Lucy Higham is relishing the trip to Scarborough to face Northern Diamonds in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, as she looks to make up for lost time having missed the opening two fixtures of the 2024 season.

The off-spinner claimed a wicket on return to the side on Saturday against Sunrisers having sat out pre-season with back and foot injuries.

A key cog in the side which reached both domestic finals in 2023 - including three positive results versus tomorrow’s opponents - Higham is part of a 13-player squad making the trip to Yorkshire.

“I’m a terrible watcher,” Higham admitted.

“It’s the feeling of being helpless and not being able to translate the work from the winter out on the pitch.

“It’s been a long three or four months and to not be out there for the first few games have been disappointing from a results perspective.

“But it’s great to be back and hopefully we can get out there and do the business tomorrow.”

The Blaze have endured a tough start to the 2024 campaign, with three consecutive defeats, and travel to face a Northern Diamonds side who have won two of their three fixtures to date.

With games coming thick and fast there can be scarce time to make big changes, but Higham prefers to see the short turnarounds as a blessing.

“It doesn’t give you chance to dwell on the past,” she said.

“You’ve got to keep going, strap the pads back on and get back out there.

“Kirstie (Gordon) and the leadership team ran a player-only meeting which was really productive.

“We chatted about how we want to go about things in the next week.

“We’re not going to change too much technically but I think it’s a really proactive step to get what we need out of the turnaround.

“Couple that with a bit of training and a bit of time off, we’re fresh and ready for a nice trip to ‘Scarbados’.”

Higham is one of the mainstays of The Blaze programme, playing for the the East Midlands outfit since the regional model was adopted.

In that time, she’s witnessed the women’s game go from strength to strength and, looking forward, she sees plenty of reasons to be excited at what’s to come.

“I think it’s a massively exciting time to be involved in the women’s game,” she said.

“The Project Darwin stuff has come in and shifted a lot of things and there’ll be more to come out of that in the next few months.

“It’s hugely exciting to have been based at Trent Bridge, and for that to remain the case.

“I think that’s the way the women’s game is going to grow - we’re quite a way behind, but moving forward in the right direction.

“If you’re young girl in the region, in the EPP or Academy squads, you have the chance to play professional cricket and call a Test Match venue like Trent Bridge your home.

“It’s hugely exciting for all involved and definitely a great opportunity.”