Preview: Royal London Women's One Day Cup Division 1 - Part Two

Lancashire won the Royal London One Day Cup County Championship by the tightest of margins last season, beating Yorkshire to the title. It again looks to be a close competition and there are several sides that can come away with the title. Here we discuss the last four teams who make up the top two divisions and look at last years' winners and some of the other contenders.



 



Lancashire



Important Player –  Sophie Ecclestone



Ecclestone was the leading wicket-taker as she bowled her side to the County Championship. An England called up followed for the winters' Ashes series. Ecclestone looked at home at the international level and has a great chance of making herself a regular in the England side for years to come.



Young player to look out for – Ellie Threlkeld



The wicket-keeper was part of the England Academy side that toured South Africa recently. Threlkeld is a regular in the Kia Super League side also based in Lancashire, with Sarah Taylor leaving the Thunder, Threlkeld will have more opportunity to keep wickets this year.



2017 season



It was a good year for Lancashire as they won both the County Championship and County T20 league. It was mightily close as less than a point separated the top two in the end.



What’s in store for 2018



With a good core of players, there is no reason that they can’t challenge again for the title again. It will be tough, though with a new captain in charge Eve Jones has got a lot to live up to.



 



Yorkshire



Important Player – Lauren Winfield



It is an important season for the England opener who found runs to come by over the winter. A recent batting camp to work on technique could work wonders. While Yorkshire has some important players, runs from Winfield will go some way for Yorkshire winning the title.



Young player to look out for – Hollie Armitage



A regular in both the Kia Super League side connected to Yorkshire. A batsman who also bowls leg-spin at just 20 years old, there is much more to come from Armitage.



2017 season



The White Rose county lost out to their cross-Pennine rivals by less than a point. Only defeat to Nottinghamshire in their final game denied Yorkshire of the County Championship.



What’s in store for 2018



Yorkshire will want to go one better than last season and with some good performances, they will be there or thereabouts. A tough weekend on the road against Kent and Middlesex will be a true test of how far Yorkshire can go.



 



Kent



Important Player –  Alice Davidson-Richards



The all-rounder is the heartbeat of the side. Recently called up to the full England squad for the tour of India for the tri-series with India and Australia. A free-scoring batsman and a bowler with a niggling line that gets her fair share of wickets.



Young player to look out for - Izzy Cloke



At only 17 years old there is still a lot more to come from Cloke. A bowler who has much to offer deemed talented enough to feature on the England Academy tour to South Africa. This could be the season we see her progress.



2017 season



It was an odd season for a Kent side that is usually used to challenging for the title. It took a last day win to prevent relegation which sunk their long-time rivals, Sussex.



What’s in store for 2018



Kent will be looking for a better season this year, with experienced players such as Laura Marsh and Tammy Beaumont set to play more games it could be a season where Kent again challenge.



 



Nottinghamshire



Important Player – Sonia Odedra



The captain was the highest run-scorer in division one last year and is still a handy bowler. A regular also for Kia Super League side Loughborough Lightning the former England international is the most important player in the Nottinghamshire side, although there are other players that would like to claim that role.



Young player to look out for -  Lucy Higham



Another regular for the Loughborough Lightning, Higham is an off-spin bowler with a bowling average under 20 and an economy-rate under 3.5. The 20-year-old will be an integral part of the Nottinghamshire bowling line-up.



2017 season



A mid-table finish for the East Midlands side was where they were expected to finish. A crushing defeat against Sussex where they bowled their visitors out for just 70 will live long in the memory.



What’s in store for 2018



It will be a case of building on last season, with Kia Super League winner Jodie Dibble in the side and a nice mixture of youth and experience Nottinghamshire look to have a side that can beat any of the sides around them.