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. They are captained by Sophie Luff. The team is partnered with Somerset, Gloucestershire, Glamorgan, Devon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Cricket Wales. Originally formed to compete in the Women's Cricket Super League in 2016, Western Storm won the competition twice, in 2017 and 2019. When women's cricket in England was reformed in 2020, the Western Storm brand was  retained, and they now compete in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the Charlotte Edwards Cup. History. 2016–2019: Women's Cricket Super League. Western Storm were formed in 2016 to compete in the new Women's Cricket Super League, representing the South West. In their inaugural season, they came second in the group stage, meaning they progressed to the semi-final, which they won against Loughborough Lightning. However, they lost in the final by seven wickets to the Southern Vipers. One of Western Storm's overseas players, Stafanie Taylor, was both the leading run-scorer and leading wicket-taker, and  was subsequently named player of the tournament. In 2017, Western Storm finished third in the group stage, again progressing to the semi-final, which they won against the Surrey Stars. In a rematch against the Southern Vipers, this time the Storm emerged victorious, winning by seven wickets and claiming their first WCSL title. Western Storm overseas player Rachel Priest scored 72 in the final, and was the tournament's leading run-scorer. In 2018, Western Storm again reached finals day, finishing third in the group stage, but were defeated by the Surrey Stars in the semi-final. Storm's Smriti  Mandhana was the leading run-scorer and player of the tournament. In the final season of the WCSL, 2019, Western Storm won 9 out of their 10 group stage games, topping the group and progressing straight to the final for the first time. There, they faced Southern Vipers in a repeat of the first ever WCSL final. Chasing 173 to win, Storm captain Heather Knight scored 78* as her side were victorious with an over to spare. Western Storm therefore ended the WCSL as the most successful team, with two title wins. Bowler Freya Davies was the leading wicket-taker  in the tournament. 2020– : Domestic Regional Hub. 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. The Western Storm brand was retained after this restructuring, with some differences to the squad and coaching staff. Sophie Luff was named as captain of the side, whilst Mark O'Leary became the coach. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Western Storm won 4 of their 6 games, finishing second  in the South Group and therefore failing to progress to the final. At the end of the season, six Storm players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Sophie Luff, Danielle Gibson, Fi Morris, Georgia Hennessy, Nat Wraith and Alex Griffiths. The following season, 2021, Western Storm competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy the side finished sixth out of eight teams, winning three of their seven matches, including a one-wicket victory in their opening match  against North West Thunder. Storm captain Sophie Luff was the leading run-scorer across the whole tournament with 417 runs, including 157* made in the final match against Sunrisers. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, Storm narrowly missed out on qualifying for Finals Day on Net Run Rate, finishing second in Group B with four wins from their six matches. Storm bowler Nicole Harvey was the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, with 12 wickets at an average of 9.41. Ahead of the 2022 season, it was announced that O'Leary was stepping down from his role as Head Coach. Players . Current squad. As per 2021 season. Academy. The Western Storm Academy team plays against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selects players from across the South West and Wales regions, and includes some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2022 Academy are listed below: Coaching staff. "As of the 2021 season."