Author: Syd Egan

FEATURE INTERVIEW: Marketing The Kia Super League at Loughborough Lightning

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How do you persuade 600 people to pay up to £8 to come and watch a domestic women’s cricket match, at an out-of-the-way ground, in a small, non-cricketing Midlands town? Rob Knott – Sports PR Officer for Loughborough Lightning – spoke to CRICKETher about making the Super League a super success, even without the backing of a traditional First Class setup.

Loughborough is of course the place where the Super League was first announced, just over a year ago, and Knott tells us that the university were quick to see the opportunity:

“We as a university took a serious look at it. The fact that we know we are renowned for sport and that we have some of the best facilities in the country for cricket, made a good reason to bid for it. As part of the bid, myself and the marketing team looked closely at ‘How could we attract an audience to come and watch cricket here?’ and we looked at some of the things we’ve done in the past with the other franchises that we’ve worked on.”

The most successful of those franchises is the Loughborough Lightning Superleague netball team:

“Probably the biggest thing for us is trying to create a bit of a buzz through social media, and with Loughborough Lightning netball we’ve managed to do that quite successfully and grow our database and interest in the sport. The netball team has been running for 11 years and we’ve slowly built that up, year on year. We are now selling over 1,000 tickets for every match; and we were successful in remaining as a Netball Super League franchise for the 2017 season going into the next cycle.”

But women’s sport at Loughborough has always been more than netball, and the cricket team builds on that:

“We host two international athletics events on campus every year, where we’ve had the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill competing, and also we are one of 7 franchises in the National Badminton League, so we were always quite confident because although women’s cricket would be a new opportunity for us, we’d had some good success in previous ventures”

There is an old adage in product marketing: If you can’t fix it; feature it! And that seems to be what Loughborough are trying to do with the cricket:

“We are not a Test match venue – we don’t have the infrastructure that some of the other teams have – so we are trying to create a similar experience that you’d have at an out-ground for county cricket. So we’ve got gazebos in purple and pink, and we’ve got [pink!] deck chairs – we are working hard to create a carnival atmosphere.”

Interestingly, Loughborough have decided on a ticket price-point a little higher than the other teams. The Vipers, for example, charged adults just £3 at the Ageas Bowl last week, but at Loughborough it is £8 for adults and £5 for kids:

“We didn’t want to devalue women’s sport – we think this is a fantastic product and a fantastic opportunity for women’s sport to be showcased, so we wanted to price it at a certain level that didn’t undervalue it. It is more expensive than the other counties, but for me it is still good value for money.”

Loughborough have also gone down a non-traditional route by not producing a scorecard, but instead offering a beautiful souvenir poster, with space on the reverse for autographs:

“This is a great opportunity for children and young people to get really close up to some of the biggest names in the world and get their autographs – they are very accessible, so that is encouraged – and we want to make sure that some of the fantastic players we have on the team become their heroines in the future, by putting the posters up on their wall.”

Lightning A3 Souvenir Poster

Lightning A3 Souvenir Poster

Loughborough have clearly tried very hard to understand how kids tick in the 21st century, and Knott even has his own case study – a 10-year-old “sports-mad” son:

“He loves all sports. For him watching women’s sports fixtures is no different to watching men’s football, and he has posters of Loughborough Lightning women’s netball team and cricket team alongside his football heroes from Leicester City.”

Getting (and keeping) a good crowd in for the cricket, in a town with no cricketing heritage, was therefore partly about doing something a little bit different, but it was also partly about doing the “hard yards” and literally getting out and pounding the streets:

“We did some very old school, traditional marketing – we produced flyers and just went out into the town – going around bars and restaurants and community centres, just trying to get the message out to the local community.”

And while there is no official First Class county behind Loughborough Lightning, the local county clubs nevertheless offered important support:

“Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have all pushed out 10% discount offers to their members; and we’ve run articles through their channels and promoted through their social media.”

For all the hard work the marketing team at Loughborough had put in though, the real test would be “bums on deck-chairs”? They had built it; but would they come? That was the question! On Wednesday, a full house of 600 people turned up to give us the answer!

