Leicestershire women set for first match at Grace Road on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day

Group Five will come to a close at the County Ground, with Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire also in action on May 8

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Leicestershire women are set to play at Grace Road for the first time as part of Twenty20 Cup Finals Day next month.

The appearance will be as part of the final round of matches in Group Five of the 20-over competition.

Group rivals Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire are their prospective opponents on the historic occasion.

Thirty-five sides across eight groups have been facing off in a round-robin format which comes to an end on May 2.

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Leicestershire and Rutland women (LCCC)

A Finals Day format will then determine the overall winner of each of the eight groups, with two semi-finals and a final scheduled for Sunday, May 8.

Currently sitting in third place with two victories and a pair of defeats from their four matches, Leicestershire - who have competed as Leicestershire and Rutland since 2010 - conclude their campaign against Northants on Bank Holiday Monday at Geddington Cricket Club.

Cricket development officer for women and girls Mark Hudson said: "I’m so excited for our players, fans, and staff, plus the players’ parents, as we stage our first-ever women’s match at Uptonsteel County Ground.

"The day marks a major milestone in the club’s drive to be truly inclusive and I can’t thank our staff enough for making this happen, especially Andy Ward and his team for taking on an additional matchday at such short notice.

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Grace Ballinger in action for Lightning (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

"Head coach Stephen Franklin & assistant head coach Dieter Klein have worked tirelessly to prepare the players for this kind of occasion, so it would be incredible to see lots of our fans there to support their great work and witness some exciting cricket on what promises to be a special day all round for the club."

Grace Ballinger, who played for Lightning in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup last season, has been the stand-out performer for Leicestershire, scoring 89 runs and taking four wickets at 16.75 in four matches.

The competition acts as a warm-up tournament ahead of the start of the 20-over CE Cup, which kicks off on May 14, as well as an opportunity to capture the attention of selectors.


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