Middlesex have expressed disappointment at missing out on one of English cricket’s new ‘Tier One’ women’s teams, despite a promise to ramp up the number of fixtures played at Lord’s.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday morning confirmed the eight first-class counties who have been awarded professional teams as part of a radical shake-up to the women’s game that will come into force next season.
Surrey are included in that group, but Middlesex have been overlooked in favour of Essex as hosts to the second club in the London and south-east region, with Yorkshire another high-profile omission, missing out to Durham in the north.
Of the 18 first-class counties, 16 submitted bids to host teams earlier this year, with Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Warwickshire the other successful applicants.
"To say we are disappointed with the ECB’s decision in not allocating Tier One status to Middlesex Cricket is a huge understatement,” said Middlesex chief executive Andrew Cornish.
"I would like to go on record in thanking our partners and friends at MCC for their wholehearted support in the bid we put forward to the ECB, and we know that they remain committed to growing the Women and Girl’s game. We will continue to work with them in delivering on this ambition moving forwards."
Middlesex said its bid, which was backed by the MCC, included a “firm commitment… to increase the volume of professional domestic women’s cricket played at Lord’s from 2025 onwards”.
Sunrisers, who represent the London and East region in the current elite domestic set-up, are scheduled to play two matches at Lord’s this summer.
Middlesex have already confirmed they will now bid to host a Tier 2 team, but it will not be able to enter the top division of the new system until 2029 at the earliest, when the ECB plans to expand to 12 teams. Yorkshire and Glamorgan have already been pencilled in for an earlier expansion to 10 teams in 2027.
Under the new structure, the eight existing women’s regional teams - which are owned and funded by the ECB - will be disbanded and ownership handed back to the counties.
Surrey say they will directly align the brand of their new women’s team with the men’s equivalent and plan to stage half of their women’s matches at The Oval from next season.
