Rachael Heyhoe Flint 2022: 7th
Charlotte Edwards Cup 2022: 6th
Most Runs RHFT: Ellie Threlkeld (266) Most Runs CEC: Emma Lamb (191)
Most Wickets RHFT: Alex Hartley (10) Most Wickets CEC: Hannah Jones (9)
New Signings: Naomi Dattani (Domestic Contract), Fi Morris (Domestic Contract), Tara Norris (Domestic Contract), Steph Butler
New Domestic Contracts: Daisy Mullan, Liberty Heap, Seren Smale
Departed Players: Georgie Boyce, Nat Brown, Rebecca Duckworth, Alice Dyson
Star Player: Tara Norris
Young Player: Liberty Heap
Things are looking very different for another team this season. Despite looking like a strong team on paper, Thunder have not reaped the rewards. In 2022, Thunder only managed to win a total of three matches – one in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and two in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Thunder have seen some players leave with opener, Georgie Boyce, heading back to the East Midlands to play for The Blaze. Nat Brown, Rebecca Duckworth and Alice Dyson also left the team at the end of the season.
However, Thunder have brought in plenty of experience and talent to the side. Former Sunrisers all-rounder, Naomi Dattani, joined the northern side after being Sunrisers’ top run scorer last season in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Fi Morris, formerly of Western Storm, was another of Thunder’s new signings. Morris did not play for Western Storm at the back end of last season yet, she featured in the Hundred for Welsh Fire.
Old Trafford has welcomed another player this season who’s already making a name for herself around the world. 24-year-old Tara Norris departed the Southern Vipers after three successful seasons. Norris’ season with Vipers was a winning one, lifting the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Norris averaged 19.75 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, taking 12 wickets and finished as the Vipers’ leading wicket taker.
Norris has won plenty of silverware in her time at the Vipers but she can’t quite put her finger on how the team have been so dominant. “If I knew I would tell you!” she laughs. “We're led by a brilliant coach; brilliant captain and I honestly don't know what it is.”
“As a group of individuals, we're all very different on and off the pitch but when we all put on that Viper's top and go on that field it's electric. It’s a really good environment, we train hard, and we want to win.”
Having earned five international caps, taking four wickets for the USA, where she was born, Norris became the only associate nation player to sign in the inaugural Women’s Premier League. Playing for the Delhi Capitals, Norris took the first five-fer of the tournament against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Playing for the USA was not in Norris’ career plans, but an unexpected phone call from USA cricket came as a pleasant surprise. “It happened very last minute” she explained. “I got a phone call during the Hundred last summer asking if there was any chance, I could update my passport and if I fancy going out for a couple tournaments which I absolutely was all up for.”
Not only has Norris excelled in the WPL, but, the left-arm seamer is featuring at FairBreak Global, a private invitational tournament featuring players from associate and full-member nations. Norris featured at last year’s edition. “It's an amazing opportunity for associate cricketers to play with some world-class players” she says. “I think the exposure will be brilliant and hopefully just drip feed that back to our countries.”
Quite the definition of an ‘explosive batter’, 19-year-old Libby Heap is Lancashire through and through. Rising through the ranks at Lancashire, Heap made her Thunder debut back in 2020. Now signing her first professional contract with the red roses, the Lancashire pride is something that is deeply ingrained in Heap. “It's got such a strong identity” she says. “I think all the people that wear the red rose, feel strongly about it and are really proud to wear it.”
“After spending all my career there it means a lot to me to play for the club and when I walk out onto the pitch whether that's for age group or women's first team or even Thunder it's just very important to me and the team just go and put everything out there.”
In the last Thunder match of 2022, Heap’s first match at Old Trafford, she hit an unbeaten 36* from 18 balls. It was a dream come true for the Burnley-native and a game that placed her in good stead for a busy winter at the U19 World Cup. “That's actually the first time I've ever played Old Trafford” she explained.
“That's something I've wanted to do ever since I like got into Lancs [Lancashire] at the young age of eight. I just thought if it comes off it comes off and if it doesn’t, I've gone in with the right intent which I think is probably the main thing.”
This performance was just a taste of the strike rates she would reach in the U19 World Cup in South Africa. Her best performance was a speedy knock of 64 from 35 balls against Rwanda, helping England to a 138-run victory.
Playing at Lancashire and Thunder has enabled Heap to train and play with some of the top female cricketers such as Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone and Emma Lamb. From a young age, she’s been surrounded by professionals and experts, and she acknowledges the influence this has had on her. “It's good to get insight from them, especially for them of set the standard” she says. “Coming into that setup my skills are not at the level that I want to be at, and I want to carry on pushing that and play as well as I can in.”
“When they come down and play for us, they bring all the values and commitment levels. It's good to see how they approach the games and the training. They've got a good balance between the socialising and cricket life - it's motivating if anything.”
What will Thunder want?
Cohesion. Although a closeknit team, Thunder needs cohesive performances and sturdy partnerships. Similarly, to The Blaze, they need to reduce the number of games they get bowled out in.
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