The Northern Diamonds are delighted to announce that fast bowler Lizzie Scott has signed her maiden professional contract, added to extensions for four of the region’s key players.
Leah Dobson has extended her stay at Headingley with a one-year contract extension taking her up to 2024 alongside Emma Marlow and Phoebe Turner. Katie Levick has also signed a one year extension taking her up to 2025. All were previously on professional domestic contracts, with 19-year-old Scott now joining them.
Hexham-born Scott, a product of the Durham and Northumberland systems, has been rewarded for some excellent performances in both formats of regional cricket since making her competitive debut in September 2022.
Northern Diamonds’ Lizzie Scott celebrates with Hollie Armitage after taking the wicket of Sunrisers’ Dane van Niekerk.
A bustling quick, Scott has taken 22 wickets in 24 50-over and T20 appearances and was part of the team which won the 2022 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
At the start of 2023, she was part of the England squad which reached the final of the inaugural Under 19 women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. Off-spinning all-rounder Marlow was also part of the same squad.
Northern Diamonds’ Hollie Armitage team-talks in a huddle prior to taking the field against the Sunrisers.
Levick is a legend of the domestic game in England. For all teams, including the likes of Yorkshire, the Northern Superchargers and the Birmingham Phoenix, she has taken 344 wickets in competitive T20 and List A cricket.
In the last two seasons for the Diamonds, Levick has taken a total of 63 wickets. No other bowler in regional cricket has taken more.
Batter Dobson and Marlow were both in the title-winning RHF Trophy team of 2022 and, alongside all-rounder Turner, have signed one-year extensions until the end of 2024.
Dobson is spending her winter playing grade cricket for the Gold Coast Dolphins in Australia, where she has had success with the bat as well as working on developing her bowling.
Northern Diamonds’ coach Dani Hazell.
Diamonds coach Dani Hazell said: “I’m delighted that we have secured these six new contracts ahead of next season. They are all players we want to keep and have faith in, and what’s great to see is that there is a mix of youth and experience in those renewals.
“The team is very excited about the prospects we have ahead of next season. We have a good group, and that’s what gives us drive and optimism going forward.
“We want to build on last season, and it’s about looking at how we can improve and push on for trophies.”
Elsewhere in the squad, star wicketkeeper-batter Bess Heath has moved to a development contract with England after breaking into their senior set-up in 2023.
But the region would like to place on record our thanks to departing players Chloe Tryon, the South African international overseas all-rounder left in August, and Yvonne Graves.
Northern Diamonds squad going into 2024
- Hollie Armitage
- Leah Dobson
- Rebecca Duckworth
- Katherine Fraser
- Abi Glen
- Grace Hall
- Bess Heath
- Sterre Kalis
- Beth Langston
- Katie Levick
- Emma Marlow
- Lizzie Scott
- Rachel Slater
- Pheobe Turner
- Sophie Turner
- Lauren Winfield-Hill
- Jess Woolston
