There has been an eight per cent rise in the number of clubs, resulting in a 19 per cent rise in the number of women playing cricket since 1998. The number of primary school girls involved has increased from 354,000 to 433,000 and secondary school figures have increased from 139,000 to 174,400. The latest opportunity to combine improving cricket while studying for a degree at the six University Centres of Excellence is attracting women as well as men. This section of the ECB's website is intended to provide women cricketers and those interested in the women's game with some background information on the game - and a greater understanding of it's development role in English cricket. There is a strong league structure from county, through regional to the National Premier League with an annual system of promotion and relegation.
Some clubs play evening league cricket, others concentrate on weekend fixtures, some play both.
Girls also play Kwik Cricket , a shortened form of the game, which introduces youngsters to cricket and promotes their interest in taking up the sport. The women's game at junior level now runs on the same age groups as the men's. The County League competitions are now for teams at U15, U17 and U19. England are among the best sides in the world, having won the 1973 and 1993 World Cups and reached the semi-finals of the 1997 tournament. They represent those teams at the Area Championships in a five day tournament in August on university grounds in Cambridge.