North West Thunder, commonly referred to as Thunder, are a women's

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

team that represent

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

and North West England, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They play their home matches at various grounds, including

Old Trafford Cricket Ground Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known a ...

. They are captained by

Eleanor Threlkeld Eleanor Threlkeld (born 16 November 1998) is an English cricketer who currently plays for Lancashire, North West Thunder and Manchester Originals. She plays as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batter. She previously played for Lancashire Thu ...

and coached by Paul Shaw. The team carries over many elements of the WCSL team

Lancashire Thunder Lancashire Thunder were an English women's Twenty20 cricket team based in Manchester, Lancashire that competed in England’s women's Twenty20 competition, the Women's Cricket Super League. Thunder played their home matches at Old Trafford and va ...

, but are now partnered with

, Cheshire and

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

History

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. North West Thunder were one of the sides created under this structure, effectively replacing the

Women's Cricket Super League The Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL), known as the Kia Super League (KSL) for sponsorship reasons, was a semi-professional women's Twenty20 cricket competition in England and Wales operated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The comp ...

team

and representing

and North West England, partnering with

, Cheshire and

. The side was to be captained by Alex Hartley and coached by Paul Shaw. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. North West Thunder finished third in the North Group of the competition, winning two of their six matches. At the end of the season, five Thunder players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Alex Hartley, Georgie Boyce,

Emma Lamb Emma Louise Lamb (born 16 December 1997) is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire Women, North West Thunder and Manchester Originals, and has previously played for Lancashire Thunder. Lamb is a batting all-rounder, and bowls off spi ...

and Hannah Jones. The following season, 2021, North West Thunder competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the

Charlotte Edwards Cup The Charlotte Edwards Cup, initially named the Women's Regional T20, is an English women's cricket Twenty20 domestic competition organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The first edition of the tournament took place in 2021. The tourn ...

. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup the side finished third in their group, winning two of their six matches, as well as their away match against Sunrisers ending in a tie. Thunder batter

hit the first Charlotte Edwards Cup century in the reverse fixture against Sunrisers, as her side made the highest team score of the tournament, 186/1. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the team finished seventh in the group of eight, winning three of their seven matches. North West Thunder bowler Hannah Jones was the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 14 wickets. Ahead of the 2022 season, Hartley stood down as captain of the side. Eleanor Threlkeld was named as her replacement. The side finished third in their group in the

that season, winning two of their six matches. The side finished seventh in the group of eight in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

Home grounds

Players

Current squad

As per 2022 season. * No. denotes the player's squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt. * denotes players with international caps.

Academy

The North West Thunder Academy team plays against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selects players from across the North West region, and includes some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2022 Academy are listed below:

Overseas players

* Piepa Cleary – Australia (2021) *

Deandra Dottin Deandra Jalisa Shakira Dottin (born 21 June 1991) is a Barbadian cricketer and former track and field athlete. A right-handed batter and right-arm fast bowler, Dottin made her debut for the West Indies women's cricket team in ...

–

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

(2022)

Coaching staff

* Head Coach: Paul Shaw * Regional Director: David Thorley * Senior Regional Talent Manager: Jen Barden ''As of the 2022 season.''

Seasons

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Charlotte Edwards Cup

Statistics

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.

Charlotte Edwards Cup

* Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result) * Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.

Records

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

*Highest team total: 291/8, v

Western Storm Western Storm are a women's cricket team representing South West England and Wales, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic cricket. They play their home matches at the County Ground, Taunton, the County Ground, Bristol and Sophia Gardens ...

on 29 May 2021. *Lowest (completed) team total: 110 v

Southern Vipers The Southern Vipers are a women's cricket team that represent the South of England. The Vipers wear an orange and black kit and play their home matches at the Ageas Bowl and the County Cricket Ground, Hove. They are currently coached by former ...

on 10 September 2021. *Highest individual score: 121,

on 29 May 2021. *Best individual bowling analysis: 6/24, Alex Hartley v South East Stars on 16 July 2022. *Most runs: 507 runs in 19 matches,

. *Most wickets: 31 wickets in 17 matches, Alex Hartley.

Charlotte Edwards Cup

*Highest team total: 186/1, v Sunrisers on 9 July 2021. *Lowest (completed) team total: 90/9 v Northern Diamonds on 30 August 2021. *Highest individual score: 111 *,

v Sunrisers on 9 July 2021. *Best individual bowling analysis: 5/15,

Sophie Ecclestone Sophie Ecclestone (born 6 May 1999) is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire, North West Thunder, Manchester Originals, Sydney Sixers and England. In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the Emerging Player ...

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

on 3 June 2022. *Most runs: 409 runs in 10 matches,

. *Most wickets: 13 wickets in 10 matches,

and 13 wickets in 12 matches, Hannah Jones.

References

{{English Domestic Women's Cricket Regional Hubs 2020 establishments in England Lancashire County Cricket Club Cricket in Lancashire Cricket in Merseyside Cricket clubs established in 2020 English Domestic Women's Cricket Regional Hub teams

History

Home grounds

Players

Current squad

Academy

Overseas players

Coaching staff

Seasons

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Charlotte Edwards Cup

Statistics

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Charlotte Edwards Cup

Records

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Charlotte Edwards Cup

See also

References