It is with the greatest delight that we can confirm that Sophie Morris has been rewarded for all her hard work over the last 12 months with a place on the Lancashire Thunder Academy.

We all know from playing with and watching Sophie this year that this is thoroughly deserved and we could not be happier to hear the wonderful news.

The Thunder Academy, has brought through and produced not just Lancashire Women's cricketers but also England cricketers. So this is no doubt a huge opportunity for Sophie.

There will now be a rigorous winter training program, but no doubt it will all be worth it, with access to high quality coaches and medical teams. This is then followed by academy games next summer, as the girls selected look to earn potential slots in the full Thunder side.

It really does show that hard work pays off, and we know as a club that this will undoubtedly just be the first stepping stone for Sophie on her long cricketing journey. Her performances in the Women's XI, 1XI and 2XI last season prove that she has what it takes, coupled with her incredible drive and determination!

From everyone at Upton, a huge congratulations Sophie and we look forward to seeing how things progress from here!

The future is very bright!