On Sunday 4th October, the East Midlands Women's Cricket League celebrated another fantastic season, with clubs across the region coming together at their end-of-season presentation evening to celebrate winners from long-format, Super 8s, and softball cricket throughout 2026.
Several Derbyshire clubs celebrated divisional and cup success across all formats on offer.
Spondon & Eastwood were crowned Premier Division champions for the second year in a row, with their 2 XI also enjoying an excellent campaign, finishing top of Division 2 North East.
Duffield claimed the Division 1 North title, seeing the team promoted to the Premier Division for the first time for 2027!
The Super 8s competition produced 3 Derbyshire divisional winners this season. Denby were crowned winners of Division 1 North, Long Eaton were Division 2 Central winners, and Marehay topped Division 3 South Central on their first outing in this format.
Softball cricket continued to provide a wide range of opportunities for women to play competitively, with Derbyshire clubs crowned champions across 4 divisions. Marehay, Chellaston, Denby, and Melbourne Town all finished top of their respective divisions.
There was also cup success to celebrate, with Long Eaton lifting the Softball Knockout Cup and Chellaston winning the Enid Bakewell Softball League Cup.
With clubs competing across multiple formats and divisions, the 2026 season has once again demonstrated the strength and variety of women's cricket across the East Midlands.
Women’s and Girls’ Development Officer, Lauren Tuffrey, said:
“The East Midlands Women’s Cricket League does a fantastic job of providing competitive cricket for women across a range of formats and abilities. The 2026 season saw a huge increase in participation from Derbyshire, with 87 teams representing clubs across the county in the league.
It’s fantastic to already be seeing further growth ahead of the 2027 season, with more teams and clubs getting involved, whether that’s progressing from softball festivals or taking the next step into new formats within the existing league structure.
Women’s cricket continues to thrive across Derbyshire and the wider East Midlands, and it’s brilliant to see more women and girls getting the opportunity to play competitive cricket.”
Congratulations to all of the 2026 champions, cup winners and, importantly, every player, captain, coach, official and volunteer who contributed to another brilliant season of women's cricket.
Interested in finding out more about the EMWCL? Contact [email protected]