Western Storm set for pre-season tour

Western Storm will be heading to southern Spain for a pre-season tour on Monday.

The five-day training camp will see the players make use of the excellent facilities at Desert Springs as well as taking on South East Stars in four T20 matches.

Captain, Sophie Luff is excited about the prospect of this time away. “The girls are really looking forward to getting away to a warmer climate and being able to play some cricket on grass,” she said. “It will be good to get some time out in the middle and some overs under the belts. This will be our first proper pre-season tour. Hopefully, this can kick start what will be a really exciting summer.

“It will also be really good for us to spend some time together off the pitch. Our region covers a large area, so it can sometimes be difficult for us to all get together for long periods of time. This trip will allow important conversations to happen organically and I’m sure it will be extremely beneficial for everyone.”

Western Storm will play two T20s against the Stars on Wednesday with a further two matches scheduled for the following Friday.

This match play element of the tour will be key for Sophie. “To be able to play some competitive cricket against South East Stars will be a real bonus,” she said. “It will be good to see if we can put into practice some of the things that we’ve talked about and worked on throughout the winter.”

Interim Head Coach, Dan Helesfay is also of the opinion that this pre-season trip will be of tremendous benefit both on and off the field.

“This is an important opportunity for us to be able to get out there on the grass for a sustained period of time and play some competitive cricket,” he said. “It will allow us to look at our strategies and how we are going to approach the season.

“At this time of year, it’s difficult to be able to get out on the grass and this also gives us a great opportunity to get everyone together. We represent a large area, so to be able to spend some quality time getting to know each other a bit better can only be a positive.”

Travelling squad

Emily Edgcombe
Lauren Filer
Bethan Gammon
Katie George
Danielle Gibson
Alex Griffiths
Nicole Harvey
Georgia Hennessy
Sophie Luff
Fi Morris
Rebecca Odgers
Mollie Robbins
Sophia Smale
Fran Wilson
Nat Wraith

Non-travelling reserves

Niamh Holland
Chloe Skelton
Emily Geach
Joleigh Roberts