Women's Cricket Chat and The Cricketer to collaborate on major new project

The Cricketer and the Women’s Cricket Chat podcast are teaming up to cover a revolutionary summer of women’s cricket in England and Wales.

As part of the collaboration, the Women’s Cricket Chat team will work on audio and written projects with The Cricketer’s staff writers, in an effort to push coverage of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Regional T20 and The Hundred as far and wide as possible.

The initiative will include team-by-team preview podcasts ahead of the new women’s domestic campaign, a weekly show involving members of Women’s Cricket Chat and The Cricketer, a weekly Women’s Cricket Chat on thecricketer.com, and further editorial content yet to be announced.

All content will be available across both The Cricketer’s and Women’s Cricket Chat’s digital platforms.

This summer, 41 new female professional players will take to the field as part of eight new regional hubs, and The Cricketer is committing to covering the competition in the same way the publication currently covers the men’s county competitions.

With that in mind, next week The Cricketer will launch its biggest domestic cricket portal yet, focusing on the 50 and 20-over regional competitions. The women’s hub will include profiles on every player involved in this year’s tournaments, in-depth looks at the teams competing, and engaging features.

Digital editor of The Cricketer, Sam Morshead, said: “I’m delighted to be collaborating with Women’s Cricket Chat across this summer, in such an exciting and important year for the women’s game in this country.

“Hannah, Alex, Georgie, Cassie and Lucy have excellent connections within the women’s domestic game, they know the sport, they love the sport, and in joining forces we at The Cricketer continue on our previously stated aim to give more opportunities and platforms to new and different voices and faces.

“Our readers can expect vibrant, informative takes on the big steps that are being taken in the women’s game in 2021, regular and comprehensive tournament coverage, and illuminating insight.”

Hannah Thompson, co-founder of Women’s Cricket Chat, said: “It is an absolute honour to work in collaboration with The Cricketer on the women’s domestic coverage this season.

“For the five of us behind Women’s Cricket Chat this is exactly where we want to be; collaborating with an established and forward-thinking outlet like The Cricketer is genuinely an absolute dream.

“Women’s cricket is a growth market, there’s so much potential to do more and say more and The Cricketer are not only at the forefront of driving more women’s coverage but are empowering the voices of five young female journalists in an industry that is in need of diversity.

“We can’t wait to share the stories of incredible athletes who deserve their stories to be told. This summer is a moment in history that deserves to be covered in the fullest of ways which I am more than confident this collaboration will achieve.” The Cricketer’s Nick Friend will front the written coverage of the competition, supported by Elizabeth Botcherby.

Notes The Cricketer is the oldest and most read cricket magazine in the world. Founded in 1921, it is currently celebrating its centenary (www.thecricketer.com/centenary). www.thecricketer.com has won the ECB’s Outstanding Coverage of Domestic Cricket award for each of the past three years. Women’s Cricket Chat is a podcast and platform launched in January 2021 by Hannah Thompson and Alexandra Pereira which amplifies the voices of individuals working in the women’s game. Each week there’s a new profile interview and guests have included; Charlotte Edwards, Enid Bakewell, Sue Redfern, Georgia Adams, Naasira Mohammed and Roberta Moretti Avery to name a few.

Cassie Coombes, Georgie Heath and Lucy Rees are at the forefront of producing digital content across the social channels (@wcricketchat) and join the duo for group chat episodes.