The Blaze: New name for Lightning regional women's team for 2023 season
- Published
Pace bowler Sophie Munro played 11 games for Lightning during the 2022 season
Lightning are to be renamed The Blaze for the 2023 women's cricket season.
The change follows the decision to move the regional side's base of operations to Trent Bridge in Nottingham, having formerly been in Loughborough.
The team are one of eight to take part in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup.
"There is a sense of a fresh start, being somewhere new, wearing new kit and having a new name," said pace bowler Sophie Munro.
The closest the team - then called Loughborough Lightning - have come to a trophy was in 2018 when they lost to Surrey Stars in the final of the now defunct Kia Super League.
This summer, Lightning finished sixth in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy group table, after two wins from seven games, and bottom of their Charlotte Edwards Cup group.
"We want to produce cricketers locally from across the East Midlands region and we want to attract players to come and represent The Blaze from elsewhere in the country as well," said director of cricket James Cutt.
"We believe that being at Trent Bridge can only help both of those facets to develop."