Women’s squad are ‘very enthused’

January 21, 2025

SUFFOLK Women’s cricketers are ‘very enthused’ ahead of the 2025 season, according to new head coach Johan de Silva.

The squad have been training together on Friday evenings at Framlingham College since January 10th as they prepare for the new season as a Tier 3 county under the new structure announced by the ECB last year.

The fixtures for the 2025 campaign have now been announced, and following his appointment last month de Silva can’t wait to get started.

He said: “I am really looking forward to my first season coaching with the team, and feel we have a great chance of being competitive in T3 Division 2 South.

“It has been nice to see the team come together and training has been really well attended. Some new players have been added to the squad – Tamsin Holmes and Arathy Jayapal – with more potentially to follow with observations taking place in the next few weeks.

“The team seem to be very enthused about their cricket and committed to improving and there is a lovely atmosphere.”

He said it was also great to have players like Issy Sidhu and Sophie Singer making time to come back to attend training.

Singer, who first represented Suffolk in 2021, became the county’s first women’s player to be awarded a professional contract when she was included in the Kent squad for the coming season.

She was signed after impressing during end-of-season trials at Kent, who will be playing in Tier 2 of the revamped women’s domestic structure.

Sidhi, one of three triplets to have represented Suffolk, was among 14 players selected for this season’s Surrey Academy, which is a stepping-stone to first-team cricket at Surrey, who will be a Tier 1 county.

“I am optimistic that we can make a difference with some more of our young players and they can progress into Tier 2 counties with time,” said de Silva, “but generally I will be looking to bring as much fun back to playing as possible and play well on the pitch.”

Suffolk’s Amelie Clarke (left) and Poppy Sidhu (right) are pictured above.

 

2025 FIXTURES

 

ECB T20 County Cup

Saturday, May 10, Second Round – Devon or Dorset, away

Saturday, May 17, Quarter-Finals – Warwickshire Bears, home, tbc

Saturday, May 24, Semi-Finals – away

Monday, May 26 – Finals Day

 

Vitality Blast T20 League 3

Sunday, June 1 – Beds & Hunts, Ipswich School

Sunday, June 15 – Dorset, away

Sunday, June 29 – Oxfordshire, Bury St Edmunds CC

Sunday, July 13 – Cornwall, away

Sunday, July 27 – Finals Day

 

Metro Bank One-Day Cup

Sunday, April 20 – Oxfordshire, away

Sunday, August 10 – Cornwall, Ipswich School

Sunday, August 24 – Dorset, Sudbury CC

Sunday, September 7 – Beds & Hunts, away

Sunday, September 21 – Finals Day

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