Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball) – 26/11/24
The Southern Vipers lifting the 2023 RHFT, Finals Day 24/09/23 ©Rosa Simkin
The ECB have today confirmed the final set of women’s county fixtures ahead of a historic season of cricket. The Metro Bank One Day Cup schedule follows the Vitality Blast & Vitality Blast County Cup announcements from last week, as the 18 counties prepare to battle it out across two action-packed tiers of cricket.
Allow me to guide you through the competition with EVERYTHING we know so far. With everything from how the tournament will work & the teams involved to concerns about scheduling! Everything you need to know before you plan your summer is right here.
Order of Contents – The Headlines, How Will The Competition Work?, PCA Raises Concern, Who is Competing?, Key Fixtures, Tier One Fixtures (In Full) & Tier Two Fixtures (In Full)
The Headlines
Over 100 games of 50-over cricket, across two leagues & 31 matchdays, contested by 18 sides, across 29 grounds.
2025 will mark the return of the women’s professional game to the Counties, and the fixture announcement today finalises the schedule for a historic summer. In order to fulfill hopes of fully aligning the men’s and women’s game, and to continue the growth of cricket as one unit following the success of The Hundred, the men and women will be playing under the same banners for the first time in 2025.
Vitality take over the naming rights for the T20 game, with The Vitality Blast League One (Tier One) & League Two (Tier Two) and Metro Bank extend their investment into the women’s game through the same means, with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy becoming The Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup (League One & Two).
The trophy the teams compete for in the One Day Cup (Tier One) will, however, remain as the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, as a piece of the Regional era makes the transition to the professional county game.
“The introduction of women’s county teams is a significant moment for the domestic game. I am sure we will see followers of county cricket also watching their women’s teams and accelerate the growth and popularity of the women’s game which we have already seen in international cricket and The Hundred in recent years.” – Neil Snowball, ECB Managing Director of Competitions and Major Events
“This is the start of an exciting new era for domestic cricket and women’s cricket as we elevate and embed women’s teams in the county structure. We will see seven flagship finals days which will provide high-profile moments to increase scale and visibility. There will be more women’s professional players than ever before, more games at HQ venues and more women’s matches under lights as we further build the profile of women’s cricket across England and Wales.” – Beth Barret-Wild, ECB Director of the Women’s Professional Game
How Will The Competition Work?
Tier One:
Group – Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze (Nottinghamshire) & Warwickshire.
Format – Each county will play the other seven counties in a double round robin format, playing each both home and away for a 14 game group stage. The top four at the conclusion of the group stage will then progress to the semi-finals on Wednesday 17th of September.
Schedule – The first block of fixtures will be played during April & May before stopping for Blast action, they will then re-commence in July before stopping again to allow for The Hundred. After the conclusion of The Hundred in August, action will return again in September.
Alice Davidson-Richards at the 2024 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final – Finals Day 21/09/24 ©Rosa Simkin
Tier Two (League Two):
Group – Derbyshire Falcons, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire Foxes, Middlesex, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids & Yorkshire.
Format – Each county will play the other nine counties round robin style, facing each once during the group stage either home or away. Following the conclusion of the group stage, the top four placed ocunties will progress to the semi-finals on Saturday 6th of September.
Schedule – The first block of League Two fixtures commences on Saturday 19th of April, continuing until mid-may. Following a break to allow T20 action, group stage games will re-commence at the beginning of August being played in parralel to The Hundred & Metro Bank One Day Men’s Cup. The tournament’s semi-finals and final will then occur in September.
PCA Raises Concern Over Scheduling
“With the transition to a county structure in the women’s game, professional players will be playing more than ever before, including a 60% increase in back-to-back fixtures in the Vitality Blast, compared to the 2024 Charlotte Edwards Cup. This means when combining the men’s and women’s professional game, there are 54 back-to-back 20-over games in 2025, compared to 61 in 2024.” – PCA Press Release
The Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has reitterated scheduling concerns following the release of the schedule, with a plea for the game to come together to improve matters for 2026, as they continue to cite the prioritisation of player welfare. Although their concerns are focussed on the men’s game, they have also raised concerns surrounding the women’s game and more specifically the amount of back-to-back fixtures.
You can find their full press release here – https://www.thepca.co.uk/press-release/players-reiterate-schedule-concerns/
Who is Competing?