A Full House at Loughborough

A Full House at Loughborough

Girls in the Crowd Celebrate a Six

Girls in the Crowd Celebrate a Six

Photos © https://www.facebook.com/LightningKSL/

Short Thoughts: KSL Stars v Diamonds

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This was one of those games that neither team, nor any one player, really dominated; but overall the Stars came out on top because they were able to somehow eke out those few extra runs here and there which got them over the line first – Tammy Beaumont (47) made a few more runs that Hollie Armitage (43); Bryony Smith (31) made a couple more than Lauren Winfield (29); Alex Hartley (2-18) was that bit less expensive than Jenny Gunn (2-19).

Stars v Diamonds - Over by Over

The “Over by Over” graph (above) is interesting because it shows the Diamonds cruising along at a pretty steady pace throughout their innings, at a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 per over.

In contrast, the Stars innings was all highs and lows – three Diamonds overs (1, 10 and 18) conceded just one run apiece, whilst 3 others (2, 5 and 16) went for 15 or more.

From the Diamonds’ perspective, perhaps eliminating 2 of those 3 expensive “peaks” could well have won them the game; but to be fair only in hindsight could you have predicted that Katherine Brunt, whose first two overs had conceded just 1 and 3, would suddenly go for 17 off Bryony Smith in her third; or that Steph Butler, who had bowled 2 overs for 10 up to that point, would disappear for 15 off Tammy Beaumont in her third.

Afterwards, 18-year-old Bryony Smith, who has stepped up to the opening role for the Stars after injury ruled out the more experienced Kirstie White, spoke to CRICKETher, having scored 31 priceless runs at the top of the Stars order:

“I’ve been opening for Surrey in county Twenty20. I like to open with the powerplay – one of my strengths is to hit through the gaps; and to bat with someone like Tammy, who has obviously got a wealth of experience, is really good – every ball we’d be talking – it’s good to have someone like her down the other end.”

“We were very disappointed after Sunday [losing to the Vipers] but we’re pleased for the team to get back on the board.”

NEWS: Jenny Gunn & Hollie Armitage Sanctioned For Dissent

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Yorkshire Diamonds Jenny Gunn and Hollie Armitage have become the first KSL players to be penalised under the ECB’s Discipline Code.

They were reprimanded for “Level One” breaches of the code – showing dissent at an umpire’s decision – during the Yorkshire Diamonds’ Kia Super League match against Loughborough Lightning.

The reprimands will remain on their records for two years, with the accumulation of nine or more penalties in any two year period resulting in an automatic suspension.

Short Thoughts: KSL Vipers v Stars

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If the purpose of the Super League is to give some of the younger county prospects a chance to show what they can do, then today was a day when two of them did just that for the Vipers.

Seventeen year old Katie George had played just 27 times for Hampshire prior to today. Several of those games were in Div 3 of the County Championship, and none were higher than Div 2, so really this was her first ever match at this level, and she excelled – bowling 17 dots in her 4 overs. She might be disappointed she didn’t take a wicket, but if you can bowl 70% dots, you don’t need to take wickets in T20!

Then we had a fantastic contribution from Georgia Adams, eclipsing even Wisden’s Leading Women Cricketer in the World, Suzie Bates out in the middle. Adams has a lot more experience than George admittedly, playing for Sussex in Div 1, but for a long time she seemed to be a specialist in playing a couple of pretty shots and then getting out cheaply. Not today – in the biggest game of her life, she hung in there, and had a bit of luck being dropped by Marizanne Kapp, but you have to make the luck count, and “Gads” did today – top-scoring with 41 off 43 balls.

Afterwards, Georgia Adams spoke to our editor, Raf Nicholson:

“It’s another level. Looking out and playing at such a huge ground and a Test ground is brilliant, and looking round and seeing so many people, it’s completely new to me. I’ve never played anything quite like this.”

“Suzie guided me through that innings… the whole way through – her knowledge of the game and of the bowlers that we were facing – as batter it helps so much to have an extra bit of info – it kept me calm and kept me level out there.”

