Picture by Chris Hyde/Getty Images. Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield-Hill bats for Queensland.
Lauren Winfield-Hill will begin her quest for more silverware next week when she lines up for Queensland in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League competition.
Yorkshire captain Winfield-Hill, fresh from helping the county win the Tier 2 Metro Bank One-Day Cup title on Sunday, heads Down Under today for a winter of cricket.
“I’m not very good with time off,” she said. “I’ve got a two-week threshold and then I get itchy feet!
“We’re getting a flight straight over to Perth, and I start with Queensland middle of next week.”
Lauren’s wife Courtney is a Queenslander, and Lauren is on a winter state contract with the Fire.
She played for them last winter and helped them reach the 50-over WNCL final at the start of March.
Queensland start their campaign against Western Australia at Perth’s WACA ground, and 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Winfield-Hill links up with new White Rose overseas signing Jess Jonassen, who will be her state captain.
“It’s a pretty quick turnaround,” said Winfield-Hill. “I’ll be overseas for a good chunk of the winter and will probably meet up again when we (Yorkshire) go on pre-season tour.
“It’s similar to last year, and there’s certainly not too much time to put my feet up.
“The structure of the 50-over comp is a bit different in Oz. They play 50-overs for a month and then have a break (for the Big Bash).
“So I will be able to take pockets of time off. But, to be honest, at my age, I’m better off just rolling out and playing.”
When Winfield-Hill returns home next March, preparation for Yorkshire’s maiden Tier 1 campaign will be at its final stage.
There remains plenty to do for head coach Rich Pyrah and company, but Winfield-Hill is already confident they can make a good start to top-flight life, especially with the eye-catching additions of Jonassen and Sarah Glenn.
She added: “We’re building all the time, but I definitely think we’re ready for it.
“We’ve got a big winter. We’ve all got to improve, and you can’t stand still at any point.
“We’re really happy with where we’re at, where we’re going and who we’ve got on board. We’re just going to keep getting better, and we will 100 percent be ready next year.
“We’re not just trying to survive in Tier 1, we’re trying to compete. I think we’re shaping towards that.”
Picture by Matt Lewis/Getty Images. Lauren Winfield-Hill poses with the Metro Bank One-Day Cup trophy at Worcester on Sunday.
