Western Storm
Women's cricket team
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Western Storm were a women's cricket team that represented South West England and Wales, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic cricket. They primarily played their home matches at the County Ground, Taunton, the County Ground, Bristol and Sophia Gardens.[1][2] They were captained by Sophie Luff and coached by Trevor Griffin.[3] The team were partnered with Somerset, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Cricket Wales.[4] 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 competed in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup.[5]
| ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Sophie Luff | |
| Coach | Trevor Griffin | |
| Team information | ||
| Colours | Green | |
| Established | 2016 | |
| Home ground | County Ground, Taunton County Ground, Bristol Sophia Gardens College Ground, Cheltenham | |
| History | ||
| WCSL wins | 2 | |
| RHFT wins | 0 | |
| CEC wins | 0 | |
| Official website | Western Storm | |
| ||
At the end of the 2024 season, following reforms to the structure of women's domestic cricket, the team was effectively replaced by a professionalised Somerset team.[6]
History
2016–2019: Women's Cricket Super League
Western Storm were formed in 2016 to compete in the new Women's Cricket Super League, representing the South West.[7] In their inaugural season, they came second in the group stage, meaning they progressed to the semi-final, which they won against Loughborough Lightning.[8] However, they lost in the final by seven wickets to the Southern Vipers.[9] One of Western Storm's overseas players, Stafanie Taylor, was both the leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker, and was subsequently named player of the tournament.[10]
In 2017, Western Storm finished third in the group stage, again progressing to the semi-final, which they won against the Surrey Stars.[11] In a rematch against the Southern Vipers, this time the Storm emerged victorious, winning by seven wickets and claiming their first WCSL title. Western Storm overseas player Rachel Priest scored 72 in the final, and was the tournament's leading run-scorer.[12] In 2018, Western Storm again reached finals day, finishing third in the group stage,[13] but were defeated by the Surrey Stars in the semi-final.[14] Storm's Smriti Mandhana was the leading run-scorer and player of the tournament.[15]
In the final season of the WCSL, 2019, Western Storm won 9 out of their 10 group stage games, topping the group and progressing straight to the final for the first time.[16] There, they faced Southern Vipers in a repeat of the first ever WCSL final. Chasing 173 to win, Storm captain Heather Knight scored 78* as her side were victorious with an over to spare.[17] Western Storm therefore ended the WCSL as the most successful team, with two title wins. Bowler Freya Davies was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.[18][19]
2020–2024: Domestic Regional Hub
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.[20] The Western Storm brand was retained after this restructuring, with some differences to the squad and coaching staff. Sophie Luff was named as captain of the side, whilst Mark O'Leary became the coach.[21] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[22] Western Storm won 4 of their 6 games, finishing second in the South Group and therefore failing to progress to the final.[23] At the end of the season, six Storm players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Sophie Luff, Danielle Gibson, Fi Morris, Georgia Hennessy, Nat Wraith and Alex Griffiths.[24]
The following season, 2021, Western Storm competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy the side finished sixth out of eight teams, winning three of their seven matches, including a one-wicket victory in their opening match against North West Thunder.[25][26] Storm captain Sophie Luff was the leading run-scorer across the whole tournament with 417 runs, including 157* made in the final match against Sunrisers.[27][28] In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, Storm narrowly missed out on qualifying for Finals Day on Net Run Rate, finishing second in Group B with four wins from their six matches.[29] Storm bowler Nicole Harvey was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 12 wickets at an average of 9.41.[30]
Ahead of the 2022 season, it was announced that O'Leary was stepping down from his role as Head Coach.[31] Dan Helesfay was appointed as interim Head Coach for the Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign, with Trevor Griffin, who had coached the side between 2017 and 2019, returning to the club to take the role on a permanent basis ahead of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[32] The side finished third in their group in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, with three wins from their six matches.[33] They finished fourth in the group of eight in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, winning three of their matches.[34] In 2023, they finished sixth out of eight in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and bottom of the group in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[35][36] In 2024, the side finished seventh in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and eighth in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[37][38]
2024 was the side's final season, with reforms to the structure of domestic cricket in England meaning that the side was effectively replaced by a professionalised Somerset team.[6]
Home grounds
| Venue | Games hosted by season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Total | |
| County Ground, Taunton | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | – | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
| County Ground, Bristol | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| College Ground, Cheltenham | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Sophia Gardens | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Millfield School | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
Players
Current squad
Final squad, 2024 season.[39]
- 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 | ||||||
| 35 | Fran Wilson ‡ |  England | 7 November 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 63 | Sophie Luff | England | 6 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Club captain |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 5 | Heather Knight ‡ | England | 26 December 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 25 | Alex Griffiths |  Wales | 12 June 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 27 | Niamh Holland | England | 27 October 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 28 | Danielle Gibson ‡ | England | 30 April 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 74 | Emma Corney | England | 15 September 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 22 | Jess Hazell | England | 22 August 2004 | Right-handed | — | |
