Storm confirm 8 contracts

Western Storm are delighted to be able to confirm eight contract signings for 2023 onwards, including the introduction of three new homegrown professionals.

Despite the start of the new season still being months away, work has been continuing around the clock behind the scenes to ensure that the best young talent is given the opportunity to represent the region.

Storm Captain, Sophie Luff and World Cup winner, Fran Wilson have signed contract extensions which will see them continue their professional careers at Western Storm.

They will once again be joined by Dani Gibson, Nat Wraith and Alex Griffiths, who have also committed their futures to the region.

Western Storm’s outstanding Player Pathway and Academy system continues to showcase the very best talent from across the region and we are pleased to be able to reveal that Lauren Filer (Somerset), Sophia Smale (Wales) and Chloe Skelton (Gloucestershire) have become the latest players to sign their maiden professional contracts, which began earlier this month.

Lauren Filer

Lauren enjoyed an impressive Rachael Heyhoe-Flint campaign with the new ball, taking 11 wickets in the competition. Hailing from Weston-super-Mare, the 21-year-old has been juggling the demands of studying at Cardiff Metropolitan University with playing for Western Storm for the past three years. Her summer performances saw her rewarded with the opportunity to represent England A against New Zealand earlier in the summer, and her pace and bounce make her an exciting fast bowling prospect.

Regarding her new-found status as a professional cricketer, Lauren said: “I’m extremely happy to receive my first full time contract. I’ve played all my cricket in the South West, so I can’t wait to take to the field as a professional for Western Storm.”

Sophia Smale

Newport-based Sophia enjoyed an outstanding debut season, playing a key role in the Western Storm side with her left-arm spin but also making a number of  valuable contributions with the bat, averaging 44 in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. In what was an incredible breakthrough season for the 17-year-old, she finished as the leading wicket-taker for the tournament-winning Oval Invincibles in The Hundred and claimed the wickets of some of the biggest names in women’s cricket. To top off a stellar year, Sophia was recently named in the England Under 19 World Cup Squad that will travel to South Africa in January. She will embark on her professional cricket career alongside studying for her A-Levels at Monmouth School for Girls.

After putting pen to paper on her first pro contract, Sophia said: “I’m delighted to have signed my first professional contract at Western Storm. It’s always been a dream of mine to play professional cricket and I can’t believe I now have this opportunity. We have a great group of girls here at Storm and I hope that we can continue to do Wales and the West Country proud.”

Chloe Skelton

Another product of the Western Storm Academy, Chloe Skelton hails from the Forest of Dean. The 21-year-old’s consistently impressive performances at club and county level saw her join the Western Storm squad during the 2022 season. The off-spinner transitioned seamlessly into the First XI, finishing as the second highest wicket taker in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint competition with 10 wickets at an average of 17.20 from her four games. She also returned her best figures of five for 54 against South East Stars.

Chloe is looking forward to taking this next step in her career. “I’m thrilled to have received my first pro contract,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to embracing the opportunity. It’s such an exciting opportunity to be able to represent the region with a great team.”

Head Coach, Trevor Griffin added: “I’m really excited about this group of players. We have a great blend of youth and experience, and all the players richly deserve their opportunity. We want Western Storm to be pushing for silverware, and a big winter lies ahead with the squad to ensure we are ready to challenge in the summer.”

The player signings follow on from an announcement earlier this month where it was confirmed that, as part of a £3.5m funding increase for professional women’s domestic cricket in England, all eight regions will have 10 ECB-funded professional players by February 1st, 2023.

Western Storm have accelerated the start of the eighth professional contract to maximise training opportunities throughout the winter and have two ECB-Funded contracts to award later in the year.

Western Storm would also like to take this opportunity to thank Fi Morris, Katie George and Georgia Hennessy for their commitment and contribution to Western Storm over the years. Fi will be undertaking a new regional contract with North West Thunder, Katie has signed a new deal with Central Sparks, and Georgia has stepped away from cricket to pursue opportunities outside of the game.