James Carr believes the Northern Diamonds will be all the better for the fact nine of their players and two senior coaches are involved in the women’s Hundred, which starts tomorrow.
The Diamonds director of cricket will take a watching brief as the likes of Hollie Armitage, Bess Heath, Katie Levick and Lauren Winfield-Hill lead the playing contingent up and down the country for the next month.
Head coach Dani Hazell and assistant coach Kyle Coetzer are also involved.
Hazell leads the Headingley based Northern Superchargers for the third year, while Coetzer has been appointed as an assistant coach of the Welsh Fire.
“It’s fantastic that some of the players are staying at home with the Superchargers but also others going a bit further afield into different environments,” said Carr. “Equally, Kyle going down the road to the Welsh Fire.
“The game’s advancing at such a rate, and any opportunity to play in new environments, in front of big crowds, with new players and coaches, it’s only going to drive our squad forwards.”
The Diamonds players involved in the Hundred are as follows…..
Hollie Armitage, Leah Dobson, Grace Hall, Bess Heath (all Northern Superchargers), Sterre Kalis and Katie Levick (both Birmingham Phoenix), Lizzie Scott and Lauren Winfield-Hill (both Oval Invincibles), Chloe Tryon (Southern Brave).
Three of those players are embarking on their maiden campaigns; Dobson and Hall with the Superchargers and Scott with the Invincibles, the two-time defending champions.

Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images. Lauren Winfield-Hill en-route to last season’s Hundred title.
“Grace has shown her skills and variations in one-day cricket, especially in the T20 format,” said Carr. “I completely understand the selection there.
“Leah has shown her power at the top of our order in T20 cricket and her versatility, batting further down the order in 50-over cricket. She’s also a gun in the field.
“Lizzie’s had the opportunity to go to South Africa with the England Under 19s in the winter, so going away from what she knows is not completely alien to her.
“She’s slightly away from home in the Diamonds environment anyway in that she’s had to move down from the North East to Sheffield for University and then to Leeds for her cricket.
“It builds character, resilience and adaptability.
“If she brings back some golden nuggets of information, the game as a whole continues to advance and not just her’s and that of our players.”
Beth Langston, meanwhile, has pulled out of the Oval Invincibles squad as she manages her recovery from the ACL injury she suffered in last year’s Hundred.
For those Diamonds players not involved in the Hundred and waiting for the resumption of regional cricket in early September, Carr said: “The season doesn’t stop for them.”
He added: “There’s not many of the girls still with us, but they’ll be well catered for with our new assistant coach Peter Ross. They will also link up with Tom Cant and the Academy.
“They’ll be able to rub shoulders with the Hundred players because there are a lot of training sessions which dovetail, and it’s a good opportunity for them to go and play some club cricket.”
The opening game of the women’s Hundred sees Trent Rockets host Southern Brave at Trent Bridge tomorrow (3pm)

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Carr.