Kia Super League: ECB's Clare Connor says event packed with talent
Tuesday 26 July 2016 16:09, UK
ECB head of women’s cricket Clare Connor hopes the high-profile names featuring in the Kia Super League can contribute to the transformation of the game at grassroots level.
The inaugural women's Twenty20 competition kicks off this weekend featuring 15 group matches played over a 16-day period, building up to finals day at Essex's Chelmsford home on August 21.
T20 World Cup winners Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor and Hayley Mathew, last year's Wisden Women's Cricket of the Year Suzie Bates and Australian sensation Ellyse Perry are just some of the overseas superstars taking part.
"We're going see some of the world's best talent on display from Australia, New Zealand the West Indies and South Africa," Connor told Tuesday's Sportswomen show on Sky Sports News HQ.
"We're blessed with amazingly high-calibre players from around the globe and I think that's going to raise the standard of the competition beyond measure.
"We've got lots of ambitions for the competition. It's year one and two of our main objectives are around growing the commercial interests and profile - and bringing more fans to the women's game - but equally as important is growing the base and the grassroots interest.
"It's started already and all the franchises have rolled out their participation plans in the last couple of months. For example, Lancashire Thunder have branded all their women's and girl's leagues as the Thunder Leagues - so they have a women's Thunder League, a girl's U11s Thunder League and a development Thunder League.
"Hopefully the branding and the profile of the competition will have a really big impact at the grassroots level of the game."
The weekend's opening fixture pits two England colleagues against each other when Lauren Winfield's Yorkshire Diamonds host Georgia Elwiss' Loughborough Lightning on Saturday.
"It's hugely exciting," Winfield said. "I think it's a tournament we needed here in England to attract new girls to play cricket, attract a new audience and put on some entertaining cricket for people to watch.
"It's great for us to have more competitive cricket and that will stand us in good stead for when we play internationals."
Southern Vipers captain and former England skipper, Charlotte Edwards, added: "It's a great concept and I think it's something our game particularly needed to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.
"It's going to be a wonderful competition and hopefully we can attract some young girls and families to the game over the next few weeks."
