Lancashire commissions first documentary charting the rise of Thunder & women's professional cricket
Lancashire Cricket has today released details and a trailer for a new original documentary film – Bring The Thunder – charting the journey of the Thunder team throughout the 2023 campaign and the rise of professional women’s cricket.
The documentary, which has been self-produced by the Club’s media team, provides a deep dive into women’s domestic cricket, shot during Thunder’s 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup campaign that saw the side make their first Finals Day appearance.
Bring The Thunder focuses on the personal stories of the players, those who have invested in them and the women’s game, plus the media who judge them. It includes in-depth interviews with a number of the squad - including captain Ellie Threlkeld, Kate Cross, Alex Hartley and Olivia Bell, the ECB’s Director of Women's Professional Game, Beth Barrett-Wild and Commercial Director, Tony Singh. There are also contributions from the game’s most respected journalists and a number of representatives from Lancashire Cricket, including Chief Executive Daniel Gidney and Director of Cricket Performance Mark Chilton.
The 50-minute film will air in full from April 9 on LancsTV, ahead of the Thunder’s 2024 campaign which commences on Friday 19 April against the Northern Diamonds in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy.
Daniel Gidney, CEO Lancashire Cricket, comments: “Bring The Thunder is a really important film that authentically highlights the journey of the women’s game, the hurdles it faces, the controversy that surrounds it and, for some players, how just making it out to the middle is success.
“We believe Bring The Thunder is the first dedicated film profiling women’s domestic cricket, and it’s certainly the first long-format documentary LancsTV has produced. We are proud to be pioneering in our approach to women and girls’ cricket and this documentary is another example of our commitment to growing the game from grassroots to the elite.
“We are extremely grateful to long-term commercial partners Hilton and Sportbreaks.com for their continued funding, that supports the growth and development of our women’s cricket initiatives. Specifically, Hilton’s additional investment during 2024 has enabled the Thunder to increase its squad of professional players to 15 – the most full-time professionals of any team in England’s domestic women’s structure – and, for a third year in a row, has seen the Thunder participate in a joint pre-season tour to India alongside Lancashire Lightning.
“We are bidding to become a tier one women’s domestic team and alongside Emirates Old Trafford hosting international women’s cricket from 2025, we are incredibly excited about what the next few years, and beyond, have in store. Women’s elite sport will become a $1 billion industry in 2024 and we look forward to bringing the Thunder on the journey”.
Commenting on the documentary, Thunder captain Ellie Threlkeld says: “The pace of change in women's cricket has been phenomenal but there are still many sacrifices that players have to make to realise their ambitions.
“The documentary does an incredible job of capturing the journey we are on to break boundaries and grow the sport. Cricket has become a genuine career choice for young girls and I hope this film inspires the next generation to pursue their dreams, as I did mine.
“It’s amazing to see the work Lancashire Cricket are putting into growing and developing the women’s game and I’m just so proud to be captain of the Thunder squad.”
Bring The Thunder is the latest Lancashire Cricket initiative in a strategy that aims to provide long-term investment in women and girls’ cricket, at all levels of the game – as part of the Club’s Red Rose Together campaign.
Watch the trailer for Bring The Thunder here and subscribe to the LancsTV channel on YouTube to watch the documentary in full - from Tuesday 9 April.
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