Utilita Bowl to host inaugural Metro Bank one-day cup women’s final

Utilita Bowl has been at the centre of the transformation in women’s professional cricket, hosting consecutive sold out international matches in 2023 and 2024, and welcoming record crowds to watch Southern Brave Women in The Hundred.

The venue has also led the way on the field, creating a fully integrated men’s and women’s professional structure, which has produced seven international players and delivered six domestic trophies.

Greig Stewart, Head of Customer Experience, said: “We are delighted to have been selected to host the inaugural Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s Final.

“Support for our women’s teams has been outstanding in recent years and we are proud of our record moving the sport forwards, on and off the field.

“This is the start of an exciting new era for cricket and we look forward to welcoming fans to Utilita Bowl for this landmark event.”

Hampshire were one of the eight counties to be awarded a Tier 1 women’s team and will be competing to reach the final on their home ground.

The Kia Oval will host the first-ever Vitality Blast Women’s Finals Day on Sunday 27 July, whilst Vitality Blast Men’s Finals Day will be held at Edgbaston on Saturday 13 September. Both domestic T20 Finals Days will be televised live on Sky Sports with ball-by-ball radio coverage provided by the BBC.

Tier 2 of the women’s domestic pyramid will see two competitions – the Vitality Blast Women’s League 2 and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2. The finals of these competitions will be held at Wantage Road, Northampton, and Visit Worcestershire New Road respectively.

The ECB have also announced the inaugural Women’s T20 County Cup – a new knockout competition consisting of teams from all three tiers of the expanded women’s domestic structure. Finals Day for the Women’s T20 County Cup will be held at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton on Monday 26 May.