Exclusive: Yorkshire CCC seek ECB U-turn over tier one women's cricket snub

The club has written to the game’s governing body suggesting a “compromise proposal” after it was snubbed as a host for one of the eight new professional women’s teams.

Yorkshire are suggesting that they “fund the gap between tier one and tier two” after losing control of the Northern Diamonds to Durham, effectively creating a ninth tier one side.

The Diamonds represent Yorkshire and the north-east but Headingley has been the squad’s base since 2020 and the decision has upset players and support staff.

In a letter to Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, seen by The Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire say they are “not convinced with some of the explanations and rationale provided in relation to what we now understand to be YCCC’s financial and governance negative mark down by the selection panel”.

Gould attended a recent board meeting at Headingley at Yorkshire’s behest because the club wanted to dive further into why their bid was rejected after 16 of the 18 first-class counties submitted “Project Darwin” applications.

Yorkshire’s letter points out that, by the end of this month, “£6m will have been injected into the club to ensure its stability for the future, and the club’s governance is rated highly by yourselves as the governing body, as highlighted to you by Leslie Ferrar (YCCC board member) from your own personal comments previously to the YCCC board”.

It guarantees the club will make any improvements deemed necessary by the ECB before 2025 and says the decision has caused “considerable disruption and heartache” to players and staff.

“Please do not underestimate how serious this situation is,” the letter states, adding that tier one status is not only “in the best interests of the women’s game” but also “essential for the club’s EDI plan”.

Signed by Yorkshire chair Colin Graves, the letter reveals that Gould “outlined that the selection panel recommended ten teams to participate in Tier 1 rather than eight”, and that this was “rejected originally by the ECB’s audit committee and then by the ECB board on the basis of financial constraints”.

When announcing its results last month, the ECB said that tier one would expand to ten teams – but only “by 2027”, with Yorkshire and Glamorgan making up the set.

On that basis, Yorkshire’s letter proposes the following compromise:

• YCCC will fund the gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 funding for the 2025 season, to ensure the club remain a Tier 1 team and the club’s players can play and remain as YCCC players playing at the highest level.
• In 2026 the YCCC team would be funded by the ECB as all other Tier 1 teams are.

The Yorkshire Post understands that the letter will be discussed at an ECB board meeting later this month.

It comes amid ongoing astonishment and anger at a decision which penalises the county with the largest active playing base of women and girls, with more than 300 teams and an excellent track record in national competitions.

There is also disquiet that the results appeared to leak out some time in advance and a feeling among insiders that Yorkshire and Graves are being victimised after the racism crisis.

Gould recently denied that Yorkshire were being unfairly treated as the women’s game moves from a regionally-based, ECB-owned model to a county operated system.

They are “certainly not being punished for past sins”, he said.

“That’s not the ECB’s role,” Gould added. “Our role is to promote the game, not punish. We have responsibility when we have an opportunity such as this to get the best outcomes nationally.”

In its letter inviting Gould to the board meeting, also seen by The Yorkshire Post, the club says it produced “a plethora of information based on the four pillars we were asked to, namely Vision and mission, Quality cricket, Passionate fans and Long-term value”.

Citing “the huge investment in our EDI policies and governance”, it adds that the rejection, “no matter how it is explained, is damaging to those very communities that we have worked tirelessly to build and nurture”.

The letter describes Durham as having had only “a very light touch involvement” with the Diamonds and seeks “100% surety that due process and independence was followed”.

It warns: “The very real concern is that we risk losing talent to a neighbouring county with limited home resources, facilities, populous that will simply be able to lure them with their elevated status,” adding that “now is not the time to be punishing Yorkshire, but working with us to be the northern powerhouse that it once was.”

Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire were the other successful tier one teams. Composition of tiers two and three is due to be confirmed in September.