 | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Eleanor Threlkeld | |
| Coach | Chris Read | |
| Team information | ||
| Colours | Red and dark blue | |
| Established | 2020 | |
| Home ground | Old Trafford Cricket Ground Rookwood Cricket Ground Trafalgar Road Ground Stanley Park Sedbergh School | |
| History | ||
| RHFT wins | 0 | |
| CEC wins | 0 | |
| Official website | Thunder Cricket | |
| ||
North West Thunder, commonly referred to asThunder, were a women'scricket team that representedLancashire andNorth West England, one of eight regional hubs in English domestic women's cricket. They played their home matches at various grounds, includingOld Trafford Cricket Ground.[1][2] They were captained byEleanor Threlkeld and coached byChris Read.[3][4] The team carried over many elements of theWCSL teamLancashire Thunder, but were partnered withLancashire,Cheshire andCumbria.[5]
At the end of the 2024 season, following reforms to the structure of women's domestic cricket, the team was effectively replaced by a professionalisedLancashire team.[6]
In 2020, women's cricket in England was restructured, creating eight new 'regional hub' teams, with the intention of playing both50-over and20-over cricket.[7] North West Thunder were one of the sides created under this structure, effectively replacing theWomen's Cricket Super League teamLancashire Thunder and representingLancashire andNorth West England, partnering withLancashire,Cheshire andCumbria.[5] The side was to be captained byAlex Hartley and coached byPaul Shaw.[8] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in theRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[9] North West Thunder finished third in the North Group of the competition, winning two of their six matches.[10] 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,Eleanor Threlkeld andHannah Jones.[11]
The following season, 2021, North West Thunder competed in both theRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, theCharlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup the side finished third in their group, winning two of their six matches, as well as their away match againstSunrisers ending in a tie.[12][13] Thunder batterEmma Lamb 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.[14][15] In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, the team finished seventh in the group of eight, winning three of their seven matches.[16] North West Thunder bowler Hannah Jones was the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 14 wickets.[17]
Ahead of the 2022 season, Hartley stood down as captain of the side.[18] Eleanor Threlkeld was named as her replacement.[3] The side finished third in their group in theCharlotte Edwards Cup that season, winning two of their six matches.[19] The side finished seventh in the group of eight in theRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[20]
In 2023, the side qualified for the knockout stages of a tournament for the first time, doing so in theCharlotte Edwards Cup after winning four of their last five matches.[21] However, they lost in the semi-final toSouthern Vipers.[22] The side finished seventh in theRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, winning three matches.[23] Head Coach Paul Shaw stepped down from his role at the end of the season, and was later replaced byChris Read.[24][4] In 2024, the side finished fifth in theCharlotte Edwards Cup and finished sixth in theRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.[25][26]
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 professionalisedLancashire team.[6]
| Venue | Games hosted by season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Total | |
| Aigburth Cricket Ground, Liverpool | 2 | – | – | – | – | 2 |
| Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club | – | 4 | – | – | – | 4 |
| Old Trafford Cricket Ground | – | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| Rookwood Cricket Ground, Sale | – | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Trafalgar Road Ground | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Stanley Park | – | – | – | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Sedbergh School | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Final squad, 2024 season.[27]
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||
| 23 | Shachi Pai |  England | (1998-10-10)10 October 1998 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 30 | Danielle Collins | England | (2000-07-07)7 July 2000 (age 25) | Left-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 50 | Daisy Mullan | England | (2002-11-29)29 November 2002 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| 6 | Emma Lamb ‡ | England | (1997-12-16)16 December 1997 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-armoff break | |
| 11 | Naomi Dattani | England | (1994-04-28)28 April 1994 (age 31) | Left-handed | Left-armmedium | |
| 31 | Fi Morris | England | (1994-01-31)31 January 1994 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-armoff break | |
| 39 | Liberty Heap | England | (2003-09-16)16 September 2003 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-armoff break | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| 21 | Eleanor Threlkeld | England | (1998-11-16)16 November 1998 (age 27) | Right-handed | — | Captain |
| 32 | Ailsa Lister ‡ |  Scotland | (2004-04-08)8 April 2004 (age 21) | Right-handed | — | |