Women’s Domestic Structure 2025 Pyramid – ©England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
From 2025, the ECB has decided owing to the impressive growth of the professional game during the five year Regional period, to hand the women’s game back to the Counties. A bidding structure split the sides into Tier One and Two, with Tier One replacing the Regions as the fully professional level of the game. Each side is expected to contract a minimum of 15 players, not including overseas or England internationals and are expected to fully integrate their women’s side into the club, from funding and marketing to philosophy.
The eight sides initially representing Tier One are Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, The Blaze (Nottinghamshire), Somerset, Surrey & Warwickshire. This will be upped to nine in 2026 as Yorkshire join and ten in 2027 as Glamorgan join. The ECB hope to raise this to twelve by 2029.
In 2025 Tier Two will include Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Sussex, Worcestershire & Yorkshire.
The eight Tier One sides, will enter League One with the remaining ten Tier Two sides entering League Two.
Key Fixtures
The Opening Day:
Tier One action will commence on Wednesday 23rd of April, with all eight sides in action. Their first weekend fixture will fall later that week, on Sunday 27th of April, with all sides playing across four of the main county stadia. For Tier Two, their opening date falls on a weekend, with all ten teams in action actoss the 19th & 20th of April.
The Semis:
League Two’s semi-finals occur first on Saturday 6th of September, whilst Tier One are set to play their’s on Wednesday 17th of September, with venues not yet confirmed.
Finals Day:
League Two will reach its conclusion on Sunday 14th of September at New Road Worcester, with Tier One’s final day falling a week later, on Sunday 21st of September at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton.
The captains with the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Finals Day 21/09/24 – ©Rosa Simkin
Tier One Fixtures (In Full)
Wednesday 23 April
Durham v Essex (Seat Unique Riverside)
Surrey v Somerset (County Ground, Beckenham)
The Blaze v Lancashire (Trent Bridge)
Warwickshire v Hampshire (Edgbaston)
Sunday 27 April
Durham v The Blaze (Seat Unique Riverside)
Essex v Warwickshire (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Hampshire v Surrey (Utilita Bowl)
Somerset v Lancashire (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
Wednesday 30 April
Lancashire v Hampshire (Southport)
Somerset v Essex (Venue TBC)
Surrey v Durham Cricket (County Ground, Beckenham)
Warwickshire v The Blaze (Edgbaston)
Sunday 4 May
Durham v Somerset (Seat Unique Riverside)
Essex v Lancashire (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Surrey v Warwickshire (County Ground, Beckenham)
The Blaze v Hampshire (Trent Bridge)
Tuesday 6 May
The Blaze v Essex (Loughborough)
Wednesday 7 May
Hampshire v Durham (Arundel)
Lancashire v Surrey (Southport)
Warwickshire v Somerset (Edgbaston)
Sunday 11 May
Durham v Warwickshire (Seat Unique Riverside)
Hampshire v Essex (Utilita Bowl)
Lancashire v The Blaze (Emirates Old Trafford)
Somerset v Surrey (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
Tuesday 13 May
Somerset v Hampshire (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
Wednesday 14 May
Essex v Durham (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Surrey v The Blaze (Venue TBC)
Warwickshire v Lancashire (Edgbaston)
Monday 19 May
Essex v Surrey (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Hampshire v Warwickshire (Arundel)
Lancashire v Durham (Blackpool)
Tuesday 20 May
The Blaze v Somerset (Loughborough)
Thursday 24 July
Durham v Lancashire (Venue TBC)
Essex v Somerset (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Surrey v Hampshire (Guildford)
The Blaze v Warwickshire (Lindum)
Wednesday 30 July
Hampshire v The Blaze (Utilita Bowl)
Lancashire v Essex (Sedbergh)
Somerset v Durham (Venue TBC)
Warwickshire v Surrey (Portland Road)
Thursday 4 September
Essex v Hampshire (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Lancashire v Somerset (Emirates Old Trafford)
The Blaze v Surrey (Trent Bridge)
Warwickshire v Durham (Portland Road)
Sunday 7 September
Durham v Hampshire (Seat Unique Riverside)