Short Thoughts: KSL Diamonds v Lightning

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A couple of standout performances today from two overseas stars – Sophie Devine (52) with the bat, and Dane van Niekerk (4 overs for 13) with the ball – will get the plaudits, but it was a team effort which won the Lightning this match.

The batting contributions of two county players – Eve Jones (12 off 12) and Paige Scholfield (13 off 9) added 25 critical runs at the end of their innings, which not only created a much more “pressure” score for the Diamonds to chase, but also ultimately grabbed the bonus point too.

Then the Lightning were excellent in the field – Georgia Elwiss in particular saving run after run between extra cover and mid off.

The Diamonds meanwhile let the pressure get to them after a good start – they were going at 10 an over initially, but this rapidly evaporated. Lauren Winfield can have no real complaints about her run out… though she did, very publically; and it is difficult to believe that her frustration didn’t actually add to the pressure on the batsmen that followed her in.. and out again!

Wickets begat wickets and eventually, by about the start of the 16th over, Diamonds tails were really drooping – they had given up and it was only a matter of whether they would get enough to deny the Lightning the bonus point; which they definitively failed to do – falling 17 runs short of even that target.

Afterwards Sophie Devine had this to say:

“I was fairly nervous – coming off a winter in New Zealand you are always a little bit scratchy, with not playing much outdoors. We’ve had a couple of warm up games, but in the first real hit-out it is nice to get some runs on the board, although we were probably 15 or 20 runs short. It probably didn’t help when I ran out Ellyse Perry, and I’m sure I’ll cop that, but we bowled fantastically well. Yorkshire came out really hard at us, so it was a great team effort to peg it back in the middle overs and I thought [Becky] Grundy was outstanding – she obviously fires-up which is motivating, being in the field with someone who is so passionate.”

OPINION: Kia Super League – Credit Where It’s Due

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Lizzy Ammon has a piece in today’s Times headlined: “New era for women’s game begins but stars are paid only £20 a day”. [Link (£)]

The piece raises a number of questions about the Kia Super League, arguing that “the competition is facing the challenge of poorly paid players, low attendances and no TV deal.”

These are certainly legitimate issues to  raise, but they also ignore the other side of the story.

Take the issue of money: it is quite true that there isn’t much of it – no one is going to be dashing off to their Ferrari dealer with their KSL pay cheque, that’s for sure! But £150 is £150 more than anyone gets for playing in the Women’s County Championship; and for players like Katie Levick and Daisy Gardner, this is the first time they have ever been paid at all, for something that they basically consider a hobby!

As for low attendances, we will have to wait and see exactly what transpires, but I’d be happy to bet that even the lowest KSL crowd will dwarf the numbers we usually see for the County Champs, where beyond friends and family, you can usually count the crowd on the fingers of one hand.

And the TV… well yes, that is disappointing; especially if it really was the case that Sky were “concerned about the quality of the cricket”, because that is the one thing which they really don’t need to be worried about – KSL has the stars to ensure the cricket is going to be amazing. But again, the County Championship has never been broadcast, so we haven’t lost anything by the lack of a TV deal, we are just exactly where we have always been!

Do we wish it was on TV, drawing big crowds, and paying the players a bit more? Absolutely! So do the players. (So do the ECB, believe it or not.)

And we do understand that the KSL all looks pretty small potatoes when seen through the prism of even the men’s county game, let alone something like the IPL.

But would we rather be here with “something”, or back where we were a year ago with “nothing”? Looked at from that perspective, the real story of the KSL is one of remarkable progress in a very short space of time; and for that, the ECB deserve credit where it’s due.

