'Here to win' - Durham women eye history

The countdown has started for the first season of women’s professional cricket in Durham, writes Colin Young.

Last year, the ECB named Durham as one of eight county clubs in a newly-formed tier one league, along with Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire.

Yorkshire will join next season, with Glamorgan building the league to ten teams in 2027.

The eight selected counties replace the regional teams that competed in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in recent years, and the long-term plan is to develop a three-tier domestic competition pyramid.

The Durham team is made up largely of the successful Northern Diamonds side, which was led by Durham-born Dani Hazell, who was forced to leave the North East to pursue her career in the sport nearly 20 years ago. 

She has been hired as the first Durham women’s cricket coach, and makes no secret of her wish to compete for silverware while creating a pathway for female professional cricketers in the North East.

The former England captain, 36, hopes the side will be in contention for honours.

But it is the goal of developing female cricket professionals from the North East that is one of the biggest motivations for Dani and the Chester-le-Street-based club.

Dani’s roots in North East cricket run deep.

Her dad played in the local leagues, starring for the likes of Esh Winning, and, she says, was a major influence in her decision to take up playing.

She went on to play for her home county for five years from 2002.

But she was forced to move to Yorkshire to take up the sport professionally, going on to represent England in all three formats of the game, appearing in three Tests, more than 50 one-day internationals and 85 T20 games.

She starred for Yorkshire Diamonds in the first Super League season in 2016 and played in Australia too.

Now she cannot wait to start a fresh challenge with her home county and truly help put Durham on the cricketing map.

Dani said: “I’m just excited to get things going and get out on the pitch for the first game.

“It’s going to be upon us before we know it – we’re all really looking forward to it.

“We want to be competitive; we’re not just going through the motions.

“We’re here to compete and put ourselves in place to win trophies.

“And there’s no doubt creating that pathway for girls in this area is one of the most exciting parts of this – and we hope the most rewarding.

“It’s great that young girls here will have opportunities, which, unfortunately, were just not available when I was younger.”

The Durham captain is England international Hollie Armitage, while England fast-bowler Lauren Filer has signed a three-year contract along with international team-mate Mady Villiers, the off-spinning all-rounder, after she left her home county Essex.

The season opens at the Riverside on Wednesday, April 23, when Durham face Essex, and there are five double-headers planned over the summer with the men’s side as part of the Vitality Blast! competition.

Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said: “The team’s been training since November and to get to this point is fantastic.

“It has been a lot of work, passion and drive to get to this stage and we’re within touching distance of the season, so it is exciting to make history with Durham’s first professional women’s team.”

Phil Collins, chief executive, added: “When we started the bid process, we were really seen as an outside chance at best.

“By the end, our bid was recognised as the best by a mile. Typical Durham. 

“We've always been huge advocates for the women's game and we wanted a tier one team here at Durham to give everyone a chance to take the next step and play professionally in the region.

“Having a Durham women's team is fantastic for cricket and sport in the county and the wider region. 

“The team will provide motivation and inspiration for thousands of young girls and women to get involved in the game, and it gives them a clear vision and a pathway to becoming professional athletes.

“Witness the current crop of England captain Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts; that says a lot about our club and it's all about how we involve people in our club.

“We're passionate about giving women the same opportunity.

“We're proud of the hard work and the success.

“We like to have a bit of fun along the way, but the future is bright for the club.

“We can't wait for our women's team to get out there and show us what they're made of and create a rich history.”

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