| 35 | Alice Clarke | England | (2001-08-04)4 August 2001 (age 24) | Left-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 47 | Seren Smale ‡ | England | (2004-12-13)13 December 2004 (age 20) | Right-handed | — | |
| Bowlers | ||||||
| 3 | Sophie Morris | England | (2004-01-02)2 January 2004 (age 21) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 4 | Olivia Bell ‡ | Scotland | (2003-11-12)12 November 2003 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-armoff break | |
| 7 | Hannah Jones | England | (1999-02-10)10 February 1999 (age 26) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 16 | Kate Cross ‡ | England | (1991-10-03)3 October 1991 (age 34) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium-fast | |
| 17 | Phoebe Graham | England | (1991-10-23)23 October 1991 (age 34) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 18 | Mahika Gaur ‡ | England[a] | (2006-03-09)9 March 2006 (age 19) | Right-handed | Left-armmedium | |
| 19 | Sophie Ecclestone ‡ | England | (1999-05-06)6 May 1999 (age 26) | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 22 | Laura Jackson | England | (1997-12-27)27 December 1997 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 24 | Tara Norris ‡ |  United States | (1998-06-04)4 June 1998 (age 27) | Left-handed | Left-armmedium | |
| 26 | Hannah Rainey ‡ | Scotland | (1997-06-02)2 June 1997 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
| 53 | Grace Johnson | England | (2004-12-21)21 December 2004 (age 20) | Right-handed | Right-armmedium | |
The North West Thunder Academy team played against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selected players from across the North West region, and included some players who were also in the first team squad. Players in the 2024 Academy are listed below:[28]
| Name | County |
|---|---|
| Olivia Brinsden | Cumbria |
| Holly Brown | Lancashire |
| Summer Carrington | Lancashire |
| Eliza Cottam | Lancashire |
| Olivia Cunliffe | Lancashire |
| Grace Hemsted | Cheshire |
| Grace Johnson | Lancashire |
| Maeve Jones | Lancashire |
| Tilly Kesteven | Lancashire |
| Emilia Lamb | Lancashire |
| Martha Rimmer | Lancashire |
| Bethan Robinson | Lancashire |
| Amelia Sammons | Lancashire |
| Hannah Snape | Lancashire |
| Venus Weerapuli | Lancashire |
Piepa Cleary –Australia (2021)
Deandra Dottin –West Indies (2022–2023)
Laura Delany –Ireland (2023)Katie Mack –Australia (2024)Georgia Voll –Australia (2024)As of the 2024 season.[8]
| Season | Final standing | League standings[29] | Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
| 2020 | Group stage | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | −0.515 | 3rd | DNQ |
| 2021 | Group stage | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.620 | 7th | DNQ |
| 2022 | Group stage | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −0.366 | 7th | DNQ |
| 2023 | Group stage | 14 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 26 | −0.274 | 7th | DNQ |
| 2024 | Group stage | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 25 | −0.013 | 6th | DNQ |
| Season | Final standing | League standings | Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | |||
| 2021 | Group stages | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | +0.029 | 3rd | DNQ |
| 2022 | Group stages | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | –0.190 | 3rd | DNQ |
| 2023 | Losing semi-finalists: 3rd | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 18 | +0.331 | 3rd | Lost toSouthern Vipers in the semi-final |
| 2024 | Group stages | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | –0.727 | 5th | DNQ |
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| 2021 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14.29 |
| 2023 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 21.43 |
| 2024 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 35.71 |
| Total | 48 | 14 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 29.17 |
| Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Sparks | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 37.50 |
| Northern Diamonds | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 12.50 |
| South East Stars | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Southern Vipers | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Sunrisers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 33.33 |
| The Blaze | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 37.50 |
| Western Storm | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 33.33 |
| 2022 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| 2023 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| 2024 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 30.00 |
| Total | 30 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 36.67 |
| Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Sparks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Northern Diamonds | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| South East Stars | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Southern Vipers | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sunrisers | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| The Blaze | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Western Storm | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| National teams | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |
| ||||||||||||
| Tournaments |
| ||||||||||||
| Grounds | |||||||||||||
| Lists | |||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||
