The Blaze – the East Midlands’ new regional women’s side, based at Trent Bridge – have named 15 players in their Academy for the 2023 season. 

Libby Armitage, Olivia Baker, Flora Davies, Evee-Mae Hicklin, D’Nica Roff, and Annie Williams have been inducted into the programme for the first time, while five counties are represented across the squad, including Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.

“We had to make some tough decisions about who to release and who to keep on the Academy ahead of 2023, but we can definitely say we have a really talented squad who can develop and perform over the next 12 months,” Cain Hamilton-Boyle, Senior Regional Talent Manager, said. 

“There are some girls who have been with us for a couple of years or longer, and some for whom this is their first taste of Academy cricket, and I look forward to seeing what they can add to the group.

“There is a clear pathway in place for girls to come through the Academy and go on to represent the senior sides, and that should spur them all on to work hard and push themselves. This has the makings of an exciting year for us.”

Player Profiles

 
Hayva Abbott - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Medium
Bats: Right Hand 

Hayva Abbott is the youngest player on the programme having performed at U15 and U18 level for Lincolnshire in 2022, and she will be entering her second year in the Academy in 2023. 

Her opportunities with Lightning were limited by injury last summer, but her appearances for her county yielded 17 wickets at 17.59, with 253 runs in 15 innings. 

Ahead of the new season, she has made the switch from her native county to Nottinghamshire.

 

Libby Armitage - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Leg Spin
Bats: Right Hand  

Having graduated from the Emerging Player Programme, 2023 will be Libby Armitage’s first full season with the Academy. She did, however, make seven appearances for the side in 2022, collecting 12 wickets with her leg-spin. 

For Nottinghamshire, Armitage took four wickets in an over – including a hat trick – on her way to a five-wicket haul against Lincolnshire. 

 

Olivia Baker - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Medium
Bats: Right Hand  

As with Armitage, 2023 will be Olivia Baker’s first year with the Academy having graduated from the Emerging Player Programme.

Unflappable by nature, her selection onto the programme was helped by stand-out performances at 2022's Talent Identification fixtures, as well as her control throughout the season for Lightning and Nottinghamshire. 

 

Flora Davies - Leicestershire
Role: Batter
Bats: Right Hand 

One of three Foxes in the Academy, Davies is a middle-order batter with no shortage of determination and competetive spirit. 

The right hander will enjoy her first expeirence in the Academy in 2023, and is amougst the more youthful of the group as an U15. 

 

Evee-Mae Hicklin - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler 
Bowls: Leg Spin
Bats: Right Hand 

A third EPP graduate looking forward to her first year with the Academy, Evee-Mae Hicklin is known for her competitive spirit and use of variations.

In 2022, she took 47 wickets for Nottinghamshire and Keyworth Cricket Club at an average of 16.87, with her best analysis coming in taking 5/11 against Lincolnshire. 

 

Bella Howarth - Essex
Role: Batter
Bats: Right Hand 

Set to begin her second year on the programme, Bella Howarth previously represented Sunrisers before making the move to the East Midlands. 

She scored 530 runs, including six fifties, for her native Essex in 2022, with a best of 70 against an Amelia Kemp-captained Hertfordshire. 

 

Amelia Kemp - Hertfordshire
Role: Batting All-Rounder
Bowls: Right Arm Medium
Bats: Right Hand 

A batter capable of accessing the boundary and clearing the ropes, Amelia Kemp showed flashes of her ability across last summer with multiple scores of 40+. 

She scored 596 runs for Hertfordshire across U18 and open-age cricket, averaging 35.05. With the ball, she claimed 13 wickets at an average of 24.

2023 will be Kemp’s third year with the Academy. 

 

Rhiannon Knowling-Davies - Nottinghamshire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Medium
Bats: Right Hand 

Third-year Academy player Rhiannon Knowling-Davies is often most effective through the middle overs with variation and control. 

Whilst currently uncapped, Knowling-Davies has been involved in First XI matchday squads as 12th for Lightning and Trent Rockets in warm up games.

She proved her ability with the bat in 2022 by amassing 352 runs in 21 innings for Nottinghamshire. 

 

Ella Porter - Nottinghamshire
Role: Batting All-Rounder 
Bowls: Right Arm Off Spin
Bats: Right Hand 

Heading into her third year on the Academy Programme, Ella Porter's star has continued to rise for club, county and region over recent seasons. 

She was the leading run scorer in 50-over cricket for the Academy in 2022, including 70 against Central Sparks, and scored 366 runs for Nottinghamshire, including a top score of 95*. 

 
Brianna Ray - Loughborough University
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Fast-Medium
Bats: Right Hand 

The quickest bowler in the squad, Brianna Ray transferred to The Blaze from Thunder through her ties with Loughborough University.

Hailing from Bermuda, Ray plays her county cricket for Lancashire and, in 2022, took six wickets at an average of 20.83.

 
D’Nica Roff - Leicestershire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Leg Spin
Bats: Right Hand

Another recent graduate of the Emerging Player Pathway, South African-born D’Nica Roff has found success with her big-turning leg-spin. 

She took eight wickets in five games for Lightning’s Academy last year, and in each of the past two seasons has taken 27 wickets for Leicestershire. 

 
Prisha Thanawala - Leicestershire
Role: All-Rounder
Bowls: Right Arm Off Spin
Bats: Right Hand

Prisha Thanawala will enter her second year with the Academy in 2023. 

She displayed her batting credentials with a 24-ball 29 against Western Storm at the 2022 Regional Academy Festival, before compiling an imperious unbeaten 206 for Leicestershire’s U15s a month later. 

She averaged just 11.97 with the ball for her county in 2022, collecting 32 wickets.

 

Maddie Ward - Nottinghamshire
Role: Wicket Keeper Batter
Bats: Right Hand 

Maddie Ward’s skills with the gloves were validated with selection in England’s squad for the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup, set to take place in January 2023. 

The wicketkeeper, who plays her county cricket for Nottinghamshire, top scored at the 2022 School Games with an unbeaten 52-ball 68. 

For the Green and Golds last year, Ward claimed 20 dismissals behind the stumps, whilst amassing 310 runs with the bat.

 
Amy Wheeler - Staffordshire
Role: Bowler
Bowls: Right Arm Fast-Medium
Bats: Right Hand 

Another player entering her third year on the regional Academy, Amy Wheeler earned a place at the School Games – a tournament for the most precocious talents in the girls' game – in both 2021 and 2022. 

An opening bowler with a penchant for a short-pitched delivery, Wheeler took 15 wickets in 15 games for Lightning in 2022, with her county experience coming with Staffordshire.

Annie Williams - Nottinghamshire
Role: Wicket Keeper Batter
Bats: Right Hand 

Still aged 14, Annie Williams impressed on The Blaze's Emerging Player Programme throughout the winter of 2022/23 and earned a spot on the Academy as a result. Having trained with the group, the young wicket-keeper batter showed maturity for her age, alongside a strong work ethic.

On the pitch, Williams - who plays her county cricket for Nottinghmshire - is an aggressive right hander who looks to take the game on with the bat.