More indoor provision for female sides

CRICKET

DURHAM County Cricket Board is set to expand its women’s indoor competition offer for local clubbased teams after a successful debut season last winter.

The Women’s Indoor Bash will run two leagues – a Performance league and a Development one – after first launching last January to create a women’s winter programme in Durham.

The Performance League, starting tomorrow, will see six teams involved, while the Development League isn’t set to commence until January.

The expansion of the indoor provision comes after a successful 2018 season at all levels of the female game in Durham – from participation success with All Stars Cricket, in which every one in four participants in the county was a girl, to a revamped Women’s T20 League, which saw 52 games being played, and through to the success of Durham Senior Women securing promotion to Division Two in the ECB Women’s County Championship.

The Performance Indoor Bash, aimed at cricket clubs with established women’s and girls’ sections, will include debut Indoor Bash winners Norton Cricket Club, Women’s T20 League winners Philadelphia Cricket Club, Brandon Cricket Club, Durham City Cricket Club, Durham University Cricket Team and Shotley Bridge Cricket Club.

Durham women’s and girls’ cricket development officer Rachel Hopkins said: “We’re very excited to be running two Indoor Bash leagues after just a year of launching this competition.

“To be in a position where we have enough interest for both Development and Pathway offers is brilliant. It allows us to create opportunities for all local clubs and teams at any level of their women’s sections development.

“This will make competitions more suited, challenging and adequate for players.

“Before last winter, women and girls in the county would have had little to no practice in the offseason and after launching the Indoor Bash last winter and seeing the impact that practice had on players’ attitudes and performance, I am convinced that the competition is a key part of our pathway.”

The four-week programme starts at the Louisa Centre, Stanley, tomorrow.