Sophie and Trevor can't wait to get started

We get our season under way tomorrow (Saturday April 20th) when we take on Sunrisers at Sophia Gardens in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

Ahead of our opening fixture, we caught up with Captain, Sophie Luff and Head Coach, Trevor Griffin to discuss the season ahead.

How has pre-season been?

Sophie Luff: “It’s been an enjoyable winter, and I spent a bit of time out of the country in Australia, but I’m excited to be back with the girls. I met up with everyone in the UAE and that training camp was fantastic. I feel like we’ve really kicked on and there’s a lot of excitement about what’s to come this year.

“The fact that we had the opportunity to go away to the UAE and spend some valuable time together as a squad was invaluable. That side of things has certainly progressed over the last couple of years. Ultimately, cricket is our job now and you want the best preparation that you can get to help you perform on the pitch. We want as many girls as possible to put their hands up and put in match winning performances for Storm, and to do that we need to have the infrastructure in place to support that for 12 months of the year.”

Trevor Griffin: “I’m really pleased by how things have gone. The effort that the players have put in has been outstanding. We saw some really big gains in the physical block and that’s not just down to the players, credit has to go to the Science & Medicine Team. It was great to see players in the UAE putting into practice what they had been working so hard on. The shift we saw between our first middle practice and the rest of the camp was great to see and now we’re looking to seeing that transfer out onto the park on Saturday.”

How would you sum up last season?

Trevor Griffin: “In terms of points on the board, last season wasn’t the year that we wanted. However, we saw Lauren Filer and Dani Gibson join up with England. We had two players representing England Under 19s at the World Cup and three involved with the Under 19s training camp last year with two of them going on to travel to Sri Lanka. So, in terms of a successful year, I would say that 2023 actually was.”

What does this summer have in store for Western Storm Members and supporters?

Trevor Griffin: “If we can replicate what I’ve seen this winter out on the park, then it’s certainly going to be an entertaining summer in 2024.”

Sophie Luff: “You’re always excited for what’s about to come at this time of the year. There’s a lot of anticipation and an eagerness to get out there. The core group of the squad are a year older and some of the younger players have experienced cricket overseas this winter. Those kind of experiences are invaluable and I’m excited to see what happens this summer.

How do you cope with losing players to international duty during the season?

Trevor Griffin: “We want to be producing players who go on to represent their country, and when that happens it creates an opportunity for other players to put their hands up. When players see their teammates go on to play for England, it excites them because they can see that there is the opportunity for them to potentially do that too. It makes them want to step up and show what they can do and push for higher honours.”

How has Amanda Jade Wellington settled in?

Sophie Luff: “She’s certainly settled in well so far. She’s a world class performer and she just loves the game. She’s a great addition to the squad and I’m really excited to see her tear it up for us out there. Whenever you bring in someone of her experience and calibre into the group it’s an incredible learning opportunity for everyone. As a captain, it’s great to have someone like her come into the fold.”

What are your final thoughts ahead of the season?

Trevor Griffin: “We go out there to win every single game. We want to be at finals days, and we want to be lifting trophies. That’s why we do this. We want to entertain people and win silverware. We want to be brave out there and take the game on, so lets see where we are come the end of the season.”