning/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
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- "Records/Charlotte Edwards Cup, 2023 - The Blaze/Most runs". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
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