Kent Women’s Cricket Prepares for Tier 2 in Revamped League

Kent Cricket is set to compete in Tier 2 of the newly structured women’s league. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a significant overhaul of women’s cricket, promising substantial investment to invigorate the county system. This restructure designated eight clubs with Tier 1 status, guaranteeing professional contracts for all their players, a benefit not extended to those in the second and third tiers. As clubs begin to reveal their squads, the consequences are becoming apparent. Kent Cricket, historically the most successful side in women’s cricket with eight County Championship and three T20 titles, did not secure Tier 1 status after the bidding process, leading to the departure of several elite players. Among those who have left are England internationals Alice Davidson-Richards and Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who have joined Surrey, and Grace Scrivens, who has moved to Essex. Tammy Beaumont is also transferring to a Tier 1 team. Despite this setback, Kent asserts that the new framework offers a foundation for future investment, and the club has pledged to achieve top-league status by the next opportunity in 2029. Next year, Tier 1 counties will replace regional teams, such as the South East Stars, as part of the women’s game’s restructuring. Since 2020, counties have contributed players to regional teams, which constituted the top tier of women’s cricket, participating in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. For instance, Kent and Surrey supplied players to the South East Stars, while the Southern Vipers drew players from Sussex and Hampshire. The upcoming summer will see the introduction of three leagues comprising individual counties. The ECB has described this as “the next stage in the evolution of women’s cricket” and plans to invest an additional £4m to £5m into the sport between 2025 and 2028, bringing the total investment to approximately £16m. In April, the ECB announced the eight counties granted Tier 1 status: Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire. Yorkshire expressed being “surprised and disappointed” by their initial exclusion from the top tier and presented their case to the ECB. A month after the initial announcement, the ECB agreed to include Yorkshire in Tier 1 from 2026. Glamorgan will join Tier 1 from 2027. Alice Davidson-Richards, pictured playing for South East Stars, made her England debut in 2018 after coming up through the Kent pathway but has left the county for Surrey. In July, the Tier 2 clubs were announced: Derbyshire, Glamorgan (until 2027), Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Middlesex, Sussex, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire (until 2026). While players in the top tier will receive a minimum salary of £20,000, matching that of new male players, women in Tier 2 will not have such a guarantee. Most are expected to be semi-professional, with their pay determined by their respective clubs. There will be no promotion or relegation for the initial three seasons. The top tier is scheduled to expand in 2029 to include two additional teams, though the ECB has not yet specified which ones. Kent’s captain, Megan Belt, holds a full-time position as a teacher at Kent College. Given the club’s confidence in their bid, it appeared that she and her teammates would become professional cricketers next summer. Megan Belt, who also teaches at nearby Kent College, exemplifies how most Tier 2 players will likely require other employment. “How we didn’t get Tier 1 I don’t quite understand,” the 27-year-old told South East Today. “It was hard to take when other counties got it and we didn’t when we’ve produced so many England players and our pathway’s so strong.” Former club chair Simon Philip characterized the situation as “difficult to swallow.” Since then, a steering group has been established, including former Minister for Sport Dame Tracey Crouch, to assist Kent in reaching the top league. “It is really tough and if I was a man playing for Kent I probably wouldn’t be a teacher,” Belt added. “But women’s sport and women’s cricket is heading in the right direction, it’s time to prove in Tier 2 that we should be in Tier 1 and that’s what we’re trying to do.” Despite the initial disappointment, the increased investment from the ECB and the long-term goal of achieving Tier 1 status are enabling Kent to revitalize its women’s team. The club has appointed its first-ever head of women’s cricket, former player Lucy Arman, who has joined with a clear short-term focus. “Being Tier 2 is the right thing for now and we have to build a resource and a platform for Tier 1 status,” she stated during a coaching session in Canterbury. Arman elaborated, “Resources mean that we can now employ coaches and can have further investment, for the first time, into strength and conditioning, physio, and analysis. “It really creates a more professional environment for the women’s team that they’ve never had before.” Kent also maintains a close working relationship with the Surrey talent pathway. Arman, a former Kent player, indicated that the club has embraced the developmental role it will likely undertake in Tier 2. “We will support any player to fulfil their professional dream and if that means they have to go to another county for their professional status then we will back that and help them along the way, and do everything we can so that when we do become professional, we can get them back in a Kent shirt,” she affirmed. Megan Belt, who began playing for Kent Cricket at the age of nine, expresses hope that current academy players will enter the sport with improved prospects.