GLOUCESTERSHIRE will team up with Somerset as a host for the inaugural Women’s Cricket Super League this summer.
The two counties, alongside University of Exeter will form a South West team while Hampshire will host a side alongside partners including Sussex.
There are six hosts for the competition with Lancashire, Loughborough University, Surrey and Yorkshire making up the half-dozen. All teams have been awarded hosting rights for a four-year period from 2016-2019 inclusive.
The six teams will compete in a t20 event, though in future seasons the competition will also include the 50-over format.
Tom Harrison, chief executive of the ECB, said: “The bidding process for obtaining the hosts was competitive from the outset, and throughout the interviews, alongside my colleagues on the panel, I was very impressed by all of the proposals submitted.
“It is pleasing to see so much diverse and innovative partnership working across the cricket and educational landscapes and that the six chosen hosts provide such a strong geographical spread. To have seven First Class counties, five Non-First Class counties and three universities involved, demonstrates how collaborative, imaginative and wide-ranging this project is.”
Confirmed six hosts:
Hampshire Cricket with partners: Berkshire Cricket Ltd, Dorset Cricket Board, Isle of Wight Cricket Board, Oxfordshire Cricket, Southampton Solent University, Sussex Cricket Ltd, Wiltshire Cricket Ltd;
Lancashire County Cricket Board with partners: Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire County Cricket Club Foundation;
Loughborough University;
South West: Somerset County Cricket Club, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, University of Exeter;
Surrey County Cricket Club;
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
