Steelbacks targeting a Leicestershire win double as history is made at the County Ground
Head coach Darren Lehmann is delighted to be playing his part in a bit of Northants cricketing history on Sunday when the very first Steelbacks Vitality Blast 'double header' is staged at the County Ground.
On what is set to be a bumper day of action-packed cricket at Wantage Road, the Steelbacks Women kick things off with their first ever Vitality Blast League Two clash when they host Leicestershire at 11am.
That encounter is then followed by the Steelbacks' Vitality Blast North Group clash with Leicestershire Foxes at 3pm.
The double header is the first of two that will be staged at the County Ground this summer, with the other on July 6 when Worcestershire Rapids are the opposition.
Lehmann believes the move is a positive one, and hopes it is something that can become even more of a regular occurence in the future.
"I think it is great, and we should be having as many double headers as we can," said the Australian.
"From our point of view, we will be here early and will be watching the women.
"David Ripley and the crew have been going so well, so we will be looking forward to watching them play and then we get into it straight afterwards.
"So what a packed day it is going to be, so let's hope we have a great crowd come down and enjoy some good weather, and some good cricket."
The Steelbacks Women have already played Leicestershire in a T20 match at Wantage Road this summer, losing their last-16 clash in the Vitality T20 County Cup by 41 runs on May 17.
Ripley's side have beaten their east midlands rivals in the Metro Bank One Day Cup League Two though, and will be boosted by the return of on-loan Blaze batter Michaela Kirk.
The Steelbacks Women have enjoyed a good start to the season, winning three out of four in the 50-over competition, and then claiming two T20 wins before they were knocked out of the County Cup.
In the Vitality Blast North Group, David Willey's Steelbacks will be aiming for a second straight win after they beat Yorkshire Vikings by 13 runs in a Headingley thriller on Friday night.
The Foxes will arrive at the County Ground in good spirits as well though, after they carried their excellent Rothesay County Championship form into the Blast with a five-wicket win over Derbyshire Falcons in their opener at Grace Road.
Opening batter Sol Budinger produced the standout performance in that one, thrashing 51 from just 17 balls - hitting six fours and four sixes.
The Steelbacks will be without James Sales who missed the Vikings clash ‘due to soreness’, and is replaced in the squad that travelled to Yorkshire by Dom Leech.
Steelbacks Women squad to face Leicestershire (start 11am): Gemma Marriott (c), Beth Ascott, Abby Butcher, Bella Howarth, Amelia Kemp, Michaela Kirk, Anisha Patel, Ella Phillips, Mabel Reid, Bethan Robinson, Lenny Sims, Poppy Smart, Katherin Speed
Steelbacks squad v Yorkshire Vikings: David Willey (c), Ravi Bopara, Matt Breetzke, Justin Broad, Liam Guthrie, Dom Leech, Lewis McManus, Lloyd Pope, Luke Procter, Ben Sanderson, George Scrimshaw, Ricardo Vasconcelos, Saif Zaib