Lauren Winfield-Hill to Sign Long-Term Yorkshire Deal, Considers Loan for Tier 1 Cricket

Lauren Winfield-Hill, the England batter, is poised to sign a long-term contract with Yorkshire but is open to exploring loan opportunities in 2025 to maintain her involvement in Tier 1 domestic cricket.

With the restructuring of women's domestic cricket in England and Wales, Yorkshire was not among the eight teams granted Tier 1 status and funding by the ECB. However, they have been assured of promotion to the top tier in 2026.

This has presented a dilemma for several Northern Diamonds players, including Winfield-Hill, who must decide between relocating to a Tier 1 county or remaining in Leeds for another season.

"My intention is to stick around and commit to Yorkshire," Winfield-Hill stated. "I haven't officially signed a contract or anything, but that's what I'm looking to do. What that looks like with loans or opportunities to play Tier 1 cricket is something that we'll explore, but if that doesn't happen, it doesn't happen."

Winfield-Hill's loyalty to Yorkshire played a significant role in her decision to stay. "I've always been really keen to finish where I started and [Yorkshire] is a place that's really close to my heart. It's where my friends and family get to come and watch me… those sorts of things are massively important to me."

However, she is considering a loan deal in 2025 to ensure she continues to play at the highest level. "We're just working through it all now," she said. "There's lots of things that are quite unknown with what Tier 2 and Tier 1 looks like, what the crossover is and all the rest of it."

"I don't really want a year of not playing top-flight cricket domestically in England but what that looks like, I'm unsure of now. That's the truth. We're trying to get the best of both worlds in terms of being around for Yorkshire stuff, developing that, and making sure that in 18 months or two years' time, we're ready to hit the ground running and compete in Tier 1."

Meanwhile, the Blaze have signed Ireland allrounder Orla Prendergast for the remainder of the season after Nadine de Klerk was ruled out through injury.

Tags: #LaurenWinfieldHill, #Yorkshire, #Tier1Cricket, #Women'sDomesticCricket, #NorthernDiamonds