Despite only being in her early twenties, Cara Duggan has already racked up almost a decade of first XI cricket with Bucks. But victory on Sunday, she says, would be the highlight of a decade of effort and toil.
“It’d be unbelievable,” says Duggan. “I’ve played for Bucks Women since I was 12, and we’ve never even come close to anything like this. It’s so exciting.
“Last year I was injured and we had a rough time overall, but it’s brilliant now. Getting to this final shows how far we’ve come as a team.”
She adds: “It would mean so much to the girls to win that trophy and show what Bucks can actually do, rather than just being seen as ‘little old Bucks’. We’ve already proved ourselves this season, and I’m immensely proud of what the girls have achieved, but it would be brilliant to top it off with the trophy.”
Sunday’s final will be the first since a three-tiered women’s domestic structure was launched this year to help drive the continuing growth of women’s cricket. With the professional counties competing in Leagues 1 and 2 of the Vitality Blast, 19 National Counties have been fighting it out in League 3, which in turn has been split into two divisions.
Bucks and Wiltshire will contest the division one final after topping their respective north and south groups, while Oxfordshire and Shropshire will fight it out for the division two trophy – and the prize of promotion to the higher division.
Duggan has paid tribute to Bucks’ entire squad for the way they have handled several years of frustration – and believes they are now getting rewarded for their patience. Five wins from six fixtures in League 3 Division 1 North has already shown their quality.
She says: “It's been a difficult couple of years for Bucks, with players in and out due to injury, university, and things like that. So to have a really consistent team with everyone performing means it’s been a really great season for us so far.”
Chloe Hill, Natasha MacBean, Amelia Peck, Tegan Stockdale and Charlie Mailey have all caught the eye with their Bucks performances this year, while the return of left-arm spinner Amelia Ridgway looks set to provide another welcome boost ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
“I’ve played Wiltshire a few times in my Bucks career and there are definitely a few players we’ll be keeping an eye on,” says Duggan. “But for the most part, it’ll nice to come up against someone new – and we know Wormsley is a brilliant pitch. We can’t wait.”
Facing up to Duggan and her team-mates will be a Wiltshire squad led by 19-year-old Emily Smith.
“We’re definitely happy with how we’ve been performing,” says Smith. “It’s been a very good season so far.”
Wiltshire topped League 3 Division 1 South with four wins from six fixtures, edging out Devon at the summit on net run rate.
Smith adds: “We’re a good mix of excited, confident, and nervous. We’re confident because, as a team, we have such a good atmosphere together right now. That makes playing so much easier and more enjoying.
“We’ve also got some very good players. In our first two Vitality Blast fixtures (against Hertfordshire), Isla Thompson scored fifties in both games. That really set the standard for us and enabled our bowlers to showcase their skills.
“Then last week, against Berkshire, Lauren Adams and Flo Sharman produced a great partnership, our bowling was very tight, and our fielding was excellent.”
But now, says Smith, attention is firmly on what can be achieved this weekend. “We don’t know much about Bucks,” she says, “which allows us to focus on our own game. We’re all looking forward to showing what we can do."