Counties in England that lack first-class men's teams feel excluded from the new second-division plans for women’s cricket. From the 2025 season, only counties with first-class men's teams will be eligible to compete in the top two tiers of women’s domestic cricket, despite first-class status never being formally recognised in women’s cricket and many county women's teams historically outperforming some first-class men's teams.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has dismissed applications from nine counties to participate in the second tier of women's cricket in 2025 without even granting them an interview. These counties, including Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Devon, Northumberland, Staffordshire, and Wiltshire, had submitted their bids by the June 11 deadline and were initially told they would present them to the ECB. However, in an email on June 17, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould expressed concerns about the professional resources of these counties and announced a pause in the process to determine if national counties could run a Tier 2 team by 2025.
It was reported that bids from first-class counties are still under consideration, with a final decision on Tier 2 teams to be made at an ECB board meeting on 17 July, effectively excluding national counties from the process.
Women’s domestic cricket is shifting from a regional to a county structure. Tier 2 women’s teams will receive £200,000 annually from the ECB from 2025 to 2028. While only historically first-class counties were eligible for Tier 1 bids, Tier 2 was initially open to all. National counties submitted detailed bids, including their strategies for creating high-performance environments, coaching staff plans, facilities, and financial projections. Many also collaborated with local Tier 1 teams to establish “pathway catchment areas,” deemed essential by the ECB.
Berkshire, for example, has a strong women's cricket history, having played in Division One of the Women’s County Championship and winning the County T20 Championship in 2010. They have produced international players like Isa Guha and current England fast bowler Lauren Bell. Despite such credentials, first-class counties with no significant achievements in women’s cricket appear to be favoured based solely on their men’s first-class status.
One senior staff member from a national county expressed frustration, stating they followed all guidelines and invested significant effort into their bid, only to be dismissed by the ECB. Another staff member speculated that their exclusion was inevitable due to their lack of a men’s team in the County Championship, calling it a "stitch-up."
In a letter to the ECB board dated June 25, eight of the nine national counties requested a review of the decision-making process. Gould has offered to meet counties individually, but some allege that these meetings are scheduled after the 17 July decision date. The ECB disputes this claim, stating Gould has already met with several national counties, showing ongoing engagement with stakeholders.