The 2026 intake for The Blaze Academy has been confirmed, as three new faces step up and two existing players leave to form a 12-strong cohort.
Batter Faith Teekasingh, seamer Isla Williamson, and all-rounder Ellie Phillips join the group, while D’Nica Roff and Bella Howarth depart the Academy.
The Blaze Academy continues to select high-potential players from across the East Midlands catchment area, and this remains consistent through the changes in the new women’s domestic structure.
All three new players have been involved in the Leicestershire pathway, with Teekasingh, who as part of the Under-17 age group is the youngest, also developing her game with Cricket East - the umbrella organisation comprising Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire.
Phillips is the eldest new member, in the Under-19 bracket, and is another product of multiple pathways, having also been a part of Warwickshire, though she will also now move to The Blaze to play county age-group cricket in addition to her commitments to the Academy.
Finally, Williamson is solely a Leicestershire product, and as part of the Under-18 age group, is in the middle of her fellow new recruits.
Meanwhile, Leicestershire leg-spinner Roff and Northamptonshire batter Howarth will leave the Academy after three and four years, respectively, as part of the set-up.
“It’s always a bittersweet time of year when it comes to selecting our Academy cohort,” said Women’s Elite Pathway Manager, Cain Hamilton-Boyle.
“We’re full of excitement to see the development of the players who have been selected, both existing and new, and we extend our warmest welcomes to Faith, Isla, and Ellie.
“But we also have to make tough choices surrounding the release of players, and we’ll be sorry to see D’Nica and Bella go and would like to thank them for all of their contributions across their time on the programme.
“What we can definitely be sure of, though, is that we’re confident we’ve selected a group that has high potential to move towards professional cricket, and we are excited to watch and support their development over the coming 12 months.”
The Blaze Academy 2026
Annie Williams (Nottinghamshire, U18, Keeper/Batter)
Diya Badge (Nottinghamshire, U17, Keeper/Batter)
Ellie Phillips (Leicestershire/Warwickshire, U19, All-Rounder)
Emily Carpenter (Northamptonshire, U19, All-Rounder)
Faith Teekasingh (Leicestershire/Cricket East, U17, Batter)
Flora Davies (Leicestershire, U18, Batter)
Hayva Abbott (Nottinghamshire, U18, Seam Bowler)
Isla Williamson (Leicestershire, U18, Seam Bowler)
Katie Fidler (Northamptonshire, U17, Seam Bowler)
Lara Shaw (Derbyshire, 21, Batter)
Maria Andrews (Derbyshire, U18, Spin Bowling All-Rounder)
Mim Aldred (Oxfordshire, U17, Keeper/Batter)
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