Women’s Cricket in the West – Historical Dates

Statistics compiled by Matthew Kingdom

DateTitleDescription
23/06/1930West of England Women play first recorded matchWest of England Women compete in their first recorded match, against Midlands Women at Bournville Cricket Ground. The match is drawn
06/06/1953First Somerset Women’s matchFirst match against Gloucestershire A in Bristol, which Somerset won by 5 wickets.
20/06/1953First Women’s Match at County Ground, TauntonFirst recorded women’s match at the County Ground, Taunton, between South Women and Women’s Cricket Association
19/05/1956First Recorded Match (at Morlands)Somerset Women play their first match, versus Surrey Women Second XI at Morlands Athletic Ground, Glastonbury – Surrey 2nd XI win by 116 runs
25/05/1963First use of County Ground, Taunton by West of EnglandFirst recorded match by West of England Women at the County Ground, Taunton, against Australia
31/05/1980West of England Women in Area ChampionshipWest of England Women, including Somerset, begin competing in the Women’s Area Championship (1980-1996)
06/09/1986West of England in Area Championship FinalWest of England reach the Area Championship final for the first and only time, which they lose to Kent
26/07/1997Women’s County Championship beginsThe Women’s County Championship begins, with West of England competing, doing so for three seasons (1997-1999)
17/08/1997First International Match at County Ground, TauntonEngland play South Africa in an ODI at the County Ground, Taunton, the first women’s international at the ground
29/07/2000First WCC Match for SomersetSomerset play their first Women’s County Championship match, against East Anglia. They win by 9 wickets, with Hannah Lloyd scoring 63*. Overall, they finish third in Division 2, with three wins and two losses.
14/08/2002First Test Match at County Ground, TauntonEngland play India in a Test match at the County Ground, Taunton; Mithali Raj scores a record 214
28/07/2004WCC Division 2 ChampionsSomerset win Division 2 of the Women’s County Championship for the first time, but are not promoted due to rearrangements in the structure of the tournament
10/07/2005First use of County Ground, Taunton by SomersetSomerset play their first match at the County Ground, Taunton, against Nottinghamshire in the Women’s County Championship. Somerset win by 43 runs, with Steph Davies scoring 65 and taking 4/17
27/07/2005WCC Division 2 ChampionsSomerset win Division 2, gaining promotion to Division 1 of the Women’s County Championship for the first time
29/08/2006Taunton becomes home of England Women’s CricketOn Day 1 of the England v India Test match at the County Ground, Taunton, it is announced that Taunton will become the new “Home of England Women’s Cricket”
19/05/2007Shrubsole List A Best Bowling FiguresAnya Shrubsole takes the best List A Bowling Figures for Somerset Women (and personally), with 7/28 from 9 overs v Surrey. She also takes two catches, meaning she contributed to 9 out of 10 wickets – the other was run out by Hannah Lloyd.
02/09/2005First T20I at County Ground, TauntonEngland play Australia in a T20I at the County Ground, Taunton
11/06/2009Women’s World T20 at the County Ground, TauntonThe County Ground, Taunton plays host to the group stage of the inaugural ICC Women’s World T20
29/07/2009Women’s Twenty20 Cup beginsSomerset compete in the first Women’s Twenty20 Cup, winning Division 2 of the tournament with two wins + one no result
23/07/2013Shrubsole T20 High Score (+ records)Anya Shrubsole scores the first, and only, T20 century for Somerset Women, with 109* from 48 deliveries against Wales. It remains the fastest century by an English woman in T20 cricket. Somerset’s total of 255/3 is the highest total in English women’s T20 cricket. Somerset lose their group final later that day, although Fran Wilson finishes as the leading run-scorer across the whole competition, with 290 runs
15/09/2013WCC Division 2 ChampionsSomerset finish 2nd in Division 2, but defeat first-placed Lancashire in a subsequent play-off. However, their promotion play-off against Essex (who lost a Division 1 relegation play-off) is abandoned due to rain, so Somerset remain in Division 2. Somerset player Jenny Withers is the leading wicket-taker across the whole County Championship, with 20 wickets
25/05/2015Team High Score in List ASomerset score 312/2 against Devon at Taunton Vale Sports Club, their highest score in List A cricket. Both Lizelle Lee (111) and Sophie Luff (109*) make centuries
13/09/2015WCC Division 2 Champions (with Luff List A HS)Somerset defeat Wales by 141 runs at the County Ground, Taunton to secure the Division 2 Women’s County Championship title. Sophie Luff makes 138*, the highest List A score for Somerset Women
24/07/2016WCT20 Division 2 ChampionsSomerset win Division 2 of the Women’s Twenty20 Cup, gaining promotion. Somerset’s Nicole Richards is the leading wicket-taker across the whole tournament, with 15 wickets
26/06/2017Women’s World Cup at the County Ground, TauntonThe County Ground, Taunton hosts seven group stage matches in the Women’s World Cup
17/06/2018Hawker T20 Best Bowling FiguresJackie Hawker takes the first, and only, five-wicket haul for Somerset Women in T20 cricket, with 5/6 from 3 overs against Cheshire.
30/06/2019WCT20 Division 2 ChampionsSomerset win Division 2 of the Women’s Twenty20 Cup. However, this is the final season of national county competition, with the subsequent introduction of eight-team regional cricket at domestic level in England. Somerset captain Sophie Luff is the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 316 runs
18/07/2019First Ashes Test at County Ground, TauntonThe County Ground, Taunton hosts its first Ashes Test match, which ends in a draw
16/05/2021WCT20 West Midlands Group WinnersSomerset win the West Midlands Group of the Women’s Twenty20 Cup, in the first year of the new regionalised tournament
14/05/2023WCT20 Group 8 WinnersSomerset win Group 8 of the Women’s Twenty20 Cup, defeating Wales under the floodlights at the County Ground, Taunton on Finals Day after a rain-ruined group stage