Durham Cricket will make history tomorrow when the Club take on Essex in its first game as a professional women’s side, with the first ball to be bowled at 10:30am at Banks Homes Riverside.
Danielle Hazell has named a squad of 14 who are all in contention to make their List A debut for Durham in the opening round of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Hollie Armitage will lead the side out for the first time as the club’s first professional women’s captain, in a proud moment for the club and the region.
Suzie Bates will become Durham’s first overseas women’s professional, making her first appearance for the club after arriving last week.
Mady Villiers and Bess Heath returned from England A duty in Australia last week and are set for their Durham bow.
Durham Academy all-rounder Grace Thompson is also in contention for the season opener against Essex, having impressed during pre-season.
Lauren Filer, Lizzie Scott and Emily Windsor are all unavailable for selection due to injury.
Words from Hollie Armitage
[On becoming captain] It’s extremely special for myself and to represent the club. Captaincy has been massive in my playing career and to have Marcus [North] ring me up and ask me to captain the side was a special moment. Hopefully we can do some really cool things.
We have added to the talent we had at the Northern Diamonds by getting other girls to come across, Suzie [Bates] being a standout signing. It’s looking like a solid squad so hopefully we can put on some decent performances.
I think having Suzie around will be massive for the younger girls and myself. Having someone who has captained New Zealand and played the amount of cricket that she has, I can’t wait to learn from her. It’s not only her on-field attributes but the way she acts around the group is going to help build the culture that we want to create up here.
I’m extremely excited, as a leader you dream of these moments and I can’t wait to lead the girls out tomorrow in front of all of our spectators. It’s the school holidays so hopefully we will see plenty of the next generation of cricketers knocking around. It should be a brilliant day tomorrow and we’re very much looking forward to it.
Squad v Essex (23 April)
Hollie Armitage*, Suzie Bates, Leah Dobson, Katherine Fraser, Abi Glen, Bess Heath+, Trudy Johnson, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Mia Rogers, Grace Thompson, Phoebe Turner, Sophia Turner, Mady Villiers
Opposition Corner
Captain: Grace Scrivens
Head Coach: Andy Tennant
The big question: Arguably, Essex have the most settled line-up of the Tier One sides having largely kept together the Sunrisers’ Rachael Heyhoe Flint winning team from last season. That success came after three seasons of huge struggles, so having found a winning formula can this already bonded group repeat the trick?
Player to watch: Sophie Munro. Only Phoebe Turner took more than Munro’s 22 wickets in 50-over cricket last term. The 23-year-old seamer excelled after arriving on loan from The Blaze, proving especially adept towards the back end of an innings including the ‘death overs’. Munro made the move south from Nottingham permanent last September.
Young gun: Sophia Smale. Winning sides tweak, so the fact Smale is the only new addition is intriguing. The slow left-armer fills the void left by Mady Villiers’s departure to Durham, complementing the right-arm leg-spin of both Jodi Grewcock and Abtaha Maqsood in a powerful bowling unit. Only 19, Newport-born Smale has huge potential.
Final thought: Essex will bowl opposition sides out, so the challenge will be scoring enough runs, particularly when setting a target. Skipper Grace Scrivens will lead from the front, and it may need Cordelia Griffith to follow up on her four fifties in the last five games of last season if they are to regularly post totals in excess of 250.
Match Centre
The Club’s match centre will be in operation for the fixture with live scorecards, statistics & video highlights as they happen. You can watch the game live via Durham’s match centre and Durham’s YouTube channel. Durham Cricket will have full coverage on social media, with a full match report at the close.