Essex Women head north to Leeds this weekend to face newly promoted Tier One side Yorkshire Women in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
Coming off the back of an outstanding victory against an in-form Somerset Women side on Wednesday, the group will be aiming for back-to-back wins to build momentum in their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign.
After skipper Grace Scrivens lost the toss against Somerset, Jodi Grewcock scored her maiden professional hundred to propel Essex to a five-wicket victory at Taunton Vale Sports Club.
Arriving at the crease with the score at 21-3, the in-form left-hander came to the rescue with a match-winning innings of 120 not out from 116 balls. She added 106 runs with Jo Gardner and an unbeaten 117 with Flo Miller for the fifth and sixth wickets respectively, as Essex chased down a target of 269 with 12 deliveries to spare - securing their first win of the season. Gardner contributed a valuable 50, while Miller added 54 not out.
Saturday's opponents, Yorkshire, sit mid-table after a mixed start to the campaign, with two wins, two losses, and one draw from their opening five matches.
Stephen Parry has named a unchanged 14-player squad for the clash against Yorkshire at Headingley.
Captain: Lauren Winfield-Hill
Head Coach: Rich Pyrah
2025 finish: Champions (Tier 2)
2025 leading run-scorer: Ami Campbell (452)
2025 leading wicket-taker: Olivia Thomas (18)
Winter moves: International spin-bowling all-rounders Sarah Glenn (England) and Jess Jonassen (Australia) have signed two-year deals, the latter as an all-format overseas and the former coming from The Blaze. Scotland seamer Hannah Rainey joined on loan from Lancashire late last summer ahead of a permanent move. Another spin-bowling all-rounder Olivia Thomas has been elevated from an Academy to professional contract. Kevin Sharp returns to Yorkshire as an assistant coach.
The big question: How will Yorkshire fare in their first season in Tier 1? They enjoyed a successful Tier 2 campaign last year, winning the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, reaching the final of the Vitality Blast and the quarter-finals of the T20 County Cup. But this summer, it will be a different ball game. Head coach Rich Pyrah and Yorkshire’s management have confidence in the players’ ability but have urged patience.
Player to watch: Vice captain Maddie Ward, 21 years old, can do it all. She can keep wicket, bats in dynamic and inventive fashion, bowls spin when required and is a gun in the field. She even skippered Yorkshire last season when Lauren Winfield-Hill wasn’t available. When she first did it in June, aged 20 years and 133 days, Worksop-born Ward became the county’s second youngest ever captain – female or male.
Final thoughts: Yorkshire are very much looking at this as a long-term project. Results are not the be-all and end-all this season, across all formats. Development is more important to them. But if they can take a couple of scalps along the way, it would be a real shot in the arm for the White Rose county. And a Roses win against champions Lancashire would be ideal.
Yorkshire squad: TBC
Essex Women encountered Yorkshire Women last year in the Vitality T20 County Cup with this year being the first time the two sides meet in Tier One status.
Essex Women were edged out by Yorkshire Women in a high-scoring quarter-final qualifier at Headingley, falling just 11 runs short in the 2025 T20 Women’s County Cup.
Yorkshire posted 188 for four, built around a superb unbeaten 83 from Sterre Kalis and a senior-best 43* from Maddie Ward, the pair sharing a match-defining fifth-wicket stand of 113.
In reply, Essex fought hard to keep the chase alive, finishing 177 for eight and taking the contest deep into the final over. Essex showed resilience and intent throughout the innings, pushing a strong Yorkshire side all the way in a match that remained alive until the closing moments.
Despite the result, Essex demonstrated strong competitiveness against top-tier opposition and took valuable momentum from their performance, having matched Yorkshire’s intensity in a thrilling contest that showcased the quality on both sides.
Click here to for the tournament preview.
If you are unable to attend any of the matchdays, the game will be available to watch via the Essex Cricket YouTube livestream. Alternatively, you can keep up to date with the game via our social media channels as we provide live updates.
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Daily highlights will be available after each day's play via the Club website and social media.
Tickets for the clash between Yorkshire Women and Essex Women at Headingley, Leeds are priced at £10.00 for an adult and £5.00 for seniors, young adults and students.
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