Sophie Luff

Luff has been one of the most consistent players on the county circuit for some time and is finally seeing her performances handed the recognition they deserve

Date of birth: December 6, 1993

Role: Right-hand bat, right-arm medium

Western Storm captain Sophie Luff has been one of the most consistent players on the county circuit for some time and is finally seeing her performances handed the recognition they deserve.

Storm teammate and England skipper Heather Knight namechecked her in 2020 when discussing players who might challenge for an international call-up on the back of signing a domestic professional contract, and she backed up that praise in 2021 by finishing the summer as the country's leading run-scorer in the Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

Born in Lympsham near Weston-super-Mare, she was brought up in a cricketing family, with her father and brother both keen players.

Luff stood out early, however, captaining the boys’ team at her middle school.

That promise translated into a county debut aged 15, as well as appearances for England at age-group and academy level, skippering both sides on occasion.

She studied sport and physical education at Cardiff Metropolitan University, playing under the tutelage of head coach Mark O'Leary, a captain-coach relationship that has resumed at Western Storm.

During the Kia Super League years, Luff was a loyal servant to Storm, winning the competition in 2017 and 2019.

Away from playing the game, she has been Somerset's women and girls' head coach, as well as working as a Somerset Cricket Board community coach – for which she has previously been named as Schools Coach of the Year by Chance to Shine.