Mady Villiers signs three-year deal with Durham instead of Essex

Durham have boosted their women's squad in preparation for the upcoming new county competition by securing a three-year deal with England offspinning allrounder, Mady Villiers.

Villiers has represented England on 20 occasions, most recently on their tour of Ireland where her death-over bowling all but snatched two victories from the jaws of defeat.

In all, she has taken 221 white-ball wickets in her professional career, having already surpassed 2000 career runs with eight half-centuries, and she's been an ever-present for Oval Invincibles in the Women's Hundred, helping the side to claim consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022.

Her move to Durham is a coup for the club, which is due to take over from the Headingley-based Northern Diamonds to become the North-East regional representatives in women's domestic cricket, ahead of Yorkshire's accession to Tier 1 in 2026.

A product of the Essex pathway, Villiers has, however, opted against staying with her home county, who will also have Tier 1 status from 2025 as they take over from Sunrisers, who last week claimed victory in the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She will now be playing under the captaincy of her England team-mate, Hollie Armitage.

"I'm really excited to be joining Durham ahead of the 2025 season," Villiers said. "I was so impressed with the vision that the club and coaching staff have, and I knew it was definitely something that I wanted to be a part of.

"It's an incredibly talented group of players and I have always loved playing with Hollie as captain, so I'm confident making the move up north is the right one for me.

"Having played in Essex for my whole career it was going to take a lot for me to leave, and I think that speaks volumes on how I feel about Durham and the potential we have as a collective. I can't wait to get going and see where this team can go over the next few years."

Director of Cricket, Marcus North said: "We are thrilled to announce Mady has agreed to join Durham on a three-year deal. Our squad is coming together nicely and to be able to recruit an England international in Mady is huge for us and the region.

"Mady has shown what a top performer she has been domesticity for several years for Sunrisers and the Oval Invincibles and we are now excited for her journey to continue with us in the North East.

"Hopefully her move to Durham will see her thrive in the county as she looks to add more England caps to her name and further excel with bat and ball."