Two of Durham Cricket’s Development Officers have been selected for the Northern Diamonds side for their 2020 campaign.
Layla Tipton and Rachel Hopkins, Club and Coach Development Officers at Durham Cricket, have been named in the squad by Head Coach Danielle Hazell, alongside North East Warriors fellow players Helen Fenby and Ami Campbell.
The four players are part of the merged senior women’s side between Durham Cricket and Northumberland Cricket Board, now named the North East Warriors.
The North East Warriors were due to be launched following the announcement about the united high performance pathway for women and girls in the North East last winter, but this was disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tipton, Hopkins, Fenby and Campbell will be part of the Northern Diamonds – one of eight newly-formed regions of the women’s elite domestic structure, representing Durham, Northumberland and Yorkshire.
The Northern Diamonds will embark on their campaign in The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, a one-off 50-over competition, on Saturday, 29th August.
The Northern Diamonds will play their second game at Emirates Riverside on Monday, 31st August.
Graeme Weeks, Director of Cricket Development at Durham Cricket said: “I’m so thrilled to know that two of our members of staff Layla and Rachel have made in into the Northern Diamonds squad.
“I’m really proud of them to have made it so far. This will be a brilliant experience for them and an excellent opportunity to train alongside and hopefully play with and against some of the best female cricketers in the country.
“This is a great success for them individually, but also for us as an organisation.
“We have worked really hard in the past few years to develop and raise the profile of the women’s and girls’ game across Durham and Rachel and, more recently, Layla, who joined the team last autumn, have been in the core of this. Now to have them playing cricket at the highest level of the women’s domestic game makes them amazing role models for girls playing the game across clubs in the county.
“Having Helen and Ami involved too, who have also been part of our women’s pathway, is terrific news and to have such a big success at such a high level of the game for four of our players is incredible.”
Speaking of the squad, Head Coach Danielle Hazell said: “I’m really excited about the squad we have put together, there is a real blend of youth and experience. This competition is a fantastic opportunity for women’s cricket and in these challenging times, it’s great to get the game up and running.”
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