Major boost for women’s cricket following successful bid

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has announced that its women’s team will play in the second tier of the restructured domestic pyramid from next  year.

From 2025, Derbyshire’s senior Women’s team, as well as Girls’ Talent Pathway, will run alongside the current Men’s professional and junior development setup, as part of the new women’s domestic structure, which will see all first-class and national counties represented within the three-tier pyramid.

It follows a successful bid by Derbyshire to the England & Wales Cricket Board.

Derbyshire’s bid, which was presented as part of the process to determine which counties would be placed in each tier, was selected by the ECB, after showcasing the club’s and Derbyshire Cricket Foundation’s commitment to growing the women’s game within the region.

As a host venue attracting record crowds for several England internationals, as well as the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup, the club has shown it is a big support of women’s cricket in the country.

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Cricket Foundation has delivered significant growth in the Women and Girls game across the county.

In 2023, Derbyshire clubs featured in more than a quarter of all women’s cricket played across the Midlands, while the likes of Danni Wyatt, Sarah Glenn and Bess Heath, have all been involved in the Women and Girls Pathway and gone on to make multiple appearances for the national side.

Ryan Duckett, chief executive at Derbyshire, said: “The restructuring of women’s domestic cricket is a huge moment for the game, not just in Derbyshire, but across the country.

“With our successful tier two bid, we now have the opportunity to build on the fantastic work that the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation has done over many years to further grow the women and girls’ game in the county.

“We look forward to competing within tier two, where we want to be one of the standard bearers, and make a push to break into tier one, but also to inspire generations of women and girls across Derbyshire to truly believe that cricket is a game for them.”