In May, Lancashire claimed the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup with a 32-run win over Surrey. It was the start of a spectacular four months that peaked on Sunday when Ellie Threlkeld led her side to victory in the inaugural Metro Bank One-Day Cup final against Hampshire.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” she said. “If you’d told me at the beginning of the year this would happen, I don’t think I would have believed you.
"It’s incredible and a testament to a lot of hard work over many years. It’s nice to get some success for that, and hopefully it’s just the start of what will be a really successful group for us.”
By the end of an innings that saw Maia Bouchier and Georgia Adams collect half-centuries, Hampshire had set Thunder a challenging target of 289 runs at the Utilita Bowl. But Lancashire, inspired by Irish international Gaby Lewis’s haul of 141 runs from 143 balls, held their nerve.
Threlkeld said: “We won the toss and bowled because we thought there would be a bit in the pitch during the first hour, but there wasn’t really: the pitch was brilliant.
"At the halfway point, we felt like Hampshire were about par. But in a final, you always expect someone to go well with the bat, and we knew it would be a great fight. It was definitely chaseable.”
She added: “Hats off to Gaby and the girls who supported her. The way they managed that chase was incredible. It was a great game of cricket for a final, and I’m just glad we were on the winning side.”
Seren Smale’s 72 from 85 balls contributed to magnificent 144-run stand with Lewis, with Threlkeld also contributing 32 runs from 30 deliveries. But it was Lewis who shone brightest.
“Gaby’s innings was really special,” said Threlkeld. “For someone of her age to play such a mature, calculated knock – managing the chase and the run rate so well – was amazing to watch.
"And it was nice to spend some time out there with her in the middle, batting alongside her. She was switched on, really smart, and it was brilliant that she was there at the end to see us home.”
Threlkeld added: “We’ve spoken a lot about building big partnerships and doing the basics well for longer. That’s exactly what Gaby and Seren did. They managed the tough periods, took some bowlers down, and credit to Seren as well. For her to play like that in a final was brilliant to see.”
With their victories now secured, it won’t be long before Lancashire begin planning for 2026.
“We’ll take some time to reflect,” said Threlkeld. “It’s been an incredible year for us. Other teams will now see us as the team to beat, which is great, but everyone starts again (next year) from zero. It will be about how we can keep moving forward.
“The new three-tier system has been really good overall, and it will be nice to see Yorkshire join us next year. There’s always a big rivalry there.
“But I’ve seen a huge difference in the standard of cricket from last year to this year, and I think the new structure has played a part in that. Everyone is beating everyone else, more teams are standing up, and more players are standing up. The standard just keeps improving. I’m already looking forward to another year of it.”