ECB to fund a sixth contract per Regional team for 2021-22 season

On October 29, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the sixth professional contract for women cricketers playing at the domestic level. Two teams, namely, Northern Diamonds and Thunder have agreed to fund additional contracts. With this, the total number of professional players in the women’s regional structure will increase from 41 to 51. Apart from these 51 contracted players, there are 16 other women players, who are professional cricketers in England and Wales. At present, the total contracted women players in England and Wales is 67.

 

 

Clare Connor, ECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, said: “It’s absolutely fundamental to the future of women’s and girls’ cricket in England and Wales that we’re able to continue increasing the depth of our regional game by offering more professional contracts to our players. We cannot overstate the impact that a new professional structure is having on our game. We’ve already seen the positive impact it has had on players’ performances in a relatively short space of time. The players are thriving, raising standards across the game and deepening the potential talent pool for England Women. Just as important is the visibility of these players, showing young girls that cricket is a game that can offer them a professional future. Professionalizing the women’s game is a significant chapter for our sport and I’m thrilled that we’re able to continue that momentum by increasing the number of professional contracts on offer.”

17-Year-Old Alice Capsey who impressed everyone during #TheHundred has earned her first professional contract for the 2022 season. pic.twitter.com/o01WG6hkyw

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 29, 2021

 

	Central Sparks	Lightning	Northern Diamonds	Southern Vipers
	Emily Arlott	Kathryn Bryce	Hollie Armitage	Georgia Adams
	Ami Campbell	Sarah Bryce	Jenny Gunn	Lauren Bell
	Gwenan Davies	Bethan Ellis	Bess Heath	Maia Bouchier
	Abbey Freeborn	Kirstie Gordon	Beth Langston	Charlie Dean
	Eve Jones	Lucy Higham	Katie Levick	Tara Norris
	Issy Wong	Marie Kelly	Linsey Smith	Paige Schofield
			Sterre Kalis*
			Rachel Slater*
Total	6	6	8	6
	South East Stars	Sunrisers	Thunder	Western Storm
	Alice Capsey	Amara Carr	Georgie Boyce	Dani Gibson
	Aylish Cranstone	Kelly Castle	Alex Hartley	Alex Griffiths
	Alice Davidson-Richards	Naomi Dattani	Laura Jackson	Georgia Hennessey
	Danielle Gregory	Jo Gardner	Hannah Jones	Sophie Luff
	Tash Farrant	Cordelia Griffith	Ellie Threlkeld	Fi Morris
	Bryony Smith	Grace Scrivens	Emma Lamb	Nat Wraith
			Phoebe Graham**
Total	6	6	7	6

 * Sterre Kalis and Rachel Slater funded by Northern Diamonds Regional Host, Yorkshire CCC

** Phoebe Graham funded by Thunder Regional Host, Lancashire CCC

This article is the summary of the original article published by ecb.co.uk