From Taunton Vale to Edgbaston: Sophie Luff’s hundreds that connect eras
When Sophie Luff raised her bat to the crowd at Edgbaston in May, she became the first Somerset player of the professional era to score a century for the Club.
Her 111 not out helped Somerset to a 48-run win over Warwickshire in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
There was a lovely symmetry to the innings because it was 10 years, almost to the day, since her first century for Somerset.
Back in May 2015, Sophie scored 109 not out for Somerset against Devon at Taunton Vale in Division Two of the Royal London Women’s One Day Cup.
We sat down with the Somerset skipper to compare and contrast the two matches from two very different eras.
Let’s start by talking about the innings at Edgbaston. How did it feel to be the first professional player to score a hundred for Somerset?
“It’s definitely right up there! To be the first one in the professional era is a really nice feeling and it will certainly be something that I’ll look back on in years to come and be really proud of. It’s a great feeling to have achieved it and I had a lot of really nice messages afterwards. I’m a Somerset girl through and through, so to be the first one is incredibly special. I’m hungry for a lot more and I just want to keep contributing for as long as possible.
“I came into that game under a little bit of pressure because I felt like we’d played really well but I was a few runs light. I didn’t feel like I’d really contributed to a win at that point, so to get that hundred was important. It was a really nice feeling because my mum was there too and it’s always nice to have a bit of travelling support.
“It 100% meant more because the team won the match. It wouldn’t have meant half as much if we’d gone on to lose the game. The bowlers bowled beautifully, and we were able to control the game, and we were building a bit of momentum at that point in the season.
“I really enjoyed batting with Fran that day and I remember that the second 50 was a bit of a blur. I was just playing on instinct and there were a few shots that I wasn’t even sure that I had in the locker! It was one of those days where everything went my way and it was a really special day.”
What does Sophie remember about that first century in 2015?
“It was a long time ago! We were playing on the second pitch at Taunton Vale, and my overriding memory of that day is Lizelle Lee hitting one of the fastest hundreds I’ve ever seen! It felt like she was going to go on and make 300 by herself that day. I had the best seat in the house because I was at the non-striker’s end. She got 111 off 60 balls which was incredible.
“We were playing against Devon, and I’d grown up playing a lot of age group cricket against the people on that team sheet. A lot of the Devon players that day were really good friends who I’d played a lot with and against. It’s always nice to beat your local rivals and it was pleasing to be able to contribute.
“When you compare the two games, they’re obviously very different. The similarities are that I would have put as much pressure on myself in both games because I’m always desperate to do well for Somerset.
“10 years ago, playing for Somerset was absolutely everything to me and ten years on it still is. The difference now is that we’re in a professional era. Back then we would have had to bring our own teas, make our own way there and we would have done a rather less intense warm up. Back then it was a case of just cracking on.
“It was a home game for Somerset, but a lot of the players would have travelled a long way to get to Taunton that day and given up their weekends to play. Jackie Hawker would have travelled for more than two hours to play in that game. There were so many weekends where we were travelling to places like Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. I spent a lot of time in a car with Jackie. She used to pick me up from Sedgemoor services every Saturday and it was a really fun time. The game obviously looks very different now, but I’ve got some great memories of that era.”
How important is it that the class of ’25 are aware of the players of the past?
“It’s massively important and I feel a little bit of responsibility to almost be that connection. There are some important names within the history of Somerset Women on that team sheet. We’re in a new and exciting professional era but it’s important that we appreciate how different it used to be and appreciate what those players did. It’s important that we are aware of the passion that these former players had for playing the game and for representing Somerset.
“I look at that team sheet from 2015 today and I know that every single player in the team was so proud to represent Somerset. I know full well that the girls feel exactly the same today and that we’re all excited by what we can build in the future. My job is to contribute to Somerset winning games of cricket but also to help the younger generation to appreciate what it means to play for this club and just how good this club is.
“Not all of this group were born and raised in Somerset, but you can see that there is an appreciation that this is a really good place to be playing cricket. Seeing how much the players felt that this season gave me a sense of real pride.”
Although it was a very different time for the women’s game, are both hundreds equally important to you?
“Definitely! I feel like that hundred all those years ago was something that I was desperate to get and it was no different at Edgbaston this summer. I’m just desperate to contribute to the team every time I go out there. Hopefully, it won’t be my last one and I’m excited to see who will be next to reach that landmark.”
A lot has changed within the women’s game in the last 10 years. What can we expect in the next 10 years?
“I don’t imagine that there’ll be a scorecard from 2035 with my name on it, unless we’re talking about the Somerset Over 40s, which is a scary thought, but I’m really excited by this current group and it will be exciting to see how far they can go.
“There are names on the team sheet from 2025 who have got a lot of time within the game ahead of them and it’s exciting to be on that journey with them. I believe that these players can flourish and we need to make sure that we are in a position where we are challenging for silverware consistently. The men are doing that here, particularly in the Vitality Blast, and we want to be in a position where we can emulate that.”
