Player Profile
Seren Smale, much like Liberty Heap, enjoyed one heck of a start to 2023 as she represented England at the inaugural Under 19s World Cup in South Africa and was then awarded her maiden professional contract with Thunder.
The wicketkeeper-batter from North Wales then continued on that upward trajectory into early 2024 when she progressed to represent England A on tour in New Zealand.
In all cricket in 2023, Smale hit four fifties and a century in 27 appearances, be it for England A - she also toured India with them in December - Thunder and Lancashire.
In late April, she crashed 121 not out off 69 balls opening the batting for Lancashire women in a T20 win over Cumbria in Glasgow. It was the highest ever T20 score by any batter for the Red Rose - women or men - and was the joint highest for any team in that competition.
The 19-year-old from North Wales nearly added a second summer century when she hit a more measured 94 at the top of the order for Thunder in a Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy defeat against Central Sparks at New Road in early July.
A versatile batter, she posted scores of 31 and 18 from the middle order in a pair of T20s against India at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium in December before starting 2024 with 22 in another 20-over clash with New Zealand in Queenstown in March.
She will no doubt start the 2024 home summer brimming with confidence and is clearly now viewed as one of the brightest young talents in the English women’s game.
Smale also had a distinguished junior tennis career.
It was, therefore, ironic that she would make her senior regional debut for Thunder in 2021 on the same weekend that Emma Raducanu won the US Open women’s title at Flushing Meadows in New York. Seren had previously practiced with one of Raducanu’s coaches.
Smale represented Wales Under 15s at cricket in 2018 and Lancashire Under 15s the following summer.
She has gone on to play senior county cricket for Cheshire, Cumbria, the Northern Representative XI and, in 2022 and 2023, Lancashire.
She helped the Red Rose win the regionalised County T20 Cup competition at the start of 2022, though the strength of top order performances meant she didn’t bat in four of the six games.
Smale has played 26 times, including friendlies, for Thunder’s senior team since debuting in September 2021 against Vipers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Sale.
Smale kept wicket for the England Under 19s as they reached the final of the World Cup in January 2023, and she contributed 121 runs from six matches batting at number four. That included a top-score of 37.
She is one of Thunder’s understudy keepers, alongside Alice Clarke, to captain Ellie Threlkeld.