KSL CAREER BOWLING STATS

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Rank Player Team Age Matches Wickets Wickets/
Match
1 Ismail, Shabnim Diamonds 27 219 315 1.4
2 Grundy, Rebecca Lightning 26 125 155 1.2
3 Niekerk, Dane van Lightning 23 182 221 1.2
4 Ecclestone, Sophie Thunder 17 42 51 1.2
5 Levick, Katie Diamonds 25 99 120 1.2
6 Farrant, Natasha Vipers 20 59 70 1.2
7 Perry, Ellyse Lightning 25 288 341 1.2
8 Cross, Kate Thunder 24 115 132 1.1
9 Westbury, Izzy Storm 26 76 87 1.1
10 Hartley, Alex Stars 22 99 113 1.1
11 Shrubsole, Anya Storm 24 197 222 1.1
12 Morris, Fi Vipers 22 81 91 1.1
13 Odedra, Sonia Lightning 28 116 129 1.1
14 Hazell, Danielle Diamonds 28 245 267 1.1
15 Kapp, Marizanne Stars 26 197 214 1.1
16 Farrell, Rene Stars 29 214 232 1.1
17 Butler, Steph Diamonds 22 68 73 1.1
18 Marsh, Laura Stars 29 311 332 1.1
19 Taylor, Stafanie Storm 25 208 215 1.0
20 Brunt, Katherine Diamonds 31 284 292 1.0
21 Langston, Beth Lightning 23 74 76 1.0
22 Patel, Nalisha Thunder 18 51 50 1.0
23 Elwiss, Georgia Lightning 25 197 188 1.0
24 Thompson, Katie Diamonds 19 29 27 0.9
25 Tahuhu, Lea Stars 25 163 150 0.9
26 Nielsen, Morna Vipers 26 205 188 0.9
27 Gunn, Jenny Diamonds 30 415 377 0.9
28 Spragg, Laura Diamonds 34 139 126 0.9
29 Fairbairn, Rosalie Storm 32 145 130 0.9
30 Dibble, Jodie Storm 21 75 64 0.9
31 Wyatt, Danielle Thunder 25 270 230 0.9
32 George, Katie Vipers 17 27 23 0.9
33 Gardner, Daisy Vipers 26 111 94 0.8
34 Devine, Sophie Lightning 26 342 285 0.8
35 Sciver, Natalie Stars 23 150 124 0.8
36 Burt, Ellen Vipers 18 34 28 0.8
37 Bates, Suzie Vipers 28 368 292 0.8
38 Hennessy, Georgia Storm 19 67 53 0.8
39 Gauvrit, Amy Lightning 21 73 57 0.8
40 Lakhtaria, Raveena Stars 23 62 48 0.8
41 O’Keefe, Cait Storm 19 66 51 0.8
42 Dunkley, Sophia Stars 18 42 32 0.8
43 Brookes, Thea Lightning 23 90 68 0.8
44 Macleod, Alice Vipers 22 105 78 0.7
45 Davidson Richards, Alice Diamonds 22 92 68 0.7
46 Brindle, Arran Vipers 34 253 185 0.7
47 Lee, Lizelle Storm 24 136 98 0.7
48 Davies, Freya Storm 20 53 38 0.7
49 Matthews, Hayley Thunder 18 62 44 0.7
50 Newton, Laura Thunder 38 177 122 0.7
51 Dattani, Naomi Stars 22 67 46 0.7
52 Mackenzie, Sophie Storm 17 19 13 0.7
53 MacDonald, Alex Lightning 24 79 53 0.7
54 Knight, Heather Storm 25 235 155 0.7
55 Brown, Natalie Thunder 25 110 69 0.6
56 Miles, Natasha Thunder 27 142 89 0.6
57 Holmes, Georgia Thunder 19 49 29 0.6
58 Satterthwaite, Amy Thunder 29 354 206 0.6
59 Gibbs, Grace Stars 21 33 19 0.6
60 Morgan, Beth Stars 34 325 172 0.5
61 Smith, Bryony Stars 18 38 19 0.5
62 Armitage, Hollie Diamonds 19 29 13 0.4
63 Jones, Evelyn Lightning 23 74 32 0.4
64 Dottin, Deandra Thunder 25 197 85 0.4
65 Edwards, Charlotte Vipers 36 555 237 0.4
66 Cranstone, Aylish Stars 21 71 25 0.4
67 Lamb, Emma Thunder 18 61 18 0.3
68 Scholfield, Paige Lightning 20 51 15 0.3
69 Griffith, Cordelia Stars 20 49 9 0.2
70 Adams, Georgia Vipers 22 67 12 0.2
71 Graves, Teresa Diamonds 17 9 1 0.1
72 Boyce, Georgie Lightning 17 37 3 0.1
73 Collis, Isabelle Vipers 19 46 3 0.1
74 Luff, Sophie Storm 22 100 6 0.1
75 Griffiths, Lauren Lightning 29 125 6 0.0
76 Greenway, Lydia Vipers 30 404 17 0.0
77 Nicholls, Anna Diamonds 18 245 10 0.0
78 Wilson, Fran Storm 24 124 4 0.0
79 Blackwell, Alex Diamonds 32 447 8 0.0
80 McGlashan, Sara Vipers 34 434 0 0.0
81 Beaumont, Tammy Stars 25 208 0 0.0
82 Winfield, Lauren Diamonds 25 150 0 0.0
83 Mooney, Beth Diamonds 22 144 0 0.0
84 Priest, Rachel Storm 31 374 0 0.0
85 Carr, Amara Storm 22 91 0 0.0
86 Jones, Amy Lightning 23 135 0 0.0
87 Rudd, Carla Vipers 22 83 0 0.0
88 Threlkeld, Ellie Thunder 17 37 0 0.0
89 Marshall, Laura Thunder 22 50 0 0.0

