English cricketer, Lauren Winfield-Hill has joined Essex on loan from Yorkshire, for the upcoming Women’s Twenty20 (T20) Blast. Captain Hill of Yorkshire is currently featuring in Tier 2 games of the new women’s domestic competitions. This move to Essex offers her an opportunity to play in the top tier during the T20 fixtures, starting May 29. Essex will play their first match the following day, away to Hampshire.
The occasional wicket keeper got a call-up to the England Academy squad in 2013 after impressive performances in the Super 4s competition and for Yorkshire in the Women’s County Championship. She has been a convincing run scorer in the 20-over format, making 74 against South Africa in 2014 to take England to a 3-0 series whitewash.
She was announced as the captain of Yorkshire in the 2014 season, and soon in 2015 she oversaw her team to its first Championship victory. She ranks at number 6th for the highest partnership for the opening wicket in WODIs alongside Tammy Beaumont against Pakistan.
Speaking on her loan move to Essex, Lauren Winfield-Hill said that with Yorkshire preparing for promotion to the topflight next season, the current year posed unique challenges for the club, including finding the balance between player development and competing under the high expectations of a fully professional team.
“It does look a bit different for senior players in terms of Tier 2 cricket. I always use the analogy of revving a car. It’s not just like, ‘oh, you’re just cruisy, see what happens, it’s Tier 2. It’s actually getting into that sweet spot of still really competing. That’s the key thing for a lot of the senior players in the group, is how we get our beans going and compete and almost play games within games sometimes,” said Winfield-Hill.
“I want to keep testing myself by playing at the highest level possible, and this move means that I can do that in what is set to be a groundbreaking year for women’s cricket in England,” she said. “I really feel like I can bring something to the group here at Essex, and I’m excited to play in a new environment at Chelmsford, too.”
Winfield-Hill has represented her country 104 times across all three formats, most recently during the T20I leg of England’s winter tour of West Indies in late 2022. Hundred, WBBL and CPL, are the notable franchise leagues that she has been cementing her skills in.
Winfield-Hill was a member of the winning women’s team at the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup held in England, with 19 half-centuries in T20 cricket. Her top score of 98 off 56 balls came for Northern Diamonds against Western Storm in the 2023 Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Charlotte Edwards, the new England women’s head coach, underlines the importance of domestic cricket that it represents an opportunity for players to press their claims for international selection.
Lauren Winfield-Hill acknowledged that while she hasn’t retired from international cricket and still has a passion to represent England, she recognizes the current challenges in making a return.
Essex Women’s Team Director, Andy Tennant, expressed his excitement about securing a player of Winfield-Hill’s caliber. Essex will be looking to capitalize on Winfield-Hill’s expertise as they aim for a strong show in the competition, both in terms of performance and as a role model for the team’s younger players.
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