Thunder on the way
ANOTHER chapter in the story of top-level cricket being played in our town will be added on Sunday when Trafalgar Road hosts its first Kia Super League game.
The Lancashire Thunder women’s team will host Loughborough Lightning in a 20-over match starting at 2.30pm and Southport & Birkdale chairman Tony Elwood is looking forward to the occasion.
“Women’s cricket is on the up in this country following England’s triumph in last year’s World Cup and the KSL is a great competition with many international players involved,” he said.
“This is the first women’s professional game to be staged here and we want to make it a big success, so we are looking for plenty of local support.”
The number of group games played in the KSL this year has been doubled to ten and Bobby Cross, Lancashire Thunder’s general manager, believes his 15-player squad is strong and well-balanced.
New head coach Alex Blackwell, a former Australia all-rounder, has met up with the players and new faces include overseas duo Harmanpreet Kaur and Nicole Bolton from India and Australia respectively, in addition to England’s left-arm spinner Alex Hartley (Surrey) and England Academy batsman Georgie Boyce (Loughborough).
“It’s a really good-looking squad and well balanced,” said Cross, who has only seen the Thunder win once in two Super League campaigns.
“We have strong batting and good spin bowling with some strong seam variation. We’re really looking forward to it and we’re looking forward to having a few new faces around both on the playing and coaching side.
“We’re very hopeful of a much better campaign this time around.”
The England internationals in the Thunder squad are captain Danni Hazell, Sophie Ecclestone, Hartley – all spinners – and seamer Kate Cross.
The overseas trio is made up by New Zealand all-rounder Amy Satterthwaite, who returns for a third year.
Lancashire Thunder squad: Danielle Hazell (c), Nicole Bolton, Georgie Boyce, Natalie Brown, Kate Cross, Rachel Dickinson, Alice Dyson, Sophie Ecclestone, Alex Hartley, Eve Jones, Harmanpreet Kaur, Emma Lamb, Natasha Miles, Amy Satterthwaite, Ellie Threlkeld.