Grace Ballinger, The Blaze's left-arm seamer, writes for BBC Sport before the start of the women's domestic season on Saturday. April marks an exciting time for English cricket. Following a long, dark winter, spring brings with it a new dawn of the domestic cricket season. The men's County Championship was welcomed, albeit in brisk conditions, on Easter weekend, while the women's One-Day Cup follows closely with the first round of fixtures this weekend.

The transition from pre-season to competitive league fixtures takes no prisoners - even for the most experienced in the game. Whether it's your first professional season or your 20th, the removal of the pre-season safety blanket never fails to humble you. Pre-season for most involves friendly fixtures against fellow counties, and while still a full fixture, they often don't quite feel entirely real. Snick off early in a pre-season fixture and you can put your wrongs to right in a net alongside the pitch. Do it this weekend, and it's a long few hours back on the balcony, reflecting on why you chased a wide one in the second over.

Glamorgan's Kiran Carlson and Asa Tribe had to wrap up warm. The women's One-Day Cup welcomes a new side into Tier 1 this summer, Yorkshire, who were previously competing in the level below. They will play in the professional league for the first time. This takes Tier 1 from an eight-team competition to a nine-team one, leading to sides missing a round of fixtures while everyone else plays against each other. For The Blaze, this has fallen on the first round of fixtures. While every other team will start their season on Saturday, we will wait a few days longer, opening our account on the 15 April at home against Lancashire.

At first I was unsure how to feel about this. Naturally we are eager to kick-start our campaign and get into the season. However, since seeing the weekend forecast of a gusty and cold Saturday in West Bridgford, waiting a few extra days doesn't feel too much of a chore. I love playing at Trent Bridge and calling it home. Previously, we have played our fixtures all around the East Midlands, however this season marks a huge increase in our fixtures at the historical ground. Six out of eight home One-Day Cup games are at Trent Bridge, with two at our fond alternative ground Chesterfield, whilst all six T20 Blast home games are based there. All are double headers alongside Nottinghamshire Outlaws.

There are a few wrongs to put to right for us this season. Last year, by our own standards, was in many ways a disappointing one. Despite reaching all three semi-finals in the One-Day Cup, Vitality Blast and County Cup, we didn't manage to progress any further. This is certainly something we will look to rectify this summer, with a strong desire to bring silverware back to Trent Bridge.

Georgia Elwiss (left) and Kathryn Bryce (right) were the Blaze's top run-scorers in 2025. Bryce ton in vain as Lancs beat Blaze to make final.

The One-Day Cup relies more heavily on consistency than the T20 competitions. Not only does the format in itself require you to uphold your skills for a longer period of time, but the longevity of the season also comes into play. In the women's game, the 50-over cup both opens and closes the season, spanning from April until September, while the Vitality Blast is played during a more condensed period in the middle of summer. That being said, the table-topper doesn't necessarily take the trophy - which is perhaps something I would personally like to see in the future. Instead, the top four qualify for the semi-finals. This means it is possible to finish fourth in a nine-team league and lift the trophy.

A similar story played out in 2025; eventual champions Lancashire finished third in the table, but played very well in both the semi and the final in order to win the cup. Lancashire defeated Hampshire in the One-Day Cup final in 2025.

I feel The Blaze are well equipped to compete for silverware in the One-Day Cup. We have a reliable top-order, led by Kathryn Bryce, who was the competition's second-highest run-scorer last summer. My one to watch is our overseas player Orla Prendergast, an Ireland international. It is her third season being part of The Blaze in some capacity, and she should hopefully be available for most of the one-day competition. She is a tall right-arm seamer who can bowl a difficult length and also a powerful top-order batter who has the ability to take the game away from opposition.

While I will remain deferential about my favourites for the title, although you could possibly guess quite easily, my underdogs are Warwickshire. They finished seventh last summer, but this was an underperformance. They have a strong bowling attack who can fire on their day, including the likes of England's Emily Arlott and captain Georgia Davis. They also have some young talent in their batting line-up, such as emerging star Davina Perrin and left-handed Charis Paverly, who was injured for much of last season.

While my personal involvement in the season is delayed by our later start, I am excited to see the women's domestic season get under way this weekend. After a long winter bowling indoors, it is an exciting prospect to finally get outside and compete again, although I am hoping for some slightly kinder weather conditions.