Somerset v The Blaze (Venue TBC)
Surrey v Lancashire (County Ground, Beckenham)
Warwickshire v Essex (Portland Road)
Wednesday 10 September
Hampshire v Somerset (Utilita Bowl)
Lancashire v Warwickshire (Venue TBC)
Surrey v Essex (County Ground, Beckenham)
The Blaze v Durham (County Ground, Derby)
Saturday 13 September
Durham v Surrey (Seat Unique Riverside)
Essex v The Blaze (Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford)
Hampshire v Lancashire (Arundel)
Somerset v Warwickshire (Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton)
Wednesday 17 September
Semi final 1
Semi final 2
Sunday 21 September
Metro Bank One Day Cup women’s competition final (Utilita Bowl)
Tier Two Fixtures (In Full)
Saturday 19 April
Glamorgan v Sussex Sharks (Sophia Gardens) – League Two
Gloucestershire v Derbyshire Falcons (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) – League Two
Yorkshire v Worcestershire Rapids (Headingley) – League Two
Sunday 20 April
Leicestershire Foxes v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (Venue TBC) – League Two
Middlesex v Kent (Radlett) – League Two
Saturday 26 April
Kent v Derbyshire Falcons (Spitfire Ground, Canterbury) – League Two
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Gloucestershire (County) – League Two
Sussex Sharks v Yorkshire (1st Central County Ground, Hove) – League Two
Sunday 27 April
Glamorgan v Middlesex (Venue TBC) – League Two
Leicestershire Foxes v Worcestershire Rapids (Venue TBC) – League Two
Saturday 3 May
Derbyshire Falcons v Yorkshire (County Ground, Derby) – League Two
Gloucestershire v Glamorgan (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) – League Two
Kent v Leicestershire Foxes (Spitfire Ground, Canterbury) – League Two
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Middlesex (County Ground, Northampton) – League Two
Worcestershire Rapids v Sussex Sharks (Venue TBC) – League Two
Thursday 15 May
Derbyshire Falcons v Glamorgan (Venue TBC) – League Two
Middlesex v Gloucestershire (Radlett) – League Two
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Worcestershire Rapids (County Ground, Northampton) – League Two
Sussex Sharks v Kent (1st Central County Ground, Hove) – League Two
Yorkshire v Leicestershire Foxes (York) – League Two
Saturday 2 August
Derbyshire Falcons v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (County Ground, Derby) – League Two
Glamorgan v Leicestershire Foxes (Venue TBC) – League Two
Sussex Sharks v Gloucestershire (1st Central County Ground, Hove) – League Two
Worcestershire Rapids v Kent (Venue TBC) – League Two
Yorkshire v Middlesex (Headingley) – League Two
Saturday 9 August
Gloucestershire v Worcestershire Rapids (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) – League Two
Kent v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (County Ground, Beckenham) – League Two
Middlesex v Derbyshire Falcons (Merchant Taylors’ School) – League Two
Sussex Sharks v Leicestershire Foxes (Arundel) – League Two
Yorkshire v Glamorgan (Westwood, Leeds) – League Two
Saturday 16 August
Gloucestershire v Yorkshire (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) – League Two
Kent v Glamorgan (County Ground, Beckenham) – League Two
Leicestershire Foxes v Middlesex (Venue TBC) – League Two
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Sussex Sharks (County Ground, Northampton) – League Two
Worcestershire Rapids v Derbyshire Falcons (Venue TBC) – League Two
Monday 25 August
Derbyshire Falcons v Leicestershire Foxes (Venue TBC) – League Two
Gloucestershire v Kent (Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol) – League Two
Northamptonshire Steelbacks v Yorkshire (County Ground, Northampton) – League Two
Sussex Sharks v Middlesex (1st Central County Ground, Hove) – League Two
Worcestershire Rapids v Glamorgan (Venue TBC) – League Two
Saturday 30 August
Derbyshire Falcons v Sussex Sharks (County Ground, Derby) – League Two
Glamorgan v Northamptonshire Steelbacks (Venue TBC) – League Two
Kent v Yorkshire (Spitfire Ground, Canterbury) – League Two
Leicestershire Foxes v Gloucestershire (Venue TBC) – League Two
Middlesex v Worcestershire Rapids (Merchant Taylors’ School) – League Two
Saturday 6 September
League Two semi final 1
League Two semi final 2
Sunday 14 September
League Two Final (Visit Worcestershire New Road)
