Article contributed by Matthew Kingdom
The Kia Super League era (2016-2019)
In 2016, the Kia Super League (KSL) was created, a semi-professional T20 league consisting of six teams, reflecting the increasing popularity of women’s cricket and aiming to drive up standards in the women’s game. Somerset CCC partnered with Gloucestershire CCC and the University of Exeter to form Western Storm, representing the South West of England and led by England captain Heather Knight. Sophie Luff, Anya Shrubsole and overseas player Lizelle Lee were the three [Somerset] representatives in the squad alongside former players Izzy Westbury and Fran Wilson.
Western Storm played their first ever match on 31 July 2016, at the County Ground, Taunton, beating Lancashire Thunder by 4 wickets. Storm went on to reach the final of the inaugural KSL, but lost there to Southern Vipers by 7 wickets. In 2017, however, they claimed their first KSL title, this time beating Southern Vipers by 7 wickets in the final, with Somerset’s Sophie Luff making 30* to help her side home.
Western Storm’s 2018 saw them finish third in the KSL, losing to Surrey Stars in the semi-final of the tournament. However, in 2019 they became the first and only team to win two KSL titles, winning nine of their ten group stages matches before defeating Southern Vipers in the final.
Overall, during the KSL era, Western Storm played nine matches at the County Ground, Taunton, winning eight of them – the only match they lost there was a rain-reduced encounter against Yorkshire Diamonds, the last group stage match of the 2019 campaign.
The Regional Era (2020-present)
The Kia Super League ended after the 2019 season, with a larger plan implemented for women’s cricket in England that involved an overhaul of the domestic structure. Therefore, 2020 saw the introduction of eight new “regional hubs” for women’s domestic cricket, with the whole country represented. Whilst six teams had new names (either completely new or derived from KSL-era names), Western Storm were one of two teams, alongside Southern Vipers, to retain their branding. However, their region expanded, with the side now being partnered with Somerset CCC, Gloucestershire CCC, Glamorgan CCC, Cricket Wales, Cornwall CCC, Devon CCC and Wiltshire CCC. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, limited the first regional season to just the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, in which Western Storm finished second in the South Group. At the end of the season, six Storm players were awarded with professional contracts, the first of their kind for domestic cricketers in England. Somerset’s Sophie Luff, Nat Wraith and Georgia Hennessy were three of the players to be awarded with such contracts, alongside Danielle Gibson, Fi Morris and Alex Griffiths.
In 2021, Western Storm competed in the second edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the inaugural edition of the new T20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. They finished six out of eight in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, and second in Group B of the Charlotte Edwards Cup; Sophie Luff was the leading run-scorer in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, with 417 runs. 2022 saw the side achieve a fourth place finish in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, as well as finishing third in their group in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. At the end of the season, the number of professional contracts at the side was increased to 10, with Somerset’s Lauren Filer the recipient of one of the new contracts.