Preview: Lancashire Thunder vs Central Sparks (Thursday 30 May) & The Blaze vs Central Sparks (Friday 31 May).
Match Details:
Thursday 30 May:
Fixture: Lancashire Thunder vs Central Sparks
Competition: Charlotte Edwards Cup
Venue: Emirates Old Trafford
Game start: 1PM
Friday 31 May:
Fixture: The Blaze vs Central Sparks
Competition: Charlotte Edwards Cup
Venue: Trent Bridge
Game start: 2:30PM
Central Sparks finish their jam-packed week of T20's with two away trips to Manchester and Nottingham where they'll face Thunder and Blaze, which are both set to be double header fixtures with Lancashire Lightning and the Notts Outlaws.
Sparks go into the two games on a red hot run of three wins in a row to begin the Charlotte Edwards Cup competition - those coming against Sunrisers, Western Storm and Northern Diamonds.
There have been many standout performances so far in the three T20 fixtures, including (79*) from Davina Perrin against Sunrisers, four wickets for Katie George at Taunton in the win over the Storm, then (26*) from captain Eve Jones and three wickets for both Georgia Davis and Grace Potts at Headingley last time out.
The opposition:
Thunder:
So far in the competition, Thunder have won just one out of their three games, a victory that came against the Northern Diamonds. The two losses were handed to them by The Blaze and South East Stars.
Sitting fourth in the CEC, Thunder will be hoping home advantage can push them over the line against the rampant Sparks who have won two of their three games in the tournement so far away from home.
Young opening batter Seren Smale has been a standout for Thunder, along with all-round Fi Morris. The pair, with the help of some other talented players in the side will be aiming to properly kickstart thier T20 run with seven games remaining.
The Blaze:
Holding the same record as Sparks from the opening three T20's, Blaze will want to keep their strong run going in a home double header on Friday. Having beaten Thunder, Diamonds and the Southern Vipers, Chris Guest's side are on a great run themselves.
Captain Kirstie Gordon has been a linchpin in the side and the reintroduction of the Bryce sisters [Sarah & Kathryn] has been an added bonus. With overseas Nadine de Klerk performing well, Blaze have picked up from where they left off in 2023's edition of the competition.
Seamer Grace Ballinger continues to prove a reliable bowler for the East Midlands side who will pose a threat to Sparks on Friday.
Past Meetings:
Sparks have faced the two sides once already this season, beating them both in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The win over Thunder was only three weeks ago, at Old Trafford in fact where Thursday's game will be played.
In the most recent Charlotte Edwards Cup meetings between the sides, Sparks came out on the wrong side against Thunder at New Road in May, while they were also beaten by The Blaze.
Team News:
Sparks will release their team news for both games later on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Information for both can be found on our social media channels.
How to watch:
Tickets for both games can be found on Lancashire & Nottinghamshire's websites, with alternative viewing avaiable via Thunder's YouTube channel on Thursday and Blaze's channel on Friday.
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