Where Yorkshire's stars are heading this winter

Yorkshire will have as many as 13 of their men’s and women’s players playing domestic and club cricket in Australia and New Zealand this winter, while more will head Down Under in February as part of a Melbourne-based training camp organised in conjunction with Cricket Victoria.

Some will be returning to clubs they have previously played for, others spending their first winters away.

The likes of women’s captain Lauren Winfield-Hill and men’s leg-spinner Jafer Chohan are embarking upon spells in state and domestic T20 cricket respectively with Queensland Fire and Sydney Sixers. Winfield-Hill has been playing for the Fire since late last month.

“A lot of our lads and girls are going away, and it will be a great experience and very useful for them,” said Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket.

“Everybody craves time outdoors during the winter, and they will come back – hopefully – with their games in good shape ready for the start of our summer.”

From the men’s squad, Fin Bean (Melbourne University), Chohan (Sydney University), Ben Cliff (Greenvale), Harry Duke (Essendon), Noah Kelly (Beaumaris), Will Luxton (Greenvale) and Dan Moriarty (Caulfield) are Australia bound.

Yash Vagadia will be playing for Onslow in Wellington, New Zealand.

Jawad Akhtar is returning to play in Islamabad, Pakistan, as he did last winter.

Added to Winfield-Hill, who is on a state contract with Queensland alongside new White Rose overseas signing Jess Jonassen, Ami Campbell is playing club cricket for Gordon in Sydney and Rebecca Duckworth is returning to the Gold Coast.

Duckworth played women’s cricket for Gold Coast Dolphins at the start of this year and men’s cricket for Helensvale.

Jess Woolston is heading to Melbourne to play for North Geelong, while Ria Fackrell is also journeying to the same city in the New Year.

Then, in February, more men’s and women’s players – predominantly bowlers – will head out to Melbourne for a month-long training camp which will see White Rose stars integrate into the Victorian state set-ups and be based at their high performance centre at the Junction Oval, St Kilda.

Men’s fast-bowling coach Mick Lewis will head that up. He is returning home imminently for the winter, while Hamilton may even go himself alongside a women’s coach or two.

“We’ve been talking to Cricket Victoria, Graham Manou (general manager of cricket performance) and Nick Cummins (chief executive), to try and get a relationship going,” explained Lewis.

“We will be getting a winter training programme going in Melbourne for four weeks and get a lot of the fast bowlers out there.

“I’ve done it with Essex for the last few years. We had 10 boys out there last year.

“The key is to develop that relationship with Victoria. It’s about us integrating into the Victoria system and helping them train and prepare for games.

“It’s a win-win situation for both.”

During that training camp, there will also likely be some match practice for Yorkshire’s players.

For the men’s players, they will reunite with this summer’s overseas all-rounder Will Sutherland, who is the current state captain at Victoria. He also leads the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash.

Sutherland said: “It’s going to be great to see the boys.

“It will be good practice for them to bowl to us Vic boys on different wickets.

“Getting their experience up on Aussie decks is going to be good for the future, especially for those guys heading towards higher honours. And there are definitely guys in that changing room who are.

“But to get outdoors at that time of year, away from the miserable UK winter weather, will be so much use and fun for them.

“I’m expecting big things from this group in the years to come, and trips like this to Australia certainly won’t do any harm.”

International exposure obviously comes for Harry Brook, Adil Rashid and Joe Root with England, who have got upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand.

Matthew Revis is with the England Lions in Australia before Christmas, while Will Bennison and Matthew Firbank have been selected for Under 19s duty in the Caribbean.

Sterre Kalis will also be on international duty with the Netherlands at various stages through the winter. She is currently in Vancouver playing at the Canada Super 60 event. Hannah Rainey and Rachel Slater are also due to be with Scotland.

T20 franchise opportunities will also come for the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan.

New women’s signing Sarah Glenn is currently with England at the 50-over World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

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