After the squad announcement of Western Storm, Thunder have also announced their squad for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The Women’s tournament is named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017. The tournament will comprise of 8 teams, pooled into two groups, competing in a series of one-day matches to be played between 29th August to 19th September.
The top team from each group will advance to the finals to be played on 26th September to determine the overall winner of the tournament. The one-off tournament is expected to provide much-needed match practice to England domestic players after the suspension of cricket for several months due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Introducing the 15 players who will represent the North West region in this summer’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy! 🙌
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— Thunder Cricket 💥 (@NW_Thunder) August 21, 2020
The two groups are named ‘North Group’ and ‘South Group’ and include the following teams:
North Group: Central Sparks, Lightning, Northern Diamonds and Thunder
South Group: South East Stars, Southern Vipers, Sunrisers and Western Storm
The Thunder squad, comprising of counties Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria, was finalized following the conclusion of the North West Cup, which saw talent from across the region compete in a series of T20 and 50-over matches in front of selectors.
The selectors have chosen the following 15 players to represent Thunder throughout the course of the tournament:
Alex Hartley (Lancashire):
Aged 26 years, Alex Hartley is the most experienced player in the squad. She has represented England in 28 ODIs having taken 39 wickets. Hartley was a member of the winning women’s team at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup held in England. She also represented Lancashire Thunder in Kia Super League last year.
Georgie Boyce (Lancashire):
Georgie Boyce is a promising young talent who is just 21 years old. She has been a part of the England set-up for the last few years and played for Lancashire Thunder in Kia Super League last year. Known for her batting, she made an excellent 43 in her side’s first game against Southern Vipers last year.
Natalie Brown (Lancashire):
Aged 29 years, Natalie Brown was a part of the domestic set-up last year. She representing Lancashire in the one-day competition and also featured in 2 games in the Kia Super League for Lancashire Thunder.
Rebecca Duckworth (Lancashire, Cumbria):
Rebecca Duckworth has featured in England’s domestic set-up since 2017. Last year she played 2 one-day matches for Cumbria in which she scored an unbeaten 53 and 40 respectively, showing her credentials as a batter.
Alice Dyson (Lancashire):
Alice Dyson started off as a player for Derbyshire in 2018 before moving to Lancashire last year. At a tender age of just 21 years, she has only played 7 one-day matches and also represented Lancashire Thunder in 2 games last year at the Kia Super League. She is a seam bowler.
Hannah Jones (Lancashire):
Aged 21 years, Hannah Jones represented Lancashire one-day side in 2018 and 2019. A talented spin bowler, she has played 10 one-day matches, in which she has picked up 6 wickets.
Laura Marshall (Lancashire):
The 26-year old Laura Marshall is another talented batter for Lancashire. She started out playing for Lancashire way back in 2015 and also represented the team the following year. After a 3-year break from cricket, she against formed a part of the Lancashire squad. Her batting prowess can be gauged by her innings of 73, made against Staffs while playing for Cumbria last year.
Ellie Threlkeld (Lancashire):
Aged 21 years, Ellie Thelkeld was an important player for Lancashire Thunder in the Kia Super League last year. She will be the wicket-keeper of the Lancashire side. She is also known for her batting, having compiled a well-made half century against Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League last year.
Laura Jackson (Cheshire):
Hailing from Cheshire, Laura Jackson was a part of the Lancashire one-day team in 2018 and 2019 seasons. She has played 10 one-day matches in these two seasons picking up 7 wickets.
Danielle Collins (Lancashire):
Danielle Collins featured in the Lancashire one-day team last year playing 7 games, where she scored a total of 77 runs.
The other players of the squad are Liberty Heap, Alice Clarke, Daisy Mullan and Olivia Thomas.
Regional Performance Director, David Thorley, commented about the composition of the side: “There is a real blend of youth and experience in this side, from Alex Hartley who is a Cricket World Cup winner with England, a core-group with previous KSL exposure, to players who have impressed in their respective age-group systems across Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.”
Thunder will be led by Head Coach Paul Shaw during the tournament. They will kick off their campaign against Lightning at Trent Bridge on Saturday 29 August.