Preview: West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League [2026]

The release of the 2026 fixtures for the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League revealed some key changes for this latest edition.

The top flight for hardball cricket is now called Premier Division 1 and has just six teams in Bradford Park Avenue Ladies, Crossflatts, Harrogate, North Leeds, Pudsey St Lawrence and Rawdon.

These were the top six placed sides from 2025 when it was a ten-team division. A caveat comes in the fact that players from St Chad’s Broomfield have moved to form their own women’s team at Rawdon which is why that club is in Premier Division 1.

Menston, Holmfirth, Skipton and North Halifax will be aiming to win promotion to the top tier at the first attempt. They are joined by other sides in a re-named Premier League 2 to make an eight-team division.

Premier League 2 consists of: Burley-in-Wharfedale, Guiseley, Holmfirth, Menston, North Halifax, Skipton, St Chad’s Broomfield, Thurstonland.

It’s an interesting recalibration at a time when the other two regional Premier Leagues in South Yorkshire and North/East have increased the number of sides at the summit.

It may well be a recognition that in 2025, Division 1 in West Yorkshire had high ambitions but, for whatever reason, the number of conceded games and mismatches was at times noticeable.

Now that the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation (YCF) has officially backed these three regional leagues, closer attention will be on the pathway, standards and how everything knits together from top to toe.

The concentration of talent into the best six West Yorkshire teams should have an impact over time and they are playing 40 overs cricket a year earlier than expected (up from 30 overs).

The West Yorkshire W&GCL Premier League 1 campaign begins when Pudsey St Lawrence host Harrogate on Monday 4 May. That isn’t the beginning of the season, however. Cup duties beckon first with a three-team showdown at North Leeds CC in the group stages of the Archer Cup on Sunday 19 April.

The regional final for the Archer Cup will be at Bradford & Bingley Cricket Club under floodlights.

A chat with the League Chair Phil Sharples revealed the staggering growth. It’s easy to forget that this will only be the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League’s fifth season.

The league has transformed from six hardball teams and 21 softball sides in 2022 to 43 hardball teams and a whopping 116 softball squads for 2026. Are they the biggest women and girls cricket league in the country? Has any other cricket league experienced this jump in organic playing numbers?

Balancing growth with the best experience of cricket

It’s a collective story of success underpinned by clubs, officials, volunteers at the league and in communities, as well as players and supporters. Their most recent awards dinner at Elland Road saw 823 guests (and they didn’t force clubs to buy tickets).

Overseeing that speed of participation is a balancing act. Underpinning things are the unglamorous but vital pillars of admin and communication. Key figures like Phil, Clare Ward (Secretary) and Tom Jenkins (Fixtures) are supported by those who act as league reps across divisions.

In a short period of time, the league has branched out its offering for both women and girls. Its origin story was led by Phil: “I didn’t want another generation of 17-year old girls with nowhere to play next. Now, there is an entry level across age groups and formats.”

The league in West Yorkshire didn’t begin with girls cricket but there are 71 girls teams this season. 

For 2026, an U11 age bracket is being introduced to complement the success of the YCF Roses Festivals. Further U13 and U15 softball divisions with hardball opportunities and a way to transition into women’s club teams means there’s a pathway that’s knitted together.

The league offers that regularity of fixtures for girls, a chance to play, socialise and immerse yourself in the game in a way that one-off festivals couldn’t provide on their own.

Phil told me that beyond offering ways to access cricket for all ages, there are other items on the committee’s radar: “We want to drive up standards, see more games completed and help to get girls qualified as coaches through The Metro Bank Girls in Cricket Fund.”

Rapid expansion doesn’t come without its headaches and ground availability is already a challenge, according to Phil, and likely to become more of a conundrum.

Other news includes the move to formalising umpiring appointments in future through the Who’s the Umpire software, and a change to Oxbridge cricket balls.

So, plenty to look forward to as the West Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League enters its action-packed season outdoors.

Want to read more?

We have an extensive women and girls’ cricket section, packed with club visits, interviews and photography.

There are also 2026 previews for the YPLN Women’s Premier League and South Yorkshire Women & Girls Cricket League.