'So positive' - Durham Women's cricket star opens up on 'exciting' changes team can bring to region

Durham Women’s cricketer Phoebe Turner has suggested that the county’s new professional team can provide an “exciting” pathway for young girls who play the sport in the region.

Last year, Durham were selected by the ECB as one of eight clubs who will host sides as part of a newly-formed Tier One in the women’s county game from this season onwards. Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire have also been awarded Tier One status, with Yorkshire set to join the octet in 2026 as part of an expansion, and Glamorgan set to be added the following year.

The restructure will see the eight selected counties replace the regional teams that have previously competed in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in recent years, with the eventual plan being for a three-tiered domestic competition pyramid to be full operational by 2029.

For Durham, that means that the club now have a professional women’s team for the first time in their history, and Turner is of the opinion that the changes can be hugely positive for both the current crop of female cricketing talent, as well as future generations.

Speaking to The Echo at a launch event this week, the former Northern Diamonds star said: “For me, it’s really exciting to play T1 cricket, and I think the biggest thing is that it has been aligned with the men’s. Hopefully the next generation of girls coming through can come over to the North East, at Durham, and watch us. It’s a very clear pathway, and to see the academy girls share our space, I think it’s really important for them to see what the next step looks like for them as well. For me, it’s about being a positive role model for them, and sharing what I can to make them feel more comfortable.

“It’s so positive for these girls to see that there is a pathway in the North East, because I think in the past there probably hasn’t been. And this, the first professional women’s team, that’s just so exciting. It’s exciting for the girls coming through. I think it’s really important that they see us and they aspire to be us, really.”

One of the key facets of Durham’s successful bid for Tier One cricket was a commitment to integrate the men’s and women’s teams into a coherent club structure, and Turner has admitted that she is already reaping the benefits of that blueprint.

She added: “Seeing a lot of the men’s cricketers - such as Mark Wood, Ben Stokes - go on to represent England, the pathway at Durham is obviously working. There’s quite a lot of crossover between us and the men. There’s a couple of their coaches who will come in and help us, so it’s good to pick their brains and know that they’ve worked with top class players to get them to the furthest that they can go.”

Durham Women will also play all of their home matches at the historic Riverside ground alongside their male counterparts, and to that end, Turner is eager for the home crowd to fully embrace their new team.

When asked about the prospect of playing at the Riverside on a regular basis, she said: “It’s something that I’m still getting used to. I think a big thing is getting the home crowd to back us. I know what Durham fans are like, they’ll get all the energy and bring it out, so I think for all of us girls it’ll be really important for everyone to be there watching us, and just supporting us - especially on the T20 days when it’s double headers. We want all the fans to watch both games, not just the men’s. Hopefully we can give them a good show!”