Charlie Taylor: Somerset Women in 2025
2025 was a big year for Somerset cricket. It was the year that saw the first professional Somerset Women team take to the field for the first time.
Here, SCCC commentator and BBC radio presenter, Charlie Taylor reflects on the team’s inaugural year in the new era.
Whatever happened on the field in 2025, this year would be special for Somerset County Cricket Club. For the first time in its 150-year history, it had a professional women’s side. Many great players had represented the county in its amateur era.
Now no longer pushed to club grounds around the county, the team was given permanent space at the Cooper Associates County Ground, with the majority of their home games taking place there. Over 1,000 specific women’s memberships were sold.
The season could not have got off to a better start, when Sophie Luff’s side beat star-studded Surrey by seven wickets at Beckenham – the opening pair of former England skipper Heather Knight and rising Devonian talent Emma Corney putting on 122 in 18 overs. Sadly, both players’ seasons were about to come to an abrupt, injury-induced halt. The team went on to win four of their first five games, raising hopes of a knock-out place finish. Overseas signing Amanda-Jade Wellington, England spinner Charlie Dean, Chloe Skelton and Ellie Anderson were the consistent wicket-takers.
A mixture of England call-ups, season-ending injuries and some poor performances led to a run of 13 games without a win in all competitions (12 losses and one abandoned without a ball bowled).
That run included a defeat in a super over to Durham in the T20 Cup. Both teams finished on 124 for nine, but England’s Bess Heath made short work of the nine required to see Durham home in the super over. It wouldn’t be the only tie for Somerset this season.
The Vitality Blast season felt like it ended before it began. A Somerset side with growing numbers of inexperienced players struggled to find the right pace at which to bat. Scores were chased down despite the best efforts of the bowling attack. Special mentions for Mollie Robbins who made the new ball swing, Chloe Skelton, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Charlie Dean who caused consistent problems with their spin (Wellington also being Somerset’s top run-scorer) and Fran Wilson and Bex Odgers who found some consistency with the bat in a season where many struggled.
The county finished bottom of the table with just one win from their 14 group games, although one of those matches did end in a tie against Lancashire at Blackpool. With one ball to go Lancashire needed seven to win – Australian all-rounder Alana King was on strike, batting way outside off stump. Robbins’ delivery, on a good length and heading for the top of middle stump was smashed over backward square leg for six, denying Somerset a second win of the season but providing some excellent entertainment in a town famous for it.
Before The Hundred, there were two more 50-over games. Unluckily, a rare day of rain got in the way of a promising match against Essex (Somerset were 312 for six with four balls to go when play was suspended thanks to 78 from Niamh Holland and 60 from Jess Hazell, two homegrown talents), and a defeat to Durham meant qualifying was going to be difficult.
At this point in the season the county sides were broken up and those who received call-ups to the teams in The Hundred headed off to their teams’ cities. For those not selected, the competitive season was put on pause for 35 game-less days.
Two wins, a loss and a no result from the County’s final four One-Day Cup games wasn’t enough to get Somerset into the semi-final spots, finishing fifth with six wins and six losses from their 14 games. The captain, Sophie Luff was the team’s top scorer finishing with 362 runs at 32.90, with overseas signing Amanda-Jade Wellington topping the wicket-taking stats (19 at 23.31).
At the end of August, Head Coach, Trevor Griffin announced his decision to stand down from his role.
Despite the disappointment of no knock-out qualification, there was plenty of talent on show and new names to be excited by this season – Olivia Barnes and Erin Vukusic among them.
