Somerset
Our first Professional Women's Squad start their season
By Grockle
April 25 2025
And so a new act starts for Somerset as in their 150th year we have the first fully professional women's team under the 'Somerset' name representing the county at their HQ and abroad as a Tier 1 unit with Sophie Luff as the first captain and a squad full of promise and potential. How will it go? Well it hasn't started badly with a last ball away win against Surrey and they walk out onto the County Ground Turf for the first time against Lancashire on Sunday.
The era of Professional Women's County Cricket comes to Taunton
I, like many male producers of cricket content, am a novice as far as women's cricket is concerned. I have watched and enjoyed more than one international women's game at Taunton and have seen a huge improvement from early versions of the game played by women I saw. The parabolic throwing is now 'exocet' like, batting has never been an issue but the large 'biffers' have been replaced in many sides by players with finesse and style that would grace any cricket side of any gender and the insult of the boundary rope being brought in has gone (and if it hasn't it should pretty soon). Bowling has developed from lots of spinners in any Asian side and 'medium pace' that needed a different definition. There are still few lightning paced women fast bowlers but the guile of spinners and seamers has truly advanced. Anya was a bowler in every definition of the term. Top women keepers have been top keepers in every sense for quite a while and I have seen world class wearers of the gloves of both sexes. Exciting times and about time we see professional units treated as professional units.
No doubt there will be obstacles in the next year or even the next few years but the move has to be made at some time as there are players looking to develop careers in the game who deserve the opportunities that a kind of semi 'lip service' to the women's format didn't provide consistently. The infrastructures and programmes will have to be honed and the sides will have to find their levels. Internationals and those who have experienced the more professional versions of women's cricket domestically and abroad have to guide the more semi professional and amateur players with potential into a professional structure that should be created to enhance and develop their skills while providing competitive and entertaining matches for local audiances. Can it fund itself and create a viable market for the version? Your opinion is as vallid as mine but we have to offer the opportunity if we want women's cricket to become more than it presently is within the UK Domerstic structure.
I have a vague view of Western Storm (only saw very small excerpts of the games they played) and I'm going to leave it there, I know they were successful at some points and not so successful at others but I'm happy to look at this version of Somerset from scratch because they deserve that and are not in the same system as the earlier versions of the T20 or county side.
Somerset in this format will play in 3 competitions. They will start with the MetroBank One Day Cup and have in started in winning vein in that competition after taking Surrey to the last ball at Beckenham and winning that game by 7 wickets on DLS with Amanda-Jade Wellington finishing off a great performance with 6 consecutive fours in the last two overs of a run chase they had little chance of completing when she came to the crease. Their second game in that competition is against Lancashire on Sunday at the County Ground where their over-subscribed women's cricket membership can start their season at 10:30 am (thank you Bagpuss). The fixtures in that format will carry on through April into May. They then take a break as the Vitality Blast takes over on the 30th of May to work through June and July including a number of "double headers" with the men's side at home. The third event is the Vitality Women's T20 County Cup which starts with a game against Durham at Exmouth on the 16th of May and goes from there (or not) depending on the result of that evening game. There will be a gap in August of course while other ECB based events carry on but the Metrobank returns after one single game at the end of July to finish the season in September. More cricket of a higher level than many of the squad have experienced in the past and more professional demands on their time that they will have to get used to.
The game and the highlights of that first historic fixture and win are on Youtube. Links below;
Highlights (not all the highlights though)
The 2025 Somerset Squad is an interesting amalgamation of Local County talent, Storm talent and International/Overseas players. Under the captaincy of Sophie Luff, well known as a Somerset regional/franchise player of quality over a number of years. It has names in it, Including the former England captain Heather Knight and other international players like 64 cap Fran Wilson, Welsh International bowler Dani Gibson and Croatian international batter Erin Vuklusic! There are a number of other 'franchise' and experienced players in the line-up like previous Lancashire bowler Laura Jackson and 2024 Franchise winner Charlie Dean. Others have represented at U19 level like keeper Katie Jones or are students, many from universities in the West of England.
All the players have their profiles on the County Website via our left hand margin 'Squad' option or this link here;
The first side picked for the county included;
Heather Knight, Emma Corney, Fran Wilson, Charlie Dean, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Sophie Luff (c). Katie Jones (wk), Alex Griffiths, Chloe Skelton, Ellie Anderson, Laura Jackson
Within that game, a solid 122 opening partnership showed some spine in the batting line-up with a 35 ball 41 from Alice Capsey and a 7 ball 24 from Wellington taking the game home. Bowling wise, Amanda-Jade also starred with 3 for 42 from her 7 with Knight and Anderson taking 1 each and Charlie Dean weighing in with 2 for 40 from her spell.
So.. off we go people. We asked Sophie and coach Trevor Griffin for assessments of strength in the counties during the Press Day. The skipper pointed out that it is a new setup and so there will be surprises in most competitions but they identified Durham as being a very pro-active side in their signings (including Lauren Filer more's the pity). Hampshire and the possible Delhi Capitals deal money should be strong, you can never write off Surrey with Blaze (Nottinghamshire) looking well organised as well.
It's an exciting time for the women's game and local initial support has been higher than expected as mentioned above. The initial subscripton was over subscribed and we have to hope for a good crowd for the first historic home game of the new side.
I'll be there, hoping to be impressed and satisfied with a Somerset win. I will cover games I can during the season and keep an eye on things as the summer progresses. I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing all the players every success and hoping that they have a productive and excellent first season with the county. The first of many we all hope.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025:04:28:11:50:02 by Grockle.
Sophie Luff leads the players for the first time though the rain is having a say presently as Surrey batting first reached 21for 1 in 3 and a half overs before play stopped.
There is a feed with commentary link beloW though nothing happening presently.
[www.youtube.com]
Bryony Smith was cleared up by Ellie Anderson in the first over for 3.
Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2025:04:28:11:24:17 by Grockle.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Absolutely superb end by Wellington with 7 fours out of 8 balls faced at the end just when we needed them.
And against Surrey as well!!
And thanks, Grockle, for creating a thread dedicated to the Somerset Women's team.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:04:23:21:34:23 by Loyal of Lhasa.
Enjoy the caviar on Sunday and the showing of Conclave on the big screen after the match (with Trescothick the favourite for the vacant job in Rome).
Desite her name AJW is not a New Zealander but an Australia, but a town a few miles west of Taunton may claim her as their own.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:05:05:08:13:23 by Loyal of Lhasa.
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
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