The Blaze - home of women's cricket in the East Midlands - welcome two new additions to the Academy, as preparations begin for 2024.
Maria Andrews and Lara Shaw - both Derbyshire products - are the fresh faces who join the existing cohort, each carrying impressive statistics from their individual 2023 campaigns.
“The depth of talent across the region is continuing to grow and that's really exciting for us as a region,” Cain Hamilton-Boyle, The Blaze's Senior Regional Talent Manager, said.
“It highlights the work being done in County Age Groups and The Blaze EPP, from which we’ve now had four players make the step into the Academy since November 2022.
“We've also made the move to a slightly younger Academy, which has also been key in being able to give players time to develop and apply themselves at this level.
“We're keen to build on a strong first year and provide an environment in which players can thrive and perform. The girls now have a better understanding of the levels they need to get to in order to push towards our strong professional squad, who have set the tone for how we want to play our cricket.”
The Blaze Academy
Hayva Abbott - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Batting Hand: Right
Bowling Style: Right arm medium
Abbott was unfortunate to miss a considerable portion of the 2023 campaign due to injury, but still returned a ruthless three-wicket innings with the ball in exchange for just nine runs in her best spell of the summer. The seamer is looking to build upom her seven appearances made in orange and black in her third year.
Maria Andrews - Derbyshire
Role: All-rounder
Bats: Left
Bowls: Left arm orthodox
Maria Andrews marks her second year as a Blaze Academy player having graduated from the Emerging Player Programme in 2023. A tough and gritty player, Andrews' most impressive returns include a five-fer against Central Sparks and an EPP century against Thunder, highlighting herself as one to watch this coming year.
Libby Armitage - Lincolnshire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Leg-spin
Armitage has made a significant impact in her second year as a Blaze Academy youngster, proving difficult to score off on her day. Praised for delivering in many crucial moments, the spinner has been particularly influential in the T20 and 100-ball formats, in which she has delivered the side's third-lowest economy rate.
Olivia Baker - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Right arm medium-fast
The Academy's third highest wicket-taker in her first season, Baker's finest hour of 2023 came in the T20 format when she took a brutal return of 3/10 against Northern Diamonds Academy in a prolific spell. Though a bowler primarily by trade, Baker can also hold her own end with the bat amongst the rearguard, with a T20 top score of 37 to her name.
Flora Davies - Leicestershire
Role: Batter
Bats: Right hand
The Blaze's 2023 top-scorer and Academy Player of the Season, Flora Davies carries an explosive overall strike rate of 74.62 having faced more balls than any other Academy player this year. Davies particularly impressed in the 50-over competition, striking three half-centuries with an average of 43.60.
Evee-Mae Hicklin - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Leg-spin
Hicklin impressed in the second half of the 2023 season carrying one of the lowest economy rates in the Academy group. The tweaker particularly shone at a northern U19 intra-regional T20 tournament, where she claimed six wickets for an average of just 7.
Bella Howarth - Essex
Role: Batter
Bats: Right hand
Second top-scorer in 2023, Bella Howarth had a dominant year with the bat and returned a highly impressive strike rate of 80.29 across her 12 innings in orange and black. Howarth has developed a reputation for her punishing approach to spin, and her 50-over season high score of 56 is a testament to her steely resilience at the crease.
Rhiannon Knowling-Davies - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Right arm medium
Also a leader as one of the more experienced of the group, 2023's top-wicket taker in Rhiannon Knowling-Davies has become firmly known as a skilful seam bowler with an ability to vary her delivery with accurate execution. With 20 scalps in total, Knowling-Davies starred with the ball and displayed her red-hot form early last season with a hat-trick against Southern Vipers. The bowler consistently contributes in the field, too, with a sensational full-sprint diving catch on the boundary amongst the highlights of her season.
Brianna Ray - Leicestershire
Role: All-rounder
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Right arm medium-fast
Despite injury upending her 2023 season, Brianna Ray - formerly of Thunder - remains a natural leader amongst the Academy group and has embraced the opportunity to captain the side on various occasions this year. Combined with a strike rate of 101.61, her 50-over batting average of 31.50 makes Ray one of the most reliable batters of the one-day side.
D’Nica Roff - Leicestershire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Leg-spin
To coaching staff, D'Nica Roff's key quality is her ability to take wickets on a consistent basis, with a restrictive average of just 20.07 across all formats. Roff's 2023 highlights include a four-wicket haul in the 50-over game, in which she also posted the group's second highest individual batting score of 62 against Northern Diamonds, a tally only bettered by Flora Davies.
Lara Shaw - Derbyshire
Role: Batter
Bats: Right hand
Shaw impressed with the bat in her first appearences at Academy level, most notably completing an epic run-chase with an unbeaten 48 from just 32 deliveries in the Academy Festival semi-final versus Sunrisers. With a strong work ethic, Shaw has naturally emerged as a vibrant source of energy amongst the group.
Prisha Thanawala - Leicestershire
Role: All-rounder
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Off-spin
Known to generate a lethal dose of turn, Thanawala enters her third year in the Academy having dominated the scene in 2023. Leading the way for T20 and 100-ball averages with the ball for The Blaze Academy, Thanawala has also begun to show more confidence with the bat with a top score of 32 not out in the short formats.
Amy Wheeler - Staffordshire
Role: Bowler
Bats: Right hand
Bowls: Right arm fast
Ever-present and a threat with the bat, Amy Wheeler always knows where the stumps and the ropes are. Only Rhiannon Knowling-Davies can boast more than Wheeler's 17 wickets in 2023, and the right-hander has found the boundary on more occasions than any other Blaze Academy player in the T20 and 100-ball formats. Wheeler will hope for more match-winning moments in 2024.
Annie Williams - Nottinghamshire
Role: Wicketkeeper-batter
Bats: Right hand
A multi-format run-scoring machine, Annie Williams has excited coaches and team mates alike with her free-scoring performances in 2023. With 26 boundaries to her name - only bettered by Academy Player of the Season Flora Davies - as well as 217 runs tallied, Williams has already made a lasting impression.