SQUAD AND PREVIEW | THUNDER v SUNRISERS (24 APRIL)

Andy Tennant has named an unchanged squad of thirteen for tomorrow’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixture with Thunder.

Last week, the venue was switched from Sale CC and the game will now be played at Emirates Old Trafford.

Sunrisers head into the game off the back of a brilliant eight wicket victory against Western Storm, with a strong team performance under clear blue skies in the Welsh capital.

After Grace Scrivens won the toss and chosen to bowl, it didn’t take long for overseas signing Nic Hancock to claim her first Sunrisers wicket, trapping Griffiths LBW at the end of her second over.

That was the first of four successful LBW appeals, as wickets fell in quick succession. Spinners Jodi Grewcock (3/28 from 10 overs) and Mady Villiers (2/36 from 8) consistently hit the right areas, frustrating the home batters into loose shots.

By the time Esmae MacGregor claimed a caught and bowled chance just before drinks, Sunrisers had their hosts 88/7. Hancock came back to claim the final two, and finish with figures of 3/15 on her debut.

Scrivens then steered the reply brilliantly, with a confident display of low-risk batting to bring up the first half-century of the season on her way to an unbeaten 63*. She was supported well by Cordelia Griffith (28), sharing a 59 run partnership, before Grewcock (15*) finished the game in the 34th over.

The squad will now make the journey north to Manchester, where they face Thunder at Emirates Old Trafford. Thunder will be looking to bounce back having suffered a crushing nine wicket defeat away to Northern Diamonds at the weekend.

Seren Smale (32) top-scored for the north-west region on their way to 165, before their bowlers had very little joy against the Diamonds top order.

Thunder will be looking towards overseas signing Katie Mack to strengthen their top order, whilst USA international Tara Norris and England’s Mahika Gaur lead their bowling lineup.

Both of last year’s fixtures with Thunder were rained off, managing just 15 overs last May before a washout at Northampton in July. In fact, the only completed RHFT fixture between the two sides came in May 2021.

The game starts at 10.30am, at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. Tickets are available to buy on the day, at £5 for adults and £1 for children. If you can’t make it to the game, make sure you tune in to watch the free live stream during the day, on the Lancashire YouTube channel, alongside updates on our social media channels. We wish a safe travel to those of you joining us in Manchester.

Sunrisers have named the following squad:

Grace Scrivens (captain)

Amara Carr

Kate Coppack

Ariana Dowse

Jo Gardner

Jodi Grewcock

Cordelia Griffith

Nicola Hancock

Esmae MacGregor

Flo Miller

Charley Phillips

Amu Surenkumar

Mady Villiers

Up next

We host The Blaze at Essex’s Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford on Saturday 27 April, 10.30 start, in our first home game of the season. Entry is free to Essex, Middlesex, and Northamptonshire members. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £5 for Under 18s, and can be booked online or over the phone from the Essex Ticket Office on 01245 254010.

We will then travel to Kidderminster to face Central Sparks on Wednesday 1 May, before hosting South East Stars at the County Ground, Northampton, on Saturday 4 May. Tickets can be bought on the day, priced at £10 for adults and £5 for children. Entry is free for Essex, Middlesex, and Northamptonshire members.