The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced an U19 Women’s Development squad that will face Scotland A in a series of matches scheduled for July 2025. In a historic first, the team is bringing together a selected group of U19 players for a dedicated summer training camp, marking a new step in the development pathway ahead of their fixtures against Scotland A.
This two-week program is designed to further the development of high-potential players, with a focus on those who have previously been involved in the previous U19 World Cup editions, like Sophie Beech, Olivia Brinsden, Trudy Johnson, and the skipper in the 2025 edition.
Abi Norgrove, Eve O’Neill, Charlotte Stubbs, Amu Surenkumar, and Grace Thompson have been included in the squad. The squad also features emerging players who are being considered for future involvement with the England Women U19 team.
Abi Norgrove, who captained the England side in the 2025 U19 World Cup, currently ranks second in the ongoing 2025 T20 Women’s Blast. In just four innings, she has maintained an impressive strike rate of nearly 185, showcasing her powerful hitting ability in the shortest format of the game.
Hampshire’s right-arm fast-medium bowler Daisy Gibb has also caught the selectors’ attention. In the ongoing 2025 T20 Women’s Blast, the young pacer has taken 6 wickets while maintaining an economy rate of just over 6. With her consistent performances, she currently sits 10th on the list of highest wicket-takers in the 2025 season.
Chris Guest, the England Women U19 Performance Lead, will take charge of the program as head coach. Commenting on the tour he said, “It’s always exciting when you get to bring the best young talent together and have the opportunity to learn from each other and train together leading into some competitive fixtures; it provides them all with another development opportunity to continue to grow and evolve.”
The young England national team has delivered strong performances in the last two editions of the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, finishing as runners-up in the South Africa tournament and reaching the semi-finals in the 2025 edition held in Malaysia.
With the 2027 U19 T20 World Cup in sight, the team will be aiming to build on past performances and go one step further. Their goal will be to clinch the title in the upcoming edition, set to be co-hosted by Nepal and Bangladesh.
ECB U19 Development Squad:
Maria Andrews, Sophie Beech, Phoebe Brett, Olivia Brinsden, Eliza Bristowe, Daisy Gibb, Bryony Gillgrass, Gen Jeer, Trudy Johnson, Amelia Love, Abi Norgrove, Eve O’Neill, Amelia Oliver, Jemima Spence, Charlotte Stubbs, Amu Surenkumar, Grace Thompson, Venus Weerapulli, Annie Williams
Training Camp: 13–17 July 2025
Fixtures:
22nd July: ECB U19 Women’s Development squad v Scotland A, 40-over, Shepshed CC
24th July: ECB U19 Women’s Development squad v Scotland A, 50-over, Loughborough University
25th July: ECB U19 Women’s Development squad v Scotland A, 2 x T20, Loughborough University
(Quotes sourced from ECB Official Website)