| 37 | Nat Wraith | England | 3 October 2001 | Right-handed | — | |
| 38 | Katie Jones | England | 28 December 2005 | Right-handed | — | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| 8 | Claire Nicholas | Wales | 8 September 1986 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 13 | Gemma Lane | England | 13 May 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 14 | Mollie Robbins | England | 4 October 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 15 | Emily Geach | England | 15 February 2004 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 16 | Sophia Smale | Wales | 8 December 2004 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 20 | Chloe Skelton | England | 20 June 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 23 | Lola Harris | England | 20 October 2006 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 24 | Lauren Filer ‡ | England | 22 December 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 88 | Imogen Cooper | England | 25 October 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
Academy
The Western Storm Academy team played against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selected players from across the South West and Wales regions, and included some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2023/24 Academy are listed below:[40]
| Name | County |
|---|---|
| Katy Cobb | Wiltshire |
| Olivia Daniels | Gloucestershire |
| Ruby Davis | Devon |
| Beatrix Ellis | Gloucestershire |
| Emily Geach | Cornwall |
| Lola Harris | Somerset |
| Lilly Hawkins | Somerset |
| Jess Hazell | Somerset |
| Eve Jackson | Wales |
| Katie Jones | Gloucestershire |
| Amelie Munday | Devon/Middlesex |
| Isobel Patel | Gloucestershire |
| Anna-Mae Shearn | Wiltshire |
| Isla Thomson | Wiltshire |
| Erin Vukusic | Devon |
Overseas Players
Lizelle Lee – South Africa (2016)
Stafanie Taylor – West Indies (2016–2018)
Rachel Priest – New Zealand (2016–2019)- Holly Huddleston – New Zealand (2017)
Smriti Mandhana – India (2018–2019)- Deepti Sharma – India (2019)
Orla Prendergast – Ireland (2023)
Piepa Cleary – Australia (2023)- Amanda-Jade Wellington – Australia (2024)
Coaching staff
- Head coach: Trevor Griffin
- Regional Director: Lisa Pagett
- Assistant coach: James Schofield
- Lead physiotherapist: Rhys Gowman
- Performance analyst: Andy Payne
- Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ian Fisher
- Team Operations Executive: Jonathon De Lyall
Seasons
Women's Cricket Super League
| Season | Final standing | League standings | Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
| 2016 | Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | +0.838 | 2nd | Lost to Southern Vipers in the final |
| 2017 | Champions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | –0.887 | 3rd | Won against Southern Vipers in the final |
| 2018 | Losing semi-finalists: 3rd | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 30 | +0.919 | 2nd | Lost to Surrey Stars in the semi-final |
| 2019 | Champions | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 39 | +1.109 | 1st | Won against Southern Vipers in the final |
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
Charlotte Edwards Cup
Statistics
Women's Cricket Super League
- 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 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancashire Thunder | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Loughborough Lightning | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71.43 |
| Southern Vipers | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.66 |
| Surrey Stars | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Yorkshire Diamonds | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 83.33 |
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- 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 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16.67 |
| Northern Diamonds | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| North West Thunder | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Southern Vipers | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| South East Stars | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 37.50 |
| Sunrisers | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
| The Blaze | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 40.00 |
Charlotte Edwards Cup
- 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 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Northern Diamonds | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| North West Thunder | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 75.00 |
| South East Stars | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Southern Vipers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sunrisers | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 85.71 |
| The Blaze | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Records
Women's Cricket Super League
- Highest team total: 185/4, v Lancashire Thunder on 9 August 2018.[45]
- Lowest team total: 70, v Southern Vipers on 10 August 2017.[46]
- Highest individual score: 106*, Rachel Priest v Yorkshire Diamonds on 20 August 2017.[47]
- Best individual bowling analysis: 5/23, Anya Shrubsole v Yorkshire Diamonds on 14 August 2016.[48]
- Most runs: 1,062 in 36 matches, Heather Knight.[49]
- Most wickets: 37 wickets in 36 matches, Freya Davies.[50]
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- Highest team total: 313/4, v Sunrisers on 18 September 2021.[51][52][53][54][55]
- Lowest (completed) team total: 89, v South East Stars on 1 May 2023.[51][52][53][54][55]
- Highest individual score: 157*, Sophie Luff v Sunrisers on 18 September 2021.[56][57][58][59][60]
- Best individual bowling analysis: 5/26, Fi Morris v Sunrisers on 5 September 2020.[61][62][63][64][65]
- Most runs: 1,769 runs in 43 matches, Sophie Luff.[66][67][68][69][70]
- Most wickets: 41 wickets in 34 matches, Chloe Skelton.[71][72][73][74][75]
Charlotte Edwards Cup
- Highest team total: 186/8, v Northern Diamonds on 19 May 2023.[76][77][78][79]
- Lowest (completed) team total: 99, v The Blaze on 7 June 2024.[76][77][78][79]
- Highest individual score: 78, Sophie Luff v Sunrisers on 29 May 2022.[80][81][82][83]
- Best individual bowling analysis: 4/9, Ellie Anderson v Sunrisers on 31 May 2024.[84][85][86][87]
- Most runs: 565 runs in 28 matches, Sophie Luff.[88][89][90][91]
- Most wickets: 23 wickets in 20 matches, Danielle Gibson.[92][93][94][95]