Picture by George Franks. Sterre Kalis at the crease for Yorkshire against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday. She contributed 45 to a victory.
“I want to do all I can to try and be really important for this team.”
Sterre Kalis is keen to contribute more and more with the bat as Yorkshire bid to push on from their eye-catching start to life in Tier 1.
The White Rose have won two of their opening four games in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They have beaten The Blaze, a team who reached all three semi-finals last year in women’s county cricket, as well as defending champions Lancashire.
The latter came at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday in the first ever professional women’s Roses fixture.
And Yorkshire could have quite easily won all four games so far, running Somerset and Surrey close in away defeats.
Dutch international Kalis has so far posted scores of 4, 38, 61 and 45 amidst an impressive start to the 2026 summer. Her 61 and 45 were crucial to the aforementioned victories.
Kalis is a linchpin member of Yorkshire’s batting order, coming in at number four, and she would love to star again when the White Rose face Durham at Scarborough tomorrow, starting at 10.30am.
Picture by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images. Sterre Kalis at the crease for the Netherlands.
“I had a bit of a sniff of Tier 1 last year with Warwickshire,” said the affable 26-year-old. “And I played at this kind of level with the Northern Diamonds in the regional stuff before that. So I do know what it’s like to play in Tier 1.
“It’s a lot of travelling, a lot of back-to-back games, and because I know it well I want to try and be someone who takes responsibility to win games for Yorkshire.
“I’ve played quite a few games at a high standard now, and the more games you play, the more you recognise important situations in games.
“I’ve had so many times for various teams where I’ve got in, got thirties and forties, but then got out and we’ve gone on to lose.
“So I want to play more innings where I could actually be that person who stays until the end and gets big scores.”
While Kalis is yet to post a score matching the 108 Jess Jonassen scored against Lancashire on Saturday, for example, she can be extremely chuffed that she has played the ideal supporting role in each of Yorkshire’s wins.
She is now looking a much more confident and rounded player compared to the one that first came over from the Netherlands in 2020 to play regional cricket for the Diamonds.
Picture by George Franks. Jess Jonassen celebrates her century against Lancashire on Saturday.
Last week, Kalis actually played for the Dutch in a pair of T20 friendly victories over Durham and Lancashire. She scored 48 not out chasing 154 against Wednesday’s opponents and 100 not out chasing 167 against Lancashire.
She added: “I want to be a bit more 360 around the ground, especially with how the game is evolving now.
“You’ve got to be playing all around the ground to not be predictable – always try to be one step ahead of the bowler.
“What I’ve been trying to do is find the gaps created by the fielders who are up in the ring more and manipulate things that way.
“With how the game is moving forwards, you’ve got to be playing 360 degrees, especially as a batter with one skill.”
Next up for Yorkshire are Durham, another northern rival and a team who have a host of players who Kalis will know well given the likes of Hollie Armitage, Bess Heath, Katie Levick and Phoebe Turner to name just a few were Diamonds team-mates at Headingley in the regional era.
When Yorkshire missed out on Tier 1 status ahead of 2025, those players – and more – all signed for Durham.
Picture by Will Palmer/SWPix.com. Yorkshire-born former Northern Diamonds skipper Hollie Armitage is now captaining Durham. She won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with the Diamonds at Lord’s in 2022.
England fringe batting all-rounder Armitage is captaining Durham, who are coached by former Diamonds’ coach Dani Hazell.
Durham have so far played four and lost three, their only win coming at home to Essex.
Last time out, on Saturday, they were heavily beaten by Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton. Bowled out for 118, they lost by six wickets with 25.3 overs remaining.
They have Australian wicketkeeper-opener Tahlia Wilson as their overseas player.
Yorkshire’s head coach Rich Pyrah, while delighted with the two victories his side has achieved, is determined not to get too far ahead of things.
“The last two wins have been outstanding against two really good teams. It shows how far we’ve come as a team,” he said. “But I’m not going to get too complacent. We will be inconsistent.
“We’ve still got a lot of young players in this team, so we will have ups and downs. But I just hope, moving forwards now, that these girls start having a bit of belief that they should be here in Tier 1.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire women’s head coach Rich Pyrah is delighted with his county’s start to the season.
“Wins like that against Lancashire and against The Blaze should do that.
“It’s a big game against Durham.
“When the Northern Diamonds team split, 11 went to Durham, so there’s that to put into the equation as well.
“Look, we’re just loving the ride at the minute, and we’ll go to Scarborough and keep playing the way we’re playing and see where we get to.”
Durham finished sixth out of eight in last year’s Tier 1 One-Day Cup, winning five of their 14 matches.
This season, with Yorkshire having come in as the ninth team, there are 16 matches.
This is the first of four remaining fixtures in the opening block of 50-over cricket prior to the Vitality Blast T20 competition starting at the back end of next month.
