MATCH PREVIEW AND SQUAD NEWS: Central Sparks vs Thunder
Squad news
Thunder return to 50 over action tomorrow with head coach Paul Shaw naming a 13 player squad to travel to New Road to face Central Sparks.
18 year-old Sophie Morris is included in a Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy squad for the first time following her debut against Northern Diamonds in the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Blackpool Cricket Club.
Bowler Phoebe Graham returns to the Thunder squad after an impressive run of form in Thunder's 2nd XI and warm up games, including taking a hat-trick against Diamonds last month.
Mahika Gaur and Danielle Collins are included after signing their first professional contracts with the club.
Thunder Squad: Ellie Threlkled (c), Danni Collins, Naomi Dattani, Deandra Dottin, Mahika Gaur, Phoebe Graham, Liberty Heap, Laura Jackson, Fi Morris, Sophie Morris, Daisy Mullan, Tara Norris, Seren Smale
Match Preview
More of the same is the message from coach Paul Shaw to his Thunder players as they bid to transfer their excellent T20 form earlier this month into the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, which resumes this weekend.
Thunder travel to New Road in Worcester to take on the Central Sparks on Sunday.
It’s the same venue where they played Finals Day cricket in the Charlotte Edwards Cup on June 10, losing a high-scoring semi-final to eventual champions Southern Vipers.
Thunder qualified for their first regional showpiece occasion having won four out of their last five group matches, one of those also being against the Sparks at New Road.
“We like going to Worcester. It’s a ground where we feel comfortable,” said Shaw.
“We played pretty well against the Vipers at Finals Day. Once upon a time, had we had to chase 190-odd in a T20 game, we’d probably have been 120 or 130 all out.
“But staying in the game until the last over, with a number of our regional players doing well, it was a pretty good performance.
“It wasn’t meant to be, but as a day it was a really good experience for the players and one which will hopefully drive them to want to be there much more often.
“When we finished Finals Day, as a coach you want to keep going - you want that next game, because you’ve got the momentum.
“The break has been refreshing, but we’d have liked to carry on for just a bit longer whilst we were playing some good cricket.
“But I don’t think the three-week break means we’ve lost the momentum. There are signs there that we’ve still got it, and that’s what we’ll be looking to build on come Sunday.”
Thunder have played three friendlies in the build-up to this fixture and have a relatively clean bill of health.
Leg-spinner Olivia Bell is an injury doubt, while it remains to be seen whether this fixture comes too soon for fellow spinner Hannah Jones, who has made good progress following shoulder surgery.
Emma Lamb’s availability amidst Ashes commitments would be a “bonus”, according to Shaw, who also confirmed that Bell has been given permission to take part in a forthcoming Scotland tour of the Netherlands: “That will be something special for her,” he said.
Thunder currently sit bottom of the RHF Trophy table having not won in their opening five games - two defeats, a tie and two No Results. Their last fixture against Sunrisers at Sale on May 10 was abandoned after only 15 overs.
The top three teams in the eight-team group qualify for the knockout stages in September, with the gap currently eight points to third-placed Northern Diamonds.
This is the first of five fixtures through July before another break for the Hundred.
“There’s still plenty of time,” continued Shaw.
“We’re under no illusions that all games will be challenging, but we have to take the belief from the T20 competition into this and see how many wins we can pick up.
“If you pick four, five or six wins up - whatever it might be - you’re in a pretty good position.”
While Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone are unavailable due to Ashes duty with England, left-arm quick Mahika Gaur is set to be available following England A duty in their recent T20 series against their Australian counterparts.
Of the 17-year-old who has just signed her maiden professional contract with Thunder, Shaw added: “Mahika’s had a great season in terms of exposure at different levels, and she’s had some successes as well.
“She’s chomping at the bit to get back into playing with Thunder, and that will happen on Sunday all being well.
“When you look at a young player developing like she has done with the coaches we’ve got, it bodes well for the future. We have the likes of Liv (Bell) and Sophie Morris alongside her as well.
“It shows our programme and pathway is starting to produce a volume of players, and ones of different varieties, which is exactly what we need to protect the future of the Thunder over the next 10 years.”
Sparks are fifth in the table with two wins, two defeats and a tie. The tie was against Thunder at Emirates Old Trafford earlier in the season.
They will be without Amy Jones and Issy Wong because of Ashes duty, while leg-spinner Hannah Baker is on England A duty for an ODI series against Australia, which finishes on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Thunder batter Danielle Collins has also signed her maiden professional contract with the region.
Opposing player to watch
Experienced Australian all-rounder Erin Burns is with the Sparks as their overseas player, and she has already enjoyed notable success with the Midlanders.
Aged 35, Burns has played six internationals for Australia and is a Big Bash winner with Sydney Sixers.
She is a wily off-spinner who bats in the middle order, and this will be her 10th competitive appearance in the black of the Sparks.
Burns debuted against Thunder in the RHFT tie at Emirates Old Trafford in early May. She claimed 5-36 from 10 overs in her second game - a 50-over win against the Vipers at Hove - before 66 with the bat in a T20 defeat against Western Storm at Bristol at the start of June.
Burns played briefly for the Manchester Originals in last year’s Hundred.
Previous meeting
These two played out a thrilling 50-over tie at Emirates Old Trafford on May 6.
Sophie Ecclestone top-scored with a brilliant and belligerent 74 off 65 balls in the middle order, adding to Emma Lamb’s easier 56, as Thunder recovered from 120-5 to reach 234 all out.
Sparks target was then reduced to 224 in 45 overs following rain, but they slipped from health at 125-2 in the 26th over to 212-9 after 43, with Kate Cross, Ecclestone and Tara Norris all impressing. Cross claimed 3-40 from nine overs and Ecclestone and Norris struck twice apiece.
It all meant that Sparks needed eight off the last over bowled by Mahika Gaur, with last pair Davina Perrin and Grace Potts at the crease. They ended up getting seven, including a leg bye off the last ball when two were needed, to finish on 223-9. Both sides took two points.