Cricket Counties Raise Concerns Over Women’s Domestic Restructure
Counties across England without a first-class men’s team believe they are being excluded from plans for a new second division in women’s domestic cricket. Starting from the 2025 season, only counties with a first-class men’s team will have the opportunity to run a squad in the top two tiers of the women’s game, despite the lack of formal first-class status in the women’s county system historically.
Nine national counties, formerly known as minor counties, had submitted applications to operate a team in the proposed tier-two women’s competition. However, these bids are now being disregarded by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) without progressing to the interview stage.
The affected counties, including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Devon, Northumberland, Staffordshire, and Wiltshire, were informed on June 13th that their applications would not be considered. In an email on June 17th, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould cited concerns about the “level of professional resources” required to run a tier-two team, stating the current process has been “paused” to explore whether national county members could potentially be selected for tier-two status by 2025.
“We followed all the guidelines, ticked all the boxes, and spent hours putting our bid together. And then they turn around and say: ‘Sorry, guys, we’ve changed our mind’ – it’s just so frustrating and disappointing,” lamented a senior staff member at one of the affected national counties.
Another staff member alleged that “in hindsight, we think this was always going to happen. They disqualified us because we don’t have a men’s team that plays in the County Championship, essentially. It looks like an absolute stitch-up.”
In a joint letter to the ECB board dated June 25th, eight of the nine national counties that submitted bids have requested a “full review of the process and decision making” within the ECB.
The ECB disputes the claim that the governing body is not engaging with stakeholders, stating that Gould has already met with several national counties. However, one national county staff member claims the only appointments being offered are after the July 17th decision deadline.
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