'You can't ignore us, we're coming to get you': Yorkshire Women's defiant message to ECB and Tier One teams
A “bigger and better” domestic T20 competition for both men and women was unveiled yesterday, but it is the inaugural Women’s Vitality County Cup that one homegrown talent is targeting as the tournament Yorkshire want to win to prove a point to the authorities.
Yorkshire were controversially omitted from the 10 teams awarded Tier One franchises for the elite women’s division for 2025, and although their elevation has been brought forward a year to 2026, their inclusion in a new 37-team 20-over competition next summer gives the White Rose women the opportunity to make the England and Wales Cricket Board regret their decision.
That is the belief among the 12 players who reported for training under returning head coach Rich Pyrah earlier this month, according to York-born batter Grace Hall.
About to embark on her third season as a professional, Hall saw a draw this week that initially pits them against Derbyshire Falcons in the first round and then Staffordshire or Cumbria in the second before the Tier One teams enter in the third round, and immediately set her sights on glory.
“This is our FA Cup, and we want to win it,” the 21-year-old told The Yorkshire Post.
“At Yorkshire we want to win trophies. For us, it’s the magic of the cup, anything can happen, but we’re a good team, Rich has done a really good job in bringing a group together and it’s really exciting.
“I’ve been in with the girls for a week or so and from that you can just see how much of a dynamic we’ve already formed and how that’s going to translate onto the pitch.
“We’re going out there to win it. We’re not in Tier One yet but everything we train for is for that.
“We want to win Tier Two, we want to win the ‘FA Cup’, we want to prove to everyone that you can’t ignore us, we’re here and we’re coming to get you in 2025.
“That’s what we’ve been saying as a group.
“Proving a point to anyone gives you motivation.”
Rebranded as Yorkshire Women (Diamonds has been dropped), the club have signed 12 players to professional contracts, ranging from Hall at 21 to captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, Scottish international Rachel Slater and Netherlands batter Sterre Kalis.
Due to their status in Tier Two, they will play in the 10-team Women’s League Two of the Vitality Blast, commencing on June 1 against Derbyshire Falcons at Headingley.
Anthony McGrath’s first Vitality Blast game as Yorkshire Men’s head coach brings Northamptonshire Steelbacks to Headingley on Friday, May 30.
Playing in the North Group, Yorkshire’s marquee fixtures with Lancashire Lightning will take place on Friday, July 11, at Old Trafford and Thursday, July 17, at Headingley.
They will also play a T20 game at York for the first time when they welcome Durham on Sunday, June 15.
The Vitality Blast is branded as “bigger and better” this year due to the increased women’s involvement and the amount of double-header fixtures that will take place for men’s and women’s teams – 52 in total up and down the country.
Yorkshire’s men’s and women’s team hold their first double-header at Headingley on Sunday, June 8, against Leicestershire Foxes.
They will stage another one on July 13.
Next year’s Blast will see ‘Rivals Week’ continue in the men’s competition, with the focus being on the oldest county rivalries.
There will also be 17 scheduled games in the men’s competition staged on a Tuesday or Wednesday, while the number of back-to-back matches has been reduced by nearly a third.
The group stages will conclude with the ‘Friday Finale’ on July 18, where the women’s teams will compete for three Finals Day spots and the men’s teams will aim to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The men’s Finals Day will take place on September 13 at Edgbaston, while the first-ever women’s Finals Day will be staged at the Kia Oval on July 27.
Vitality Blast Men’s Fixtures 2025
May 30 v Northamptonshire Steelbacks June 1 @ Worcestershire Rapids June 6 @ Birmingham Bears June 8 v Leicestershire Foxes* June 11 @ Notts Outlaws June 13 v Birmingham Bears June 15 v Durham (at York) June 20 @ Durham July 4 v Worcestershire Rapids July 6 @ Derbyshire Falcons July 11 @ Lancashire Lightning July 13 v Derbyshire Falcons* July 17 v Lancashire Lightning July 18 @ Leicestershire Foxes September 6 – Men’s Quarter-Finals (venue TBC) September 13 – Men’s Finals Day (Edgbaston)
Vitality Blast Women’s Fixtures 2025
June 1 – v Derbyshire Falcons June 8 – v Leicestershire Women* June 21 – @ Derbyshire Falcons June 27 – v Worcestershire Rapids June 29 – @ Northamptonshire Steelbacks July 13 – v Northamptonshire Steelbacks*
July 18 – @ Leicestershire Women* July 20 – @ Worcestershire Rapids July 26 – Women’s Finals Day (venue TBC)
*Denotes double headers