Make Mine a Double - Hampshire's Under-18 Women's Side Shine Spotlight on Brighter Future

For Hampshire women's pathway programme, though, the past month has delivered almost uninterrupted success - and an unprecedented twin triumph.

Late last week, the Hawk caught up with James Hibberd, Hampshire's Head of Performance - Hampshire Girls Pathway, who watched the county's Under-18s women's side celebrate both T20 and 50 over success in a seven day period in mid-September, winning the T20 at Neston CC in Cheshire before beating Yorkshire in the longer format at Attenborough Cricket Club in Nottinghamshire.

Little wonder Hibberd believes the future is bright for this crop of players.

"We could have been even stronger," he says. "Pippa Sproule, Eve O'Neil and Eliza Bristow weren't able to play for the Under-18s because of their professional contracts.

"That's a lot of strength in depth to be without, but the girls did brilliantly anyway.

"Three of the team were Under-16s, and the rest were Under-17s and Under-18s.

"There's plenty to look forward to."

He's not wrong.

Hampshire's double - unprecedented, albeit in two tournaments still in their infancy - certainly bodes well for the future, with nine of the side likely to return to under-18 cricket next season.

But although the silverware is welcome, for Hibberd and his team, there's always an essential trade off between development and winning trophies.

"At the start of the summer I set the coaches a clear measure: this isn't about trophies or even winning matches - it's about the process of making each individual the best they can be.

"We need to give these squads and these players as much time as possible to develop.

"The trophies were a nice way to finish the summer but the work we do isn't geared to winning every tournament we enter.

"Yes, we know that not all of these girls are going to go on and play professionally.

"Some will play Tier 2 and 3 cricket, or a good standard of club cricket, and some will go to university.

"Three have already signed professional contracts, but not everyone can be a pro."

Of course, the opportunities available to young female cricketers in 2026 are a world away from the limited chances that many had as recently as a decade ago.

At the top end there are now more than 150 professional cricketers. Just 12 years ago, when the ECB introduced central contracts for England's women, the 18 lucky recipients were the only full-time paid players in the country.

That's not to say that issues don't still persist.

One of the major gripes of those involved in women and girl's club cricket in Hampshire this summer was the fact that the majority of county cricket is still played on a Sunday - leaving many clubs short of players.

"The problem is that Saturdays are heavy with men's cricket, and club grounds are hard to get," says Hibberd.

"Moving county age-group games to Saturdays would be ideal, and we do it when we can, but we rely on clubs and schools being available.

"I think you'll see, as the game continues to grow, that depth of player will drop into club cricket.

"The game has changed dramatically in a very short period of time, and I think we have to acknowledge that.

"We're in a transition period.

"But if you look at what has happened overall - Charlotte Edwards got me involved in 2023, and the level has gone up tenfold since.

"It's a cliché, but I really believe that the sky's the limit.

"The standard has gone through the roof. My daughter's 14 and you see more players at that age really pushing on.

"There'll be player turnover over the next six or seven years, and the current professionals know that pressure is coming.

"Eliza Bristow's success this season shows the game will keep improving."

Having missed out in the final of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, as well as losing in the semi-finals of the T20 Blast, the under-18's triumphs have added some gloss to Hampshire's season - not just in women's cricket but across the club in an otherwise difficult and at times tumultuous year.

And with both Bristowe and Shastri Patel - who has come through the Berkshire pathway programme to represent Hampshire - having been selected for England's Under-19 World Cup squad, there are no shortage of role models for these young cricketers to try and emulate.