Senior T20 + One Day matches, including internationals

KSL CAREER BATTING STATS

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Rank Player Team Age Matches Runs Runs/
Match
1 Edwards, Charlotte Vipers 36 555 21,014 38
2 Taylor, Stafanie Storm 25 208 7,003 34
3 Knight, Heather Storm 25 235 7,586 32
4 Bates, Suzie Vipers 28 368 11,721 32
5 Lee, Lizelle Storm 24 136 4,138 30
6 Wilson, Fran Storm 24 124 3,457 28
7 Fairbairn, Rosalie Storm 32 145 3,892 27
8 Brookes, Thea Lightning 23 90 2,345 26
9 Blackwell, Alex Diamonds 32 447 11,421 26
10 MacDonald, Alex Lightning 24 79 1,976 25
11 Satterthwaite, Amy Thunder 29 354 8,799 25
12 Lamb, Emma Thunder 18 61 1,511 25
13 McGlashan, Sara Vipers 34 434 10,275 24
14 Brindle, Arran Vipers 34 253 5,895 23
15 Jones, Evelyn Lightning 23 74 1,689 23
16 Sciver, Natalie Stars 23 150 3,380 23
17 Cranstone, Aylish Stars 21 71 1,598 23
18 Newton, Laura Thunder 38 177 3,960 22
19 Beaumont, Tammy Stars 25 208 4,621 22
20 Hennessy, Georgia Storm 19 67 1,487 22
21 Adams, Georgia Vipers 22 67 1,463 22
22 Winfield, Lauren Diamonds 25 150 3,239 22
23 Mooney, Beth Diamonds 22 144 3,082 21
24 Dottin, Deandra Thunder 25 197 4,176 21
25 Macleod, Alice Vipers 22 105 2,212 21
26 Mackenzie, Sophie Storm 17 19 395 21
27 Luff, Sophie Storm 22 100 2,064 21
28 Niekerk, Dane van Lightning 23 182 3,748 21
29 Matthews, Hayley Thunder 18 62 1,255 20
30 Greenway, Lydia Vipers 30 404 8,170 20
31 Devine, Sophie Lightning 26 342 6,795 20
32 Wyatt, Danielle Thunder 25 270 5,216 19
33 Kapp, Marizanne Stars 26 197 3,793 19
34 Priest, Rachel Storm 31 374 6,877 18
35 Brown, Natalie Thunder 25 110 1,906 17
36 Gunn, Jenny Diamonds 30 415 7,132 17
37 Morgan, Beth Stars 34 325 5,475 17
38 Dibble, Jodie Storm 21 75 1,236 16
39 Miles, Natasha Thunder 27 142 2,243 16
40 Carr, Amara Storm 22 91 1,416 16
41 Perry, Ellyse Lightning 25 288 4,337 15
42 Morris, Fi Vipers 22 81 1,185 15
43 Boyce, Georgie Lightning 17 37 523 14
44 Jones, Amy Lightning 23 135 1,882 14
45 Griffith, Cordelia Stars 20 49 658 13
46 Collis, Isabelle Vipers 19 46 607 13
47 George, Katie Vipers 17 27 353 13
48 Odedra, Sonia Lightning 28 116 1,500 13
49 Armitage, Hollie Diamonds 19 29 350 12
50 Cross, Kate Thunder 24 115 1,362 12
51 Elwiss, Georgia Lightning 25 197 2,224 11
52 O’Keefe, Cait Storm 19 66 742 11
53 Smith, Bryony Stars 18 38 424 11
54 Shrubsole, Anya Storm 24 197 2,193 11
55 Hazell, Danielle Diamonds 28 245 2,715 11
56 Marsh, Laura Stars 29 311 3,392 11
57 Scholfield, Paige Lightning 20 51 540 11
58 Brunt, Katherine Diamonds 31 284 2,726 10
