Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell has heaped praise on Yorkshire’s bowling stocks.
Yorkshire’s women enjoyed a trophy-winning Tier 2 campaign, triumphant in the 50-over Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They also reached the final of the Vitality Blast and the quarter-finals of the other T20 competition, the Vitality County Cup.
Through the first half of the winter, we will be running a series of articles with members’ player-of-the-year Ami Campbell, who has been reflecting on key moments throughout the summer.
We have entitled this series ‘Campbell’s Classics’.
Ami Campbell has been reflecting on the joint effort fromYorkshire’s bowlers as the county got themselves into a strong position in the Vitality Blast.
Yorkshire were purring now. The opening-day 50-over defeat to Worcestershire at Headingley in April was now firmly behind them.
They had won three from four games in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and had won four from four in the Blast.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com.Leg-spinner Holly Garton was one of a host of Academy and EPP players to play first-team cricket in 2025.
Last week, Ami Campbell spoke about the opening day Blast win against Derbyshire at Headingley at the start on June, a game in which Ria Fackrell’s off-spin accounted for four wickets.
The win over Derbyshire was followed by successes over Leicestershire at Headingley, Derbyshire at the County Ground and Worcestershire at Headingley through until late June.
The county were now on the verge of qualification for Finals Day thanks to their fast start to the 20-over campaign.
And a real feature of home wins over the Foxes and Rapids, either side of the trip to Derby, was the fact that every bowler used by skipper Maddie Ward contributed at least a wicket. Yorkshire also bowled Leicestershire and Derbyshire out in that period.
What is it they say? ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’.
Claudie Cooper, Ria Fackrell, Holly Garton, Rachel Slater, Olivia Thomas and Jess Woolston were all a part of that, with Scotland international swing bowler Slater – one of Yorkshire’s vice captains – playing her first game of the season at Derby following a fractured right wrist suffered in pre-season.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com. New-ball seamer Jess Woolston is currently playing grade cricket in Australia.
“Slats definitely drew the short straw by picking up an injury on pre-season tour (in Abu Dhabi),” said Campbell.
“I don’t know how she carried on playing through that for Scotland in the World Cup Qualifiers.
“I think the fracture went undetected. It took her a while with the rehab, but she put a good amount of work in to get her strength back up in it.
“So it was great to have her back on the pitch. And, in terms of the depth, it’s brilliant.
“You only have to look at Maddie Ward. When Lauren’s playing and keeping wicket, Maddie can bowl. We have a lot to pick from, and that’s great.
“And we’ve got two more bowlers coming in with Sarah Glenn and Jess Jonassen.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Rachel Slater made a welcome return to action following injury during the early stages of the Vitality Blast.
“I think we’ll be pretty heavily packed in the bowling department next season.
“That’s always good to have, especially in T20, being able to pass the ball around and keep the batters guessing. But also in the 50-overs stuff, we’ve got plenty of spinners to slow the rate down through the middle.
“We’ve also got some cracking opening bowlers with Beth Langston and Jess Woolston. They’ve bowled very well this year.
“I definitely feel like we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with going into next season.
“I think people might underestimate us a little bit, and we could surprise a few.”
