By Dom Harris
A new era for women’s domestic cricket in England has begun following the opening round of top-tier fixtures in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup on Wednesday.
The major transition has seen previously regionalised teams become aligned with the traditional counties, competing in the two white-ball competitions that also mirror the men’s game.
Here is a round-up of some of the key talking points as the eight counties awarded professional Tier 1 status embarked on a historic 2025 campaign.
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The game between Warwickshire and Hampshire produced a dramatic finale as Warwickshire captain Georgia Davis was run out off the final ball as the sides played out a tie in their opening game.
Rhianna Southby top-scored with 72 for Hampshire as the hosts were set 209 for victory.
Abby Freeborn made 70 at the top of the order, but England’s Linsey Smith took 4-39 as Warwickshire found themselves nine down and still 20 runs short of their target.
With just four needed from the 50th over, final-wicket pair Davis and Hannah Baker got the scores level but were unable to complete a quick single required off the final ball of the match, with Abi Norgrove calmly hitting the base of the stumps with an underarm throw from extra cover.
Emma Lamb impresses with match-winning performance
The standout performer from the first round of fixtures was undoubtedly Lancashire’s Emma Lamb in her side’s emphatic victory over The Blaze at Trent Bridge.
Her off-break produced figures of 3-42 to help restrict the hosts to 234 all out, having been 146-2 at one stage, before hitting a stunning 130 not out as Lancashire eased to an eight-wicket win with five overs to spare.
With newly-appointed England head coach Charlotte Edwards in attendance, the opener, who has 14 ODI appearances, struck 15 boundaries on her way to becoming the first player to score a century in this season’s competition.
Overseas stars show their worth
A number of the biggest international names in women’s cricket will also feature throughout the season, most notably Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry, who has joined Hampshire for the T20 Blast.
The first round of the One-Day Cup already saw some of the high-profile overseas signings demonstrate their class.
New Zealand legend Suzie Bates, who has scored over 10,000 runs for her country, made a fluent 93 not out as Durham made light work of their 178 target to beat Essex by nine wickets.
Meanwhile, Australia‘s Amanda-Jade Wellington made valuable contributions with both bat and ball as Somerset edged Surrey in a final-ball classic.
Reduced to a 33-over contest, her three wickets included the scalps of England duo Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey as Surrey finished on 243-7 at Beckenham.
Somerset were well placed thanks to former England captain Heather Knight’s 54-ball 64 in a century stand for the first wicket, before the hosts turned the screw.
With 32 needed off two overs, Wellington hit Ryana MacDonald-Gay for four successive boundaries to reduce the equation to 15 off 6, before finding the rope twice more in the final over.
With just one needed from the last ball, Fran Wilson pulled Alice Davidson-Richards for four to complete a memorable victory, with Wellington’s unbeaten cameo of 24 off 7 balls crucial in getting Somerset over the line.
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