Grace Road to host women’s T20 finale
FIRST TIME THE FEMALE FOXES HAVE PLAYED AT
UPTONSTEEL County Ground will welcome Leicestershire CCC’s Women for the first time as part of the 2022 Vitality Women’s County T20 Finals Day next month, writes Jack Gabriel.
Head coach Stephen Franklin’s squad will compete alongside Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Northants for the title at Grace Road on Sunday, May 8.
Following the traditional Finals Day format, the landmark occasion will see two semi-finals preceding the final in a triple-header that promises to be filled with nail-biting drama.
The seeding process is already under way, with the four sides facing each other in an initial group stage to determine the order of the day.
The winners of the group will take on the side finishing in fourth for the opening semi-final at 10.30am, while second v third will follow at 1.30pm.
The final will conclude the occasion at 4.30pm.
Leicestershire Women are currently third in the group, having won their double header against Lincolnshire in the opening round, before Oxfordshire won the following two matches last weekend.
The final round against Northants takes place on Monday, May 2 at Geddington Cricket Club.
Mark Hudson, cricket development officer for women and girls, said: “I’m so excited for our players, fans and staff, plus the players’ parents, as we stage our first ever women’s match at Uptonsteel County Ground.
“The day marks a major milestone in the club’s drive to be truly inclusive and I can’t thank our staff enough for making this happen, especially Andy Ward and his team for taking on an additional matchday at such short notice.
“Stephen Franklin and assistant head coach Dieter Klein have worked tirelessly to prepare the players for this kind of occasion, so it would be incredible to see lots of our fans there to support their great work and witness some exciting cricket on what promises to be a special day all round for the club.”
Tickets are now on sale for the day, with adults able to enjoy all three matches for £3, while under16s tickets are just £1. See the club website for details.