With the women’s domestic schedule changing in 2020 due to the formation of The Hundred and new 50-over regional tournament, the Bears programme will consist of eight matches that will be played over four weekends:
- Friday 8 May – Surrey and Cricket Wales
- Hosted by Cricket Wales
- Monday 25 May – Durham and Hampshire
- Home fixtures, played at Shrewsbury School
- Sunday 7 June – Somerset and Kent
- Hosted by Kent
- Sunday 21 June – Sussex and Lancashire
- Hosted by Lancashire
With a relatively young squad and more players coming through the pathway, we have a fantastic opportunity to build.
Laura MacLeod
Laura MacLeod, Women’s & Girls’ Performance Manager, said: “There’s always excitement in the camp when the fixtures for the new season are revealed.
“Whilst we have a reduced programme of fixtures in 2020, the new structure presents a fantastic opportunity for many of our players to develop as professionals. Our eight county T20 games could well lead to selection for our players in The Hundred and for the West Midlands in the regional tournament.
The Bears were crowned Vitality Women’s County T20 champions in June, which represented the first domestic women’s trophy to be won by the club. Following this success, nine members of the squad won Kia Super League contracts; more than any other county team.
Additionally, the Bears under 17s girls’ team were crowned ECB national champions.
“Winning our first trophy was an incredible way to finish the 2019 domestic programme,” said MacLeod. “But with a relatively young squad and more players coming through the pathway, we have a fantastic opportunity to build on this.”
The 2020 season will also see the Bears Women’s Second XI merge with Shropshire to play in Division Three of the Vitality Women’s County T20.
These games will be played over three weekends with two fixtures played on each match day:
- Friday 8 May – Derbyshire and Cumbria
- Hosted by Cheshire
- Monday 25 May – Cheshire and Derbyshire
- Hosted by Shropshire
- Sunday 7 June – Cumbria and Cheshire
- Hosted by Cumbria
- Sunday 21 June – Playoffs
- Hosted by Derbyshire
