Formed in 2016 as part of the Women’s Cricket Super League, Loughborough Lightning – based in Loughborough University was one of six regional teams to be formed. The franchise was umbrellaed under the ‘Lightning’ brand created by the university, meaning that much of it’s backing and support came through that.
Fast forward to the ECB’s women’s domestic restructuring in 2020, the franchise continued it’s connections with the university but dropped ‘Loughborough’ from its name in order to represent the whole of the East Midlands.
Since then, the regional hub has been rebranded, adopting the name ‘The Blaze’ moving from Loughborough University to Trent Bridge – the home of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. It was not entirely clear at the time why this was happening. Loughborough had good facilities and it enabled university students to play semi-professional or professional cricket, conveniently on their doorstep. However, less than a month into the season, it’s become clear why this decision was needed.
The first – and probably most important – improvement, are the results. In three years of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (50 overs), Lightning had a 35% win rate, only registering seven wins. Over in the Charlotte Edwards Cup (20 overs), the team only enjoyed one win, a win rate of 8.33%.
Things could not be more different now. The Blaze are yet to lose a game and have enjoyed huge wins – including beating the reigning champions, Northern Diamonds, with 187 balls to spare. Multiple factors contribute to their newfound success, from recruitment of players to improved facilities but the rebrand seems to have given the team a new start and they are as ambitious as ever.
The winter was not only a time for players to improve their skills but also a time to recruit players from other regions. Two of those key signings were England stars, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sarah Glenn. All-rounder, Sciver-Brunt, moved from the Northern Diamonds, bringing her 10 years of international experience with her. Although it was always known that Sciver-Brunt was not going to play many games for the side – due to international commitments and managing work load – she trains with the team and is a key senior player in the squad.
Glenn, on the other hand, has been a real asset to the team. Moving from Central Sparks, the 23-year-old leg spinner returned to her native East Midlands and has already taken 5 wickets and scored over 80 runs. Amounting over 50 England caps, Glenn has a wealth of cricketing experience whilst still being very young. Her role as a leg spinner has also enabled her to be a role model to younger players in the Blaze’s squad such as 18-year-old Josie Groves.
This 2023 season, most teams have signed overseas players from countries such as Ireland, Australia and South Africa. One of those players is South African all-rounder, Nadine de Klerk who has joined the East Midlands side for the whole season. The 23-year-old international has already taken 9 wickets – including a winning spell of 7/33 against the Northern Diamonds – and has contributed over 80 runs.
Lighting was traditionally quite a young side given its link with the university and had fewer international players than other regions. It’s clear that these new recruits have helped to create The Blaze’s fiery start.
The second major change – the most practical one – is the move from Loughborough University to Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Previously, Lightning shared their facilities with England Cricket and Loughborough Cricket, being based at the university. To those not at the university, it was less accessible than most 1st class grounds.
With the regional teams representing multiple counties, it’s apparent that there’s some difficult politics in making sure the team represents all those counties across the region. Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club provides the home base for the team but the side play at 1st class and club grounds across the entire region.
The newly professionally contracted Blaze leg spinner, Josie Groves spoke about the improvements since moving to a 1st class county ground. “I think it’s quite nice, we have our own space” she said.
“At Loughborough you rock up to training, you’d do your training and you’d leave whereas now we can sit in our team rooms and some girls leave their kit there” she explained. “It just feels more like a base, like it is your home”.
Another advantage of this new home is the strong connections with Nottinghamshire men’s team which includes England legend, Stuart Broad. “It’s also really cool being with Notts [Nottinghamshire CCC]” Groves explained. “I’d have a gym session, walk in and all the men are there with the music blasting, doing their gym work – it’s really cool seeing them around”.
If there’s anything to be learned from the last few years of women’s sport success, it is that marketing is key. Whether it’s been the success of the women’s Hundred in cricket or Arsenal women selling out the Emirates Stadium in football, marketing is at the core of it thriving.
The Blaze has been marketed under the brand of ‘Trent Bridge’ which encompasses both Nottingham CCC and The Blaze. This unified stream of marketing means that The Blaze’s fixtures, players and news are all promoted on the Trent Bridge website alongside the men’s county players. The quality of the media products being produced has increased with match reports, previews, player interviews and match updates all being common place.
The first day of the season – and the first ever game for The Blaze – was marketed as the historic day it was to be, creating excitement in the cricket world. The commitment to women’s cricket was shown through the use of Trent Bridge as the venue to host it and to build a bigger crowd, a meeting about the women and girls’ pathway in the East Midlands was held in the innings break for parents and young cricketers. The next generation of Blaze players were there to witness the team’s first ever match – the players sticking around after their victory to sign cricket bats and take photos.
Finishing the first block of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy unbeaten, with 19 points on the board, is certainly a statement to start a campaign. The move to Trent Bridge has paid off and cricket in the East Midlands is thriving. This level of back from a major county, both financially and facilities wise has enabled the regional hub to strengthen and The Blaze has an exciting future ahead.
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Written by Polly Starkie
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