The 2026 Interprovincial Championships marked a significant milestone for the NCU Girls Pathway.
For the first time since the Girls Interprovincial competitions began in 2021, the NCU claimed both titles, reflecting the progress being made across the girls’ and women’s performance pathway.
Together with the Women’s Future Series success in 2024, the results highlight the impact of continued investment in player development and the opportunities now available to more young female cricketers.
These achievements have been shaped over a number of years through the commitment of players, coaches, parents and volunteers, supported by a pathway that aims to provide meaningful development opportunities both on and off the field.
An important stage in that journey came in February, when the NCU delivered its first overseas girls’ performance tour to Cape Town. Thirty players from the U16 and U18 programmes spent two weeks training in a high-performance environment, working with experienced coaches and competing against leading provincial age-group sides.
The tour provided players with the opportunity to experience different playing conditions, challenge themselves against strong opposition and gain a greater understanding of the standards required at the next level. Living, training and competing together also strengthened relationships across the squads—experiences that were reflected in the composure and teamwork shown throughout this summer’s Interprovincial campaign.
That tour, together with an expanding programme of winter training and summer development tours, has been made possible through the continued support of Carson McDowell. As sponsor of the NCU Player Pathway, their investment has helped broaden the range of opportunities available to players, including access to high-quality coaching, meaningful competition and experiences designed to support long-term development.
While the Interprovincial titles are an important milestone, they also reflect the continued development of the pathway and the collective efforts of everyone involved in supporting girls’ cricket across the NCU.
Congratulations to all of the players involved on their achievements this season and thanks their schools, clubs, parents, and coaches for the continued support and commitment that underpins the success of the player pathway.