The Cricketer runs the rule over the Thunder squad ahead of the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaigns in 2022
Captain: Ellie Threlkeld
Head coach: Paul Shaw
Home grounds: Sale CC, Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club, Emirates Old Trafford
Team background: North West Thunder draw their players from Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria. Unsurprisingly, their entire squad currently represents Lancashire or the affiliated Northern Rep side. However, several players, including Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Jackson (both Cheshire), Alice Dyson (Derbyshire), Liberty Heap, and Alice Clarke (both Cumbria), have represented other counties.
Phoebe Graham is a new arrival for 2022, joining Thunder from Northern Diamonds.
What happened last season?
On paper, seventh place out of eight doesn't seem like a good return. However, Thunder actually won three out of their seven Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches, defeating Sunrisers, Central Sparks and South East Stars, and finished the season level on points with fourth-placed Lightning – although they were nine points outside of the playoff places.
In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, Paul Shaw's side made a bright start, defending 118 to defeat Northern Diamonds by 12 runs, and were mathematically in contention for the playoffs until the final round of group fixtures. Thunder eventually finished third in Group B, winning two and tying one of their six matches, but found runs a struggle, passing 120 on just two occasions.
Emma Lamb was the standout player with the bat, scoring 218 T20 runs – including a century against Sunrisers – and 237 runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Georgie Boyce also impressed with the bat in List A cricket, scoring 232 runs, but Ellie Threlkeld was the only player other than Lamb to reach three figures in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Lamb also led the wicket-taking charts in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, taking nine wickets in four outings, while Hannah Jones stole the show in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, taking 14 wickets – a haul only Kirstie Gordon could better in the whole competition.
Ellie Threlkeld captains Thunder in 2022 [Jan Kruger/Getty Images]
Who are the England stars?
Thunder have two centrally contracted England players at their disposal in Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross.
Despite her young age, Ecclestone has over 100 international caps to her name and is one of the leading spinners in world cricket, bamboozling batters with her miserly left-arm spin. At the 2022 World Cup, she was the competition's leading wicket-taker, picking up 21 dismissals. Due to her international commitments, Ecclestone made only three appearances for Thunder last season, taking eight wickets and conceding just 3.88 runs per over in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Medium-pacer Cross, meanwhile, has over 60 international caps to her name and also featured for England at the 2022 World Cup. An experienced campaigner in a youthful squad, when available she is their go-to opening bowler – taking 12 wickets in all formats last season – as well as a handy middle-order batter when required. Her top-score last season was 57 off 86 against Southern Vipers.
And then there's Emma Lamb, who made her England debut against New Zealand last September and played against Pakistan in the 2022 World Cup. She also represented England A against Australia A and could be a contender for a regular slot in the white-ball side with England's top-order requiring a refresh.
Who are the old heads?
She's no longer the captain, stepping down ahead of the season, but Alex Hartley remains the senior figure in the bowling attack. A 32-cap England international and 2017 Cricket World Cup winner, Hartley was Thunder's leading wicket-taker in 2020, picking up 11 wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, and took a further 12 wickets in both competitions in 2021. In List A cricket, she was particularly economical, conceding just 4.28 runs per over.
Despite being just 23 years old, Ellie Thelkeld is another experienced head in the Thunder ranks. A regular in the side since the Kia Super League and arguably the favourite to take over from Amy Jones in the England side when the time comes, Threlkeld is lightning quick behind the stumps and a reliable pair of hands.
With the bat, she often plays as the anchor behind the more aggressive Lamb and Georgie Boyce – the latter also one to watch after scoring a tournament-leading 306 runs in the Women's County T20 – and favours strong running over big boundaries. She finished the 2021 season with a knock of 70 not out off 92 balls against South East Stars in a demonstration of her batting potential.
New arrival Phoebe Graham adds valuable experience. An opening pace bowler, Graham took 10 wickets for Northern Diamonds last season and featured in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final. And she's hit the ground running in the north-west, taking 13 wickets for Lancashire in the Women's County T20 and conceding 4.24 runs per over. An exciting new ball option.
Emma Lamb, meanwhile, is irreplaceable with bat and ball and a player guaranteed to make things happen – whether it's with a boundary-laden knock or middle-over wickets or, as she demonstrated against Northern Diamonds last year, both.
Alex Hartley is an experienced option with the ball [Jan Kruger/Getty Images]
Who are the young players to watch?
Hannah Jones is the standout youngster for Thunder, with the spinner taking 14 wickets in seven Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy appearances last season – the second-most in the competition – and posting best figures of 5 for 33 against South East Stars. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, wickets (four) were harder to come by, but she was miserly, conceding just 4.64 runs per over.
Pace-bowling allrounder Laura Jackson took five wickets last season and picked up Thunder's breakthrough player of the year gong for her hostile bowling. And the 24-year-old has ambitions of becoming one of Thunder's standout allrounders, telling The Cricketer: "Now I'm in the swing with my stock ball, I need to get my variations firing so I'm more threatening when I bowl. We need someone in the squad to bowl with Crossy and hopefully I can be that person.
"With the bat, I'm not a typical fast bowler-batter, I don't just whack it. I like to hit the gaps, rotate the strike and support the batter at the other end. I've been working on all aspects so I can hit 360 and score in all areas. I aspire to be that allrounder in the team."
Also watch out for Sophia Turner, Seren Smale, and Rebecca Duckworth. Turner impressed in Thunder's T20 opener last season, taking 1 for 4 from her four overs against Northern Diamonds, while Welsh batter Smale was trusted to open the batting in Lamb's absence despite being just 16 at the time. As for Duckworth, she's only made a handful of appearances for Thunder but was the highest run-scorer for Lancashire's Northern Rep side in the Women's County T20.
Squad: Georgie Boyce, Nat Brown, Alice Clarke, Danielle Collins, Kate Cross, Rebecca Duckworth, Alice Dyson, Sophie Ecclestone, Alex Hartley, Liberty Heap, Laura Jackson, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Daisy Mullan, Shachi Pai, Ellie Threlkeld, Sophia Turner, Laura Marshall, Seren Smale, Phoebe Graham
Fixtures
Charlotte Edwards Cup: May 14 – Southern Vipers (A), May 18 – Northern Diamonds (H), May 21 – Loughborough Lightning (A), May 29 – Northern Diamonds (A), June 1 – Southern Vipers (H), June 3 – Loughborough Lightning (H)
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: July 3 – Northern Diamonds (H), July 9 – Loughborough Lightning (A), July 16 – South East Stars (H), July 23 – Central Sparks (H), September 9 – Sunrisers (A), September 11 – Southern Vipers (A), September 17 – Western Storm (H)
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.