Sussex Cricket has announced the launch of the Sussex Women’s Premier League for the 2023 season.
Five clubs from across the County will form the inaugural Premier League; Bells Yew Green, Brighton & Hove, Burgess Hill, Eastbourne and Horsham, with a further 10 teams making up the second division.
The structure has been created to continue the excellent growth and development of Women & Girls Cricket in Sussex, whilst also aiming to improve the quality and standard of cricket played, as well as increasing opportunities along the way.
The objective will also be to grow the Premier League over the coming years and continue to produce players for Sussex Women, Southern Vipers and Brave and England Women.
Charlotte Burton, Women & Girls Lead Officer, said: “Providing a Premier League for Women’s clubs is something we have wanted to develop for a number of years and with the continued growth of Women’s and Girls cricket in Sussex, we wanted a structure in place where Women can access more opportunities to play the longer format of the game.
It is an exciting time for Women and Girls cricket and through the work we do at schools with our two secondary school projects with Chance to Shine and the ECB, we hope to get even more girls coming into the game.”
Premier League teams will compete in both a 40 over and T20 competition, with Division 2 sides playing in a 30 over format.
The balls used for both divisions will be supplied by Gray Nicolls, who also supply balls for The 1st Central Sussex Cricket League.
Hannah Phelps, Horsham Cricket Club Women’s Captain said, “We at Horsham Cricket Club are excited to be involved in the new Sussex Women’s Premier League and believe this will strengthen the Women’s game in Sussex.
The league has the potential to grow more in the next five to ten years and we are excited to be part of the journey from the start.”
Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director, added: “We are thrilled to launch the first ever Sussex Women’s Premier League, a really important step to continue growing the game.
“We want to continue developing our offerings for women & girls cricketers and we hope this will encourage more female participants to want to access the game as well as wanting to play club cricket in a quality, competitive environment across Sussex.”
We are actively seeking a sponsor for the Sussex Women’s Premier League, if anyone would be interested in discussing this opportunity please contact Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director gary.wallis-tayler@sussexcricket.co.uk
To find out more about Women & Girls Cricket in Sussex please visit their website or contact Charlotte Burton for more information charlotte.burton@sussexcricket.co.uk
With thanks to Sussex Cricket
