Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire are hopeful club captain Lauren Winfield-Hill will be available for Finals Day next month.
Yorkshire are hopeful of having on-loan duo Sterre Kalis and Lauren Winfield-Hill available for next month’s Vitality Blast Tier 2 Finals Day at Northampton.
The White Rose county can start planning for a trip to Wantage Road on Saturday July 26 having won each of their first five North Group matches to race ahead at the top of the table.
Three other counties will join them at a later date, but Yorkshire have sealed their progression with three group matches still to play.
Club captain Winfield-Hill and fellow top-order batting star Kalis are both currently on loan at Tier 1 counties Essex and Warwickshire, who are fighting for a Finals Day of their own.
The Tier 1 Finals Day takes place at the Kia Oval on Sunday July 27.
“We’ve said that we would like our players available for Finals Day,” confirmed Yorkshire head coach Rich Pyrah.
Picture by John Clifton/SWPix.com. Sterre Kalis could be playing in two Finals Days in a weekend in late July, with the Bears also in a strong position qualify for the Tier 1 Blast showpiece.
“A conversation will have to be had if both Essex and Warwickshire get to their Tier 1 Finals Day. But we will be very keen for our two to play because we want to give it a good go in trying to win a trophy.”
The formats of the two Finals Days are different.
The Tier 2 one will be a traditional Finals Day like the men’s Vitality Blast; four qualifiers, two semi-finals starting at 11am and 2.30pm and an evening final at 6.30pm.
The Tier 1 showpiece only includes three counties. The top team in the group stage qualifies directly for a 4.30pm final in South London. They play the winners of the second and third-placed teams in the group, who play off in an effective semi-final at 12.30pm.
Kalis’s Bears are in good shape to qualify, whereas Winfield-Hill’s Essex have work to do in the remaining matches.
The advantage should either or both be needed for the two days is that Northampton to South London is not the worst journey in the world.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire head coach Rich Pyrah is relishing the opportunity to tackle Vitality Blast Finals Day.
Head coach Pyrah has spoken many a time about the emphasis on progression over performance for Yorkshire in Tier 2 this season. But the former men’s all-rounder is delighted by his side’s qualification and believes they can have the best of both worlds late next month.
“Winning becomes a habit,” he added. “You have to learn how to win games.
It’s also the same with winning trophies.
“Teams can do well for periods of seasons but fall short when it comes to winning trophies. We want to go there now and learn how to win trophies.”
Kalis and Winfield-Hill played in Yorkshire’s two weekend wins over Worcestershire and Northamptonshire on Friday and Sunday, with the Tier 1 Blast in the midst of a break.
It may well be that they don’t play again for Yorkshire until Finals Day.
