Lauren Winfield-Hill has described being appointed the new captain of Yorkshire Women as “awesome”.
The county legend will lead the White Rose into the new season a week on Saturday, walking out at Headingley to face Worcestershire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup 2 competition.
The wicketkeeper-batter will be assisted by vice captains Rachel Slater and Maddie Ward throughout the summer.
Winfield-Hill spent the bulk of her winter in Queensland, playing Big Bash and State cricket, though she returned home in early March and travelled on Yorkshire’s recent pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi, where the squad impressed in both T20 and 50-over cricket.
“I’m very proud,” she said at the squad’s meet the media event at the cricket-themed Sixes Social bar in Headingley this morning.
“Obviously, I’ve done it at age-group level and with the (Northern) Diamonds at stages over the past few years. But, yeah, this does feel different.
Picture by Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com. Yorkshire Women’s captain Lauren Winfield-Hill.
“You know, even Jonny Bairstow being named the men’s captain as well. It’s probably both of us sort of coming full circle, committing to our childhood clubs. It’s awesome.
“I’m just really excited about the project and really excited about the youngsters we’ve got involved.
“We want to put a marker down in Tier 2 this year. We need to compete because we have big ambitions for when we’re in Tier 1 (in 2026).”
Winfield-Hill says it will be a “great moment” leading Yorkshire out at Headingley against the Pears.
“It’s somewhere I absolutely love playing cricket,” continued the 34-year-old.
“I’m excited for a lot of the youngsters to get an opportunity to play out at Headingley for the first time as well. Sometimes you forget about things like that, and I think there’ll be lots of special moments for a lot of families as well, parents watching.
Picture by Chris Hyde/Getty Images. Lauren Winfield-Hill bats for Queensland Fire during the winter just gone.
“We see that game as almost the first chapter of the year.”
As the former England star references, Yorkshire’s team will include a number of youngsters – some who impressed on the pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi.
Six travelled, played and impressed whilst on tour; Holly Garton, Fran Lonsdale, Amelia Love, Elicia Pollard, Lucy Randle-Bissell and Emma Wrightson.
Yorkshire reached the final of the Abu Dhabi Women’s T20, winning one of three games, and pushed Tier 1 sides Surrey and Essex close in a pair of 50-over friendlies.
“It’s been unreal seeing some of the youngsters come through,” continued the skipper. “We had a young leggie, Holly Garton, who had Sophia Dunkley in all sorts of trouble.
“She would have never got a look-in because Katie Levick’s doing Katie Levick things.
Picture by YCCC. Academy leg-spinner Holly Garton impressed in Abu Dhabi, including taking the prized scalp of England batter Sophia Dunkley in the county’s 50-over friendly against Surrey.
“It was a really cool moment to be playing with and rubbing shoulders with these girls.
“I think they’ve surprised themselves with how close they are. And, you know, credit to Rich and Brycey.
“They’ve put a lot of time and effort into the Academy and the Academy girls, knowing that we’ve got to get ready. They’ve just improved no end and have really held their own.
“They’re 100 percent ready, no doubt.”
One of Winfield-Hill’s vice captains, Ward, is embarking upon her first summer as a contracted professional, at the age of 20. And she will definitely lead the side later in the summer given Winfield-Hill and Rachel Slater will both be away in the Hundred during August.
Ward is a true all-rounder. She bats, keeps wicket and bowls varied spin – sometimes off-spin, sometimes leg-spin. The Nottingham-born youngster was outstanding in Abu Dhabi.
Picture by Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com. Yorkshire Women’s vice captain Maddie Ward.
“She’s got such good character, Maddie,” continued Winfield-Hill. “She’s very level, very calm, and such a hard worker.
“She’s a great keeper, and her skills with the bat probably centre around a power game, just taking the game on. She’s got all the shots.
“Maddie’s really developed, and you can see that she just looks more confident out in the middle than what she did last year.
“I think she almost really led the group, actually, in Abu Dhabi. Even though she’s quite new to life in Yorkshire, she led the group and is well respected. She’s going to be a huge leader in play for sure.”
Such is Winfield-Hill’s excitement around the start of this new era of Yorkshire Women, she opted to return home from Australia a touch early last month. Originally, the plan was for her to fly straight to Abu Dhabi, but instead she returned to Headingley first having helped Queensland reach the final of Australia’s 50-over WNCL competition.
“I was getting a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out),” she smiled.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Sterre Kalis is heading to Warwickshire on loan.
“I was just really excited to work with Rich and Bricey and get around the girls. Usually I’m keen to stay out there as long as possible, but I was really excited to come back and get around the girls.”
Meanwhile, head coach Rich Pyrah has been speaking about batter Sterre Kalis’s loan move to Warwickshire for the majority of the 2025 season.
Netherlands international Kalis will debut in a friendly for the Bears tomorrow and will play for them in all Tier 1 cricket this summer.
However, she will return to Yorkshire to play in the T20 County Cup, the competition which pits all three tiers against each other and starts on May 5 when the White Rose host Derbyshire in round one at Harrogate.
“It was all agreed last summer in the contract negotiations,” he said. “I completely get it. Sterre, at her age – 25-years-old – wants to play the highest standard of cricket possible.
“She’s fully committed to playing for Yorkshire, she’s made that very clear. But, at her stage in her career, she wants to go play Tier 1, which is absolutely fine. I’ve told her to go away and dominate Tier 1 and come back and help us the year after.”
