Ninety-eight of the most talented female cricketers in the country, aged between 13 and 20, amassed earlier this month for a competition held between the seven Regional Development Centres.
It is the first time that the Regional Development Centres (RDCs) have had a summer programme and for many of those involved it is just the beginning, with 39 of those players now selected for the School Games.
The Regional Development Centres are each linked to one of the six Kia Super League teams, with the West Midlands also represented.
The competition comes as part of an extended RDC programme which aims to identify, develop and prepare players for the next level of the Pathway by giving them individualised and localised programmes of support.
Those players picked for their respective RDC have been benefitting from training since October, having been scouted in the summer of 2017.
The 39 who will go on to take part in the School Games will be divided into three teams each named after a current England player – Team Knight, Team Brunt and Team Sciver – with six coaches trying to navigate their side towards glory.
Current or former players Charlotte Edwards, Arran Brindle, Caroline Foster and Dani Hazell make up four of the six coaches, while Lancashire Thunder’s Eve Jones, and Paul Lawrence, Head of Cricket at Wellington School, are also involved.
The three teams will go head-to-head in a round-robin competition at Loughborough University at the Games between 31 August and 2 September.
Di Lewis, National Talent Manager for Women’s Cricket, said: “It’s fantastic to see the progress the Regional Development Centres are making and it bodes well for the future of women’s cricket in England and Wales.
“There was a lot of exciting talent on show at Taunton and the 39 players who’ll go on to the School Games have another opportunity to showcase their talent and improve their game.”
School Games teams
Team Brunt
Gemma Marriot
Ella Wadey
Robyn Edge
Alex Travers
Milly Home
Arianna Dowse
Lucia Kendall
Grace Ballinger
Katie Wolfe
Alice Monaghan
Emily Dibble
Ellie Mitchell
Ilenia Sims
Team Knight
Rebecca Duckworth
Leah Dobson
Adrianna Darlow
Ella Chandler
Amelia Gardner
Rhianna Southby
Amy Gordon
Francesca Goldthorpe
Lauren Filer
Grace Potts
Sophie Florides
Georgia Draper
Sophie Munro
Team Sciver
Ria Fackrell
Ella McCaughan
Bess Heath
Ellie Mason
Danielle Collins
Nat Wraith
Alex Griffiths
Chelsey Rowson
Issy Wong
Katie Green
Danni Gibson
Kalea Moore
Olivia Bentley