On July 30, women’s cricket will be stepping into uncharted territory when Loughborough Lightning take on Yorkshire Diamonds at Headingley in the opening match of the Women’s Kia Super League (KSL).
For the first time on English soil, six teams; each compromising of a mix of county players, England internationals and three overseas players will compete for the coveted title of a Twenty20 championship - concluding with finals day on Sunday 21 August at Chelmsford.
The teams competing are Lancashire Thunder, Loughborough Lightning, Southern Vipers, Surrey Stars, Western Storm and Yorkshire Diamonds.
Amy Gauvrit, a Nottinghamshire bowler who has been rewarded for her county performances with selection for the Lightning squad, says she is quietly confident ahead of the tournament.
“T20 is such a fun and energetic type of cricket - that’s what we play best,” she said. “It’ll be interesting to see all the different teams and the different overseas players.
“Having Sophie Devine (New Zealand), Ellyse Perry (Australia), as well as Dane van Niekerk (South Africa) - the second best all-rounder in the world - combined with some really talented players from the England squad; we should be a really good team.
“It’s really good for the profile of women’s cricket. It’s not just important across England but with the overseas players coming in, it’s spreading out across the world and hopefully it will help the development of younger players wanting to come and play cricket.”
The inaugural tournament is aiming to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket; inspiring more women and girls to play cricket at all levels.
In a group of experienced internationals, Loughborough Lightning have also included 17-year-old Notts batter Georgie Boyce in their squad.
“I was on the brink of getting in the team but I am still quite young. I knew if I wasn’t in it this year, I’d really push for it next year. Now I’m in I want to stay there.
“People my age, 17 or 18, have other things to do but we’ve got to keep them in cricket. This is something they’ve got to strive for coming through the county group - they’ve got something to work towards. It keeps them interested; striving for a new goal,” said Boyce.
Leading up to the competition, Lightning have completed several weeks of training followed by a warm-up game against Surrey Stars, which they won convincingly within 12 overs, after bowling the Stars out for 81 runs.
The Lightning will face Lancashire Thunder on Friday for their final warm-up game, before opening their campaign against Yorkshire Diamonds – and they are expecting a tough encounter.
“On paper, Yorkshire have a good team and it’s going to be a very competitive game against them,” said Notts & Lightning bowler Sonia Odedra.
“We’ve prepared well and we’re still preparing. We’re going to give them a good go,”
Women’s T20 cricket is also taking place, alongside the Royal London Women’s One-Day County Cup, at county level.
Nottinghamshire’s Women currently occupy second place in the second division of the Royal London Women’s One-Day County Cup, with the top two winning promotion at the end of the season, however relegation from the top tier in 20 over cricket was recently confirmed.
Click here to find out more about the Loughborough Lightning and their Kia Super League campaign...