Yorkshire batter Rebecca Duckworth is bidding to attack 2025 and says she does so in confident mood with more security over her place in senior cricket.
Duckworth is one of the county’s 12 senior contracted professionals for 2025 and beyond, and with that comes the knowledge that she will play regular cricket for the county in Tier 2 this summer.
The 24-year-old’s appearances through the five-year regional era, both for Lancashire Thunder and the Northern Diamonds, were irregular.
But the right-hander from Preston showed encouraging signs for the Diamonds last year.
She scored 51 in a thrilling September 50-over win against Southern Vipers at Headingley having already hit an eye-catching 21 not out in a T20 clash against her old Thunder team-mates at Durham.
It may not sound much, but Duckworth was the only batter in the match to go beyond 15, with the Diamonds chasing down 62 to win by five wickets on a nightmare pitch for batting up in the North East.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Rebecca Duckworth bats for Yorkshire during last Saturday’s season opener against Worcestershire at Headingley.
Duckworth has been speaking ahead of Yorkshire’s second game of the season, against Sussex Sharks at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove on Saturday (10.30am).
The White Rose are hoping to bounce back from an opening day Metro Bank One-Day Cup 2 defeat against Worcestershire at Headingley last weekend.
“I’m really excited for the summer,” she said, having spent the second half of the winter playing club cricket for Queenslanders Gold Coast Dolphins.
“I certainly feel a lot more comfortable at the crease and a lot more confident in my game, which is good.
“Towards the back end of last year, I felt really good, and then obviously I’ve been away, and that’s helped my game a lot.
“I was lacking quite a lot of game time, and I knew that’s what I needed. So I think being in Oz and then Abu Dhabi on our pre-season tour has really helped in that sense.
Picture by John Heald. Sterre Kalis will not be available to face Sussex.
Batting at three, Duckworth only scored four in Saturday’s opening defeat against Worcestershire, but on tour in Abu Dhabi, she posted 50-over scores of 34 and 71 against Tier 1 counties Surrey and Essex.
“It’s really boosted my confidence knowing that I’ll be playing regularly. I can tell already,” she continued.
“I just feel a lot more at ease and feel like I can go and play my cricket how I want to and not have to worry about anything, which is really nice.
“We’ve had some really good players with Diamonds and stuff, so I’ve not really had the chances that I’ve probably wanted to before. But now I’ve got that.
“It’s just a chance for me to step up and put my name in the hat for a place in a Tier 1 side next year and be a solid player, which is what I’ve always wanted.”
With Sterre Kalis having now joined Warwickshire on loan, Duckworth’s responsibility with the bat immediately increases.
Duckworth travelled out to Australia just after Christmas and enjoyed a productive spell with the Gold Coast Dolphins, despite January being weather-disrupted.
“Before Christmas, I worked a lot on just striking the ball quite hard,” she added.
“Rich (Pyrah, Yorkshire head coach) is wanting me to be that strike-hitter, which is a bit different to the role that I’ve been used to. Just hitting the ball harder and being more powerful.
“I worked on that in Oz, and it worked quite well. In Abu Dhabi, especially, it worked really well.
“I felt really comfortable and confident playing that way.”
Sussex were also beaten in Saturday’s opening round, losing a weather-affected clash with Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff by 53 runs. Rain reduced the fixture to a 25-overs per side contest, and the Sharks were limited to 125-9 in pursuit of 179.
Picture by John Heald. Could seamer Grace Hall be in the frame to face Sussex having not made the eleven to face Worcestershire following an ankle injury.
They are captained by off-spinning all-rounder Chiara Green, who also led the England National Counties Cricket Association side which won back-to-back European T10 Championship titles in each of the last two Decembers.
Yorkshire duo Ria Fackrell and Maddie Ward were team-mates in those campaigns.
Sussex’s wicketkeeper-opener Mollie Adams is the younger sister of Hampshire all-rounder Georgia and the daughter of ex-England men’s batter Chris.
