Western Storm reveal full squad as tickets go on sale
21 April 2016
Western Storm has today announced the remaining nine players who will make up their squad of 15 for the inaugural Kia Super League.
Last week it was revealed that Stafanie Taylor, Rachael Priest and Lizelle Lee would be lining up alongside England Internationals Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole and Fran Wilson for Western Storm in 2016 and today’s announcement will see them joined by two England Women’s Academy players in Sophie Luff and Freya Davies. The remainder of the squad is made up of seven players who have been selected through a county talent identification process and these players are: Amara Carr, Jodie Dibble, Rosalie Fairbairn (née Birch), Georgia Hennessy, Sophie Mackenzie, Cait O’Keefe and Izzy Westbury.
Western Storm General Manager Lisa Pagett said: “We are extremely happy to welcome all 15 of the players confirmed today to the Western Storm family. The England players and overseas internationals bring an amazing amount of quality to the squad, and it is brilliant that some of the very best young talent from the West County will get the opportunity to play alongside them, along with a former Ashes winner in Rosalie Fairbairn (née Birch).
“The experience that Rosalie will bring to the team will be priceless and Somerset’s Sophie Luff is one of the most exciting batting talents emerging in the English women’s game at the moment.
“Left-arm spinner Jodie Dibble is one of five local players in the squad that play their county cricket for Devon – along with Rosalie, Amara Carr, Cait O’Keefe, and Sophie Mackenzie. Jodie will be another great asset in the T20 arena, having played for England in the 2014 WT20 in Bangladesh, whilst wicketkeeper Amara Carr has been a part of the England Women’s Academy.
“We are also looking forward to welcoming Freya Davies from Sussex, Georgia Hennessy from Warwickshire and Izzy Westbury from Middlesex – all three are quality players who will undoubtedly add a lot of value to the squad.”
Western Storm are also delighted to announce that tickets for their three home fixtures are now on sale. Tickets for the following matches at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton can be purchased by clicking here: Western Storm v Lancashire Thunder – Sunday July 31st Western Storm v Southern Vipers – Friday August 12th Tickets for the following match at the Brightside Ground, Bristol can be purchased by clicking here: Western Storm v Surrey Stars – Sunday August 7th Tickets cost just £5 for adults, £1 for Under 19’s and £10 for a Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children).
Following today’s announcements ECB Director of England Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “The momentum behind the new Kia Super League continues to gather pace, and today marks another important milestone as we get set for the competition’s launch later this summer.
“The six squads are well balanced and full of quality, talent, youth and experience. It is excellent that we have been able to attract the likes of Arran Brindle, Beth Morgan and Laura Newton to play in the competition, alongside giving opportunities to exciting fresh faces from our Academy such as Sophie Ecclestone and Sophie Luff. Having former World Cup winners and Ashes winners involved will not only strengthen the standard of the competition on the field, it will also bring another level of insight and knowledge, which will assist with meeting our objective for the Kia Super League to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.”