59 Spragg, Laura Diamonds 34 139 1,306 9
60 Dunkley, Sophia Stars 18 42 370 9
61 Farrell, Rene Stars 29 214 1,852 9
62 Westbury, Izzy Storm 26 76 653 9
63 Rudd, Carla Vipers 22 83 671 8
64 Butler, Steph Diamonds 22 68 543 8
65 Gauvrit, Amy Lightning 21 73 579 8
66 Griffiths, Lauren Lightning 29 125 863 7
67 Davidson Richards, Alice Diamonds 22 92 627 7
68 Threlkeld, Ellie Thunder 17 37 242 7
69 Lakhtaria, Raveena Stars 23 62 397 6
70 Dattani, Naomi Stars 22 67 416 6
71 Nielsen, Morna Vipers 26 205 1,157 6
72 Langston, Beth Lightning 23 74 415 6
73 Holmes, Georgia Thunder 19 49 265 5
74 Ismail, Shabnim Diamonds 27 219 1,153 5
75 Ecclestone, Sophie Thunder 17 42 174 4
76 Graves, Teresa Diamonds 17 9 35 4
77 Gardner, Daisy Vipers 26 111 420 4
78 Grundy, Rebecca Lightning 26 125 446 4
79 Tahuhu, Lea Stars 25 163 581 4
80 Gibbs, Grace Stars 21 33 116 4
81 Burt, Ellen Vipers 18 34 113 3
82 Patel, Nalisha Thunder 18 51 151 3
83 Thompson, Katie Diamonds 19 29 65 2
84 Marshall, Laura Thunder 22 50 103 2
85 Nicholls, Anna Diamonds 18 245 315 1
86 Farrant, Natasha Vipers 20 59 72 1
87 Hartley, Alex Stars 22 99 104 1
88 Davies, Freya Storm 20 53 52 1
89 Levick, Katie Diamonds 25 99 96 1

Senior T20 + One Day matches, including internationals

INTERVIEW: Surrey Stars – Marizanne Kapp & Nat Sciver

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It hasn’t been the easiest week for the Surrey Stars. First, they lost their best player – the Mega-Star herself, Meg Lanning – who was forced to withdraw from the Kia Super League with a shoulder injury. Then they were defeated in both rubbers of their warm-up double-header at Loughborough, with the Lightning smashing them for over 200 in the second match.

But South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp is still able to find the bright side:

“Those matches didn’t go as planned but we are still positive. One of the girls made a comment that at least we were bonding, so that’s quite unique – we had a really bad day but we still smiled.”

Stars captain Nat Sciver agrees:

“We had a good day despite the result! It was good fun for a first day out as a team and we can definitely only get better from there!”

Given the traditional rivalry between Middlesex and Surrey, the decision to tie London’s only KSL franchise so tightly to the Surrey brand, has been a controversial one; but Sciver insists this isn’t a problem for the players:

” I think the Middlesex-Surrey rivalry is more with the men – we’ve got some Kent players as well, and based on yesterday, we’ve bonded really well.”

