Hollie Armitage returns home with Northern Superchargers

The 23-year-old batting all-rounder has moved from the Oval Invincibles, whom she was due to represent in the tournament cancelled earlier this year.

Armitage, born in Huddersfield, who played for the Northern Diamonds in the recent Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, will be joined in the Superchargers’ squad by her Diamonds’ colleague Katie Levick, the 29-year-old leg-spinner.

Levick has been retained by the Superchargers’ franchise, who earlier this month confirmed that another Diamonds’ star, England batswoman Lauren Winfield-Hill, has recommitted to their cause. The rest of the Superchargers’ 15-strong squad, coached by Danielle Hazell, will be confirmed over the coming months ahead of next summer’s rescheduled launch, as will that of the Superchargers’ men’s franchise, with Yorkshire’s David Willey and Adil Rashid having now re-signed in addition to England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Although the men’s competition has been heavily criticised, with an estimated 90 per cent of existing supporters against what they perceive to be an unnecessary and financially risky addition to a saturated schedule, the women’s event has been more widely embraced as a gateway to greater exposure for their game.

Armitage, who has flown to Australia for a winter of club cricket and coaching in Tasmania, has no doubt that women’s cricket will go from strength to strength on the back of the Hundred, and views it as having widespread benefits.

“There’s been a lot of publicity around the Hundred, and I think it will be great, both on and off the field,” she said.

“I’d expect the competition to be central to women’s cricket taking off in this country, because a lot of time has been put into getting it up and running.

“In terms of the format, I think it will be treated reasonably similar to T20 cricket, just with a few less balls.

“There will be tactics which remain the same and new innovations as well, and it will be fascinating to see how it goes.”

Armitage, who helped the Northern Diamonds finish runners-up in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, captaining the side on four occasions, said that she almost joined the Superchargers for last summer.

But if a week is a long time in politics these days, it is no less so in the ever-evolving world of cricket, and Armitage experienced a change of heart.

“Prior to signing with the Invincibles last year, there were a few conversations around me being a Supercharger,” she said.

“But I got offered a really good cricketing opportunity at The Oval, and when I spoke to Lydia (Greenway, the Invincibles coach) at the time, it was something I couldn’t turn down.

“But a year has passed and the domestic structure has changed, and I spoke to Dani (Hazell), who said to me, ‘There’s still a great opportunity here for you with us’, so that’s led to a change of heart for me ahead of next summer.

“I love being up north – there’s no better place to be playing cricket in my eyes – and I can’t wait to get started.”

Armitage’s sentiments were echoed by Levick, who also believes that the women’s Hundred can be a powerful showcase.

One of the leading lights in the women’s county game over the years, the Sheffield-born star feels that it can help take the women’s game to a different level.

“The (domestic) Super League was great and got us into a light that we’d never been in before as women cricketers, and it gave the domestic girls a fantastic opportunity,” she said.

“But the Hundred, being more in line with the men, is going to offer us greater exposure, which can only be a positive.

“We had the makings of a really good team with the Superchargers last year, and hopefully we carry as many players over as possible because we’ll have a great chance of success.”

Levick had no hesitation in re-joining Superchargers. “They were my first choice last year, so it was a no-brainer for me to take up that option again,” she added.

“To get that secured really early on is great. I was excited for the first tournament this summer just gone, and it was only a global pandemic which derailed it. So, even more so, I can’t wait for next year, and it will be a fantastic spectacle for everyone.”

No dates have yet been given for next year’s launch, with an announcement on next summer’s county fixtures not expected until possibly the end of November.

The pandemic and the prevailing uncertainty over fans’ attendance is clouding the picture, with the counties and the ECB monitoring the national situation.

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