Ella Claridge is determined to make the most of her extended opportunity in the playing XI as The Blaze face Sunrisers on 27 April (10.30am start).
The wicketkeeper-batter is part of a 14-strong squad for the trip to Chelmsford.
21-year-old Claridge has been on the playing staff since 2021, but has often seen her playing time limited as she battled for the gloves with Scotland international Sarah Bryce.
However, with Bryce on international duty as part of her country’s World T20 qualification bid, Claridge has occupied her spot behind the stumps and at number four.
“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Claridge.
“Personally, I haven’t really had that run of games before, so I’ll be doing the best I can across these games.
“Hopefully I’m able to put my case forward and secure my spot for a large part of the summer.”
Despite defeat in their opening two games into the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, a number of individual performances have given a glimpse of what The Blaze squad are capable of, as best showcased in the side reaching both domestic finals in 2023.
Heading into the fixture against Sunrisers, Claridge has placed an emphasis on batters coming together to create match-winning partnerships.
“We’re looking to have a complete team performance,” said Claridge.
“For that, we’re looking for a couple of batters to make some partnerships and get a few scores to put runs on the board.
“You look at how Kirstie (Gordon) and Grace (Ballinger) went about things on Wednesday (as they compiled a tenth-wicket stand of 77) and it was great to see them fight for every run.
“We’ll be taking some inspiration from that partnership and trying to replicate it higher up the order.”
Captain Gordon’s pre-season message was one of calm and maintaining a wider perspective, something she reiterated in her post-match thoughts after defeat on Wednesday.
Claridge is also keen to view the season as a whole when measuring success and points to the bonds within the group as reason to be positive looking forward.
“We all believe in each other, have each other’s backs and know there’s a first victory around the corner,” said Claridge.
“It’s a long season and we’re all focused on turning early results around and getting some points on the board.
“If you find yourself in a tough patch it’s easy to lose your team but we’re all coming together and looking to each other.
“We’re definitely all sticking together and can’t wait to get back out there.”
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The Blaze at Trent Bridge
The Blaze will appear at Trent Bridge on no fewer than four occasions this May - including a 50-over fixture as part of the Notts Street Food Festival, and a T20 double-header alongside Notts Outlaws.