The Blaze hand Georgie Boyce and Sophie Munro professional contracts

Seven other players on winter retainers are effectively playing for three further contracts that will be awarded in February

Nick Friend | 22/11/2022 at 15:31

Georgie Boyce and Sophie Munro have been awarded domestic professional contracts for the first time with The Blaze, the new regional team representing the East Midlands.

They were known as Lightning through the first three seasons after the restructuring of the regional game, a legacy of the Kia Super League side which had the same name.

Five of the players on deals under the team's previous guise – Marie Kelly, Kathryn Bryce, Kirstie Gordon, Sarah Bryce and Lucy Higham – have retained their contracts, with Boyce and Munro new additions to the full-time contracted list.

"We are at the dawn of an exciting new chapter for women's cricket in the East Midlands, and as we assume a new identity and enjoy being based at Trent Bridge, it is really important to have some continuity in terms of playing personnel," said James Cutt, the team's regional director.

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^{Marie Kelly represented England A earlier this year (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Boyce previously represented Thunder, while seamer Munro has previously been on a retainer but makes the shift to a professional deal.

The Bryce sisters are both Scotland internationals, while Kirstie Gordon, Scotland-born herself, earned the most recent of her England caps in the summer of 2019. She represented England A last season though alongside Kelly.

Teresa Graves, Beth Harmer, Ella Claridge, Grace Ballinger, Cassidy McCarthy, Josie Groves and Michaela Kirk are all on winter retainers, with three more contracts set to be handed out in February.

"We will work with those players on winter retainers to ensure they are in the best possible position to earn a contract in February," Cutt added.