Carrot of pro cricket in sight for Glamorgan women

Cardiff—The carrot of full-time professionalism is dangling in front of Glamorgan’s women, and every match between now and 2027 is being viewed as an audition for the contracts that will come when the county joins the top tier of English and Welsh domestic cricket.

Scheduled to become the 10th professional county in three years’ time—Yorkshire stepped up this season—Glamorgan are using the current Tier Two campaign to prove they merit investment from both the club and the wider game.

“We’re looking to win some trophies, but a lot of our focus is on 2027 and we need to be able to hit the ground running when that kicks off,” said head coach Rachel Priest, the former New Zealand wicket-keeper batter. “There’s another great season coming up, but the carrot of professional cricket is there.”

Last summer the Welsh side reached the One-Day Cup final and the T20 Blast semi-final in their inaugural season, only to be denied by Yorkshire on both occasions. Priest believes the same core group, augmented by a handful of academy graduates and three weekly loan signings from Tier One sides, can go one better this year while simultaneously building a culture that will attract full-time talent.

Central to that plan is a new Cardiff-based academy that also pulls in players from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Among the youngsters pushing through are seamers Poppy Walker and Katy Cobb, while opening bat Daisy Jeanes returns from the injury that curtailed her 2023 campaign. Experience comes from captain Lauren Parfitt, sister Georgia Parfitt and all-rounder Bethan Gammon, with the loan market expected to provide match-to-match reinforcements.

“We are definitely keen to go one better in both competitions and build a winning culture for 2027,” Priest added. “We hope people will find us a good place to come; we want to be seen as somewhere attractive.”

The 2024 fixture list offers eight group matches plus knockout stages in both the One-Day Cup and T20 Blast, plus an additional T20 knockout event. Three of Glamorgan’s Blast home games will be staged at Sophia Gardens as double-headers with the men, while away fixtures in Bristol and Leicester are also paired with the corresponding men’s games. Newport, Neath and Colwyn Bay—each of which has hosted first-class men’s cricket—will stage other home matches.

Captain Parfitt, a 32-year-old teacher who previously skippered Wales and featured for Western Storm, believes the joint branding is already paying dividends. “Everyone in the squad wants to be pushing for pro places and that can only breed good competition,” she said. “The girls have always been made to feel welcome at Sophia Gardens; we show we’re one club.”

Off-spinner Gemma Porter, 23, swapped Warwickshire for Glamorgan last winter and now works in the club’s ticket office, allowing seamless access to training. Named Player of the Year for 2023 after often opening the bowling in a spin-heavy attack, she is using the current set-up as a springboard back into professional cricket.

“I was in a professional set-up at Warwickshire, and before that I was with Southern Vipers academy,” Porter said. “Last year we weren’t professional, but we treated it professionally, so that speaks volumes as to why we played so well. Being professional is something I want to do; it’s why I’ve moved to Cardiff.”

The season begins on 12 April with two 50-over clashes at Sophia Gardens against Gloucestershire and Leicestershire, followed by a T20 Counties Cup meeting with Devon at Newport on 25 April. Every run, wicket and victory will be scrutinised with 2027—and the promise of contracts—in mind.