Yorkshire CCC praised by Katie Levick for investing in future of Northern Diamonds

The Diamonds will now head into 2022 with eight full-time pros, including Levick.

The Sheffield-born leg-spinner is one of three Yorkshire homegrown stars to be contracted alongside captain and batter Hollie Armitage and fledgling left-arm seamer Rachel Slater.

Armitage, Jenny Gunn, Beth Langston and Linsey Smith have all been retained for a second year, while Levick, Slater, Bess Heath and Sterre Kalis have all been handed new deals.

The Diamonds, the only team to reach all three finals so far, now have more contracted players than any of the other seven regions. And that is down to the backing of the White Rose hierarchy.

“It’s every credit to Yorkshire that they’ve had the foresight to see we’ve had some success early on and have put faith in us,” said Levick.

“Ok, it’s not the full silverware, but we’re the only team to have reached every final.

“Ultimately, this is the best way to move forwards and succeed. It’s an investment worth making. It’s great that the girls who’ve worked so hard over the last couple of years are being able to reap the rewards.

“We’ve gone about it in a professional manner since we first came together as the Northern Diamonds whether we’ve had the funding or not. This has just given us the best possible chance to get over the line.

“It’s been the last step, the little one percent, where we’ve fallen short. Hopefully with eight professionals in the squad, we’ve got more time to dedicate to finding that one percent.”

Slater, 19, has backed up Levick’s thoughts that the Diamonds are closing in on a first title.

“We’re in a really good place following the last two years,” she said. “We would have liked to pick up a trophy, but the fact we’re the only team to get to all three finals speaks volumes about the quality and character of the group.”

Netherlands batter Kalis has been with the Diamonds for the last season and a half, first as an overseas player during 2020 and then as domestic qualified during the most recent campaign.

She has been their leading run-scorer in both Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 50-over campaigns (197 in 2020 and 290 in 2021). The 22-year-old is busy preparing for the one-day World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe later this month and believes more Associate nation players can follow the likes of herself and earn full-time contracts.

Kathryn and Sarah Bryce are contracted by the Loughborough-based Lightning, while former Ireland all-rounder Garth is contracted by Victoria in Australia.

“That is something which makes getting a contract even more special for me,” said Kalis.

“It shows that if you are really driven and work hard on your game, it can happen.”