Almost to prove the point, it is two Middlesex players that Sciver points to when asked who we should be looking out for among the more junior members of their squad:

“The young girls that we have are particularly exciting, especially Sophia Dunkley, and also Alex Hartley making her England debut this summer – they’re really exciting prospects.”

The big game for the Stars is their home match versus the Yorkshire Diamonds at The Oval, and Sciver is obviously looking forward to leading the side out at one of the most historic grounds in cricket:

“The two T20 games there against Middlesex have been really good – we’ve had loads of people watching which is really brilliant. We’ve already sold 500 tickets, and hopefully we can sell more.”

Asked about comparisons with the WBBL, Kapp, who reached the final of that competition with the Sydney Sixers, says the same principles apply:

“KSL is shorter [than WBBL] but even for the WBBL you had to be on point from the first game – the same will happen here, we just have to be ready when the first team comes.”

For the Surrey Stars, that team is the Charlotte Edwards’ Southern Vipers, at the Ageas Bowl next Sunday – it should be a cracker!

INTERVIEW: Loughborough Lightning – Georgia Elwiss & Sophie Devine

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Loughborough Lightning are very much the wildcard in the Kia Super League pack. Of the five other teams, there are three – Lancashire Thunder, Yorkshire Diamonds and Surrey Stars – that are based around existing counties; and two – Western Storm and Southern Vipers – that are conglomerates of universities and multiple counties.

Lightning, though, chose to go it alone as a university – something that was realistic because, as the home of both the contracted England Women’s Performance squad and the England Women’s Academy, what they did have was an in-place women’s cricket programme that was second-to-none, and an unrivaled set of facilities which New Zealand’s Sophie Devine believes is what gives Loughborough the edge.

“I’ve been here just over a week now,” she says, “[and] what I’ve seen so far has been absolutely incredible – the facilities available literally right on the doorstep – it makes a massive difference.”

Devine admits though that it is a challenge, jetting in from the other side of the world.

“It’s a bit of a shock for me, coming from the middle of winter where it’s not getting above 5 degrees – we had an open wicket training the other day and my feet were really sore from wearing the spikes; but we’re just trying to take it all on board and learn as quick as we can, because the competition’s coming round really quick.”

Of course, facilities are nothing if you haven’t got the players, and Georgia Elwiss tells us they picked their overseas stars very carefully.

“In terms of our international players we’ve got all all-rounders, so they’re all world-class at batting and bowling, which is obviously a massive help – they are all likely to bat in the top 5 and bowl 4 overs each, so for me [as captain] that’s a dream.”

In terms of preparation, Loughborough have had a warm-up double-header versus the Surrey Stars, winning both games, and scoring over 200 in the second match; but Elwiss is characteristically not getting carried away.

“It’s always good to get a run out and see some of the younger girls really perform and stand up. We had small boundaries [but] power hitting has been a thing that we’ve really focused on over the last 18 months, and it’s nice that it’s coming out in the game now.”

As well as work on the field and in the gym, the girls have taken some time-out at Laser Tag, with New South African skipper Dane van Niekerk leading the winning team: “She had all the game plans and she bossed it!” says Elwiss. (“Don’t talk any more about it!” retorts Devine, who we suspect might have been on the losing side!)

Although she is only here for a month, Devine is keen to emphasise that while she is here, she is a Lightning player and not a New Zealand one.

“I don’t care that Georgia plays for England and I play for New Zealand – for me that goes out the window and it’s just about playing cricket. And if we can help each other get better and if we can help the county players get better, then surely that’s going to be better for the women’s game in general.”

Reflecting on the overall state of the women’s game here, Devine thinks we are in good shape going into KSL:

“Women’s cricket over here in England, from what we see from abroad, is massively popular – the crowds you guys get [and] the following of the English girls is huge. So if KSL gets at least a little bit of the following that the England girls get here I think it will be a really successful tournament.”

“It’s only going to be for the better of the women’s game”, she concludes. “It’s a really awesome experience.”