Sophie Determined To Lead From The Front

It was announced this week that Sophie Luff will captain Western Storm in the 2020 Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy.

The 26-year-old featured in every match of the KIA Super League for Western Storm, scoring 290 runs and playing an important role in the team’s trophy winning campaigns of 2017 and 2019.

A former member of the England Academy, Sophie is captain of Somerset Women and was due to represent Welsh Fire in The Hundred this summer.

Following the announcement, she was quick to express what an honour it is to captain Western Storm.

“It means an awful lot,” she said. “It’s a massive honour to be asked to fulfil the role and it’s something that I’m really looking forward to. To be asked to captain a side in the first ever Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy is something very special. It’s hugely exciting to be involved with the women’s game at the moment.

“I’ve got a bit of experience of captaincy at county level with Somerset and at England Under 19 level and I’ll approach this in the same way.

“It’s important to create that Western Storm culture and environment that we’ve had over the last few years. It’s a different looking squad this year but it’s important that we maintain the positive atmosphere that we’ve had previously.

“I pride myself on leading from the front so hopefully I can put in some performances and lead by example.”

Sophie has been impressed with what she has seen so far from the squad.

“The mood in the camp is great at the moment,” she said. “I think the fact that we’re all from this close-knit region plays a part in that. That’s been a strength of Storm in the past. We all play for each other and I don’t see that being any different this year. I can see that there’s a really good energy around the group.”

Sophie also praised the work that the First Class and Nation Counties have been putting in to supporting the women’s game.

“The pathways within the counties across the region are excellent and the quality of the players coming through shows that there is real strength in depth. That highlights how much the women’s game is growing and how much the counties and the ECB are investing in the women’s game. Hopefully, the new regional structure will strengthen that even further.”