Trevor Griffin, the confident coach of Western Storm

By Andy Stockhausen

HEAD coach Trevor Griffin believes Western Storm have never been better equipped to contest a Kia Super League campaign.

Arguably the most consistent side in the domestic women's competition, reaching Finals Day each and every season since the tournament began in 2016, Storm have based their success upon continuity in selection.

While the same nucleus of players who lifted the title in 2017 have returned this season, Storm now find themselves emboldened by increased strength in depth and, perhaps for the first time, genuine competition for places throughout the team.

A combination of overseas recruits, new domestic signings and the advancement of young players via regional development programmes have served to increase the options available to Griffin and captain Heather Knight in 2019.

It will not have gone unnoticed by their rivals that Storm were able to rest star England bowler and World Cup winner Anya Shrubsole and still comfortably defeat 2018 runners-up Loughborough Lightning by seven wickets with three overs to spare in their opening game in the East Midlands on Tuesday.

Recruited as an overseas replacement for Stafanie Taylor, India all-rounder Deepti Sharma made an immediate impact, claiming miserly figures of one for 17 from four overs with her off-spin, while 17-year-old seam bowler Alex Griffiths claimed her first KSL wicket on debut in a team that also featured teenager Danielle Gibson.

Given that newly-arrived Nottinghamshire and England fast bowler Sonia Odedra and England Academy player Ellie MItchell have yet to feature, Storm's new-found strength in depth is beyond question. 

"This is the strongest squad we've had,” said Griffin, who graduated to Western Storm through the Devon coaching network.

“We have a great balance this year. We still have that core group who have been so successful over the course of the last three years, but we have added to it and now have a great mix of experience and youth.

"To have seven players in the group who have been with us since KSL started is really important, because continuity of selection is vital in any winning side. But they are now being pushed hard by new players and youngsters who have worked their way through the South West Regional Development Centre.

"We have world-class players and World Cup winners. But we now also have a group of hungry young players with a point to prove."

Storm will attempt to build upon their winning start when they host Lancashire Thunder at the Cooper Associates Ground in Taunton on Saturday (3pm).

And their hand will be strengthened by the return to action of Shrubsole, who will go head-to-head with outstanding Indian batsman Harmanpreet Kaur in a repeat of their 2017 World Cup final showdown at Lord's.

Thunder will also be bolstered by the presence in their ranks of world-class spinner Sophie Ecclestone. Yet if the team now guided by new coach Mark McInnes is in any doubt regarding the size of the task facing them, Griffin issued the following reminder.

In a clear statement of intent, he said: "It is the final KSL this year and everyone will want to win it. We have a great record and, once again, our aim has to be to reach Finals Day. That is a minimum requirement for us and that is where our focus lies."

Western Storm (from): Priest, Mandhana, Knight, Wilson, Luff, Davies, Sharma, Shrubsole, Nicholas, Gibson, Griffiths, Dattani, Odedra.