England to introduce women's Twenty20 Cup

The ECB has proposed changes, effective next season, to the women's domestic game. The Twenty20 Cup will be introduced next season - England host both the men's and women's World Twenty20 next year - and Ireland will take part in the County Championship, the women's 50-over tournament.

The County Championship will be longer, with the top 24 teams playing ten games - five each home and away - from May to September. "We have a structure for 2009 that will provide a longer county season and a tougher playing environment for our cricketers," Clare Connor, the head of women's cricket, said on the ECB website.

One of her priorities this year, she said, was to appraise the competitiveness of the County Championship. The consultation process included county players, county managers, regional and national selectors as well as the England women's head coach.

Connor was enthusiastic about the women's Twenty20 Cup, and the possibilities offered by the ICC World Twenty20 next year.

"Our England players are desperate to play on finals day at Lord's on June 21 and the more competitive opportunities they are given to learn the art of Twenty20, the better our prospects on the international stage will be."

Ireland are in Division Five of the Championship, while Scotland will once again compete in Division Three besides fielding a team for the Under-17 competition.

Division One: Sussex, Kent, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Somerset
Division Two: Lancashire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Middlesex, Cheshire, Essex
Division Three: Derbyshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Scotland, Devon, Hampshire
Division Four: Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Cornwall, Wales, Durham
Division Five North & East: Leicestershire, Northumberland, Cumbria, Suffolk, Ireland
Division Five South & West: Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Shropshire, Oxfordshire