Sixteen of the 18 first-class counties have bid for certainly one of eight skilled women’s teams in a revamped England and Wales home competitors beginning subsequent season.
Worcestershire and Derbyshire are the solely two golf equipment amongst these invited to tender who’ve confirmed that they didn’t bid for a Tier 1 group below the new construction.
Essex and Glamorgan made formal bulletins on Wednesday whereas Surrey, Lancashire, Sussex, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire all confirmed this week that that they had lodged tenders with the ECB.
Middlesex confirmed a bid on Monday, which had acquired “the full assist of Marylebone Cricket Membership”. MCC, which owns Middlesex’s house floor, Lord’s, and was additionally invited to bid for a group, haven’t submitted a proposal of their very own.
It’s understood counties shall be notified imminently of interview slots for the subsequent stage of the course of, with these interviews to happen by the finish of March.
First-class counties not awarded Tier 1 standing, plus all Nationwide Counties, shall be invited to participate in a course of to find out the make-up of Tier 2 and three competitions, comprising 10-14 teams and 16-20 teams respectively.
Regardless of there being no plans for promotion or relegation from 2025-28, Derbyshire have taken a longer-term view, electing to “pursue the institution of a sustainable Tier 2 women’s construction, one which can hopefully develop into Tier 1 standing” in future. Derbyshire have hosted coaching for present regional women’s group the Blaze over the winter and staged at the very least one England Girls’s worldwide fixture yearly for the previous seven seasons. In 2020, Derby hosted all 5 T20Is in opposition to West Indies which comprised the England Girls’s worldwide season amid the preliminary wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Explaining the membership’s place, Derbyshire chief government Ryan Duckett stated: “Derbyshire makes up 9% of the inhabitants of the Midlands, but 26% of women’s cricket that was performed throughout the area in the final 12 months concerned a group from the county. There are additionally three gamers in the present senior England squad who’ve come by the Derbyshire pathway, which has been led by the Derbyshire Cricket Basis, and we’ll proceed to assist additional success in this space.
“Our ambitions for floor improvement embody enhanced coaching amenities underpinning a sturdy pathway construction, in addition to growing seating capability to fulfill demand and guarantee the membership retains its standing as a number venue for worldwide women’s cricket… After sincere evaluation, we felt that in the brief time period, as a standalone county, it might have been important to compromise what’s at the moment being delivered as a collective throughout the area and due to this fact consider this resolution is in the finest curiosity of the sport.”
Worcestershire CEO Ashley Giles advised the membership’s podcast: “At this level it could simply be extra a funding and a useful resource problem for us. Even in floor amenities, altering amenities, follow wickets, it could be actually difficult for us.
“However the subsequent course of from right here shall be Tier 2 and even Tier 3 and positively we’ll be into that. And, for us, we host the Central Sparks proper now, which is the regional group, however we even have the Girls’s Rapids and I am very eager that we begin to develop that group in order that after we come to these subsequent ranges, Tier 2 for instance, that we’re able to go.”
The ECB will make investments a minimal of £1.3 million per 12 months into every of the eight Tier 1 teams, a proportion of which shall be ring-fenced for participant salaries, sports activities science and medication and expertise pathways. There shall be no mandated minimal monetary dedication sought from the counties, who’re anticipated to stipulate their projected funding as a part of the tender course of.
The prevailing areas – South East Stars, Thunder, Sunrisers, Central Sparks, Western Storm, the Blaze, Northern Diamonds and Southern Vipers – will stay for the 2024 season.
Valkerie Baynes is a basic editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
