Yorkshire Women vs Essex Women, ECB W, One-Day Cup, Today Match Prediction

YORW vs ESSW Match Prediction & Analysis

In the 23rd match of the 2026 ECB Women’s One-Day Cup, Yorkshire Women will meet Essex Women at Leeds. Yorkshire have recovered well after a poor start and are currently in fifth place with 12 points from five games and an NRR of 0.148. Essex, meanwhile, have finally won a game after losing four in a row, but are still placed at the bottom of the standings with 4 points from five matches. Going by current form and performances, Yorkshire appear to hold the advantage heading into this contest.  

TEAMS PREVIEW

Yorkshire Women Preview

Yorkshire Women are beginning to find some form in this Women’s One Day Cup, picking up two wins and a tie in their last three matches after opening the season with two defeats. They head into this game after a high-scoring tie against Durham at Scarborough, where both sides finished on 290.

Jess Jonassen has been their top performer with the bat, scoring 309 runs in five matches at an average of 62, which includes two hundreds and one fifty. She stepped up again in the previous match with a well-made 104 off 109 balls and looks a solid option to go past the 40-run mark once again.

Sterre Kalis and Lauren Winfield-Hill have also chipped in with useful runs, both getting close to 200 from five innings and helping keep the innings moving. Kalis has looked in good touch and is coming off a fine 79 from 76 balls against Durham.

The rest of the batting has not really fired so far, and that is an area they will want to improve going ahead. Ami Campbell could have a big role, as she can add value once she gets set. She had a strong season last year, scoring 439 runs in 10 matches at an average of 110.

The bowling attack has leaned on a few players. Jess Jonassen has picked up 12 wickets and kept things tight with an economy of 3.82. Claudie Cooper and Rachel Slater have shared 15 wickets, while Maddie Ward and Ines Blackwell have added nine between them. Overall, it looks like a balanced bowling unit.

Key Players: Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Claudie Cooper

Yorkshire Women Predicted Playing XI:

Lauren Winfield Hill (WK/C), Georgie Boyce, Jess Jonassen, Sterre Kalis, Ami Campbell, Ines Blackwell, Maddie Ward, Beth Langston, Rachel Slater, Claudie Cooper, Jessica Woolston

Essex Women Preview

After losing their first four matches of the season, Essex Women finally got off the mark with a five-wicket win over Somerset Women, chasing down 269 with two overs left. It was a much-needed result, though they are placed ninth on the table and will need a few more wins to climb higher.

There have been some positives in the batting. Jodi Grewcock has been their best performer so far, scoring 321 runs in five matches at an average of 107. She played a big role in the last game, finishing unbeaten on 120 off 116 balls to guide her team home. Captain Grace Scrivens has also contributed, scoring 111 runs from five games at an average of 22.20.

Sophia Smale and Florence Miller have also added runs, both going past the 100-run mark and giving more depth to the batting line-up. Grewcock is again one to watch, as she was among the few players to register multiple 50-plus scores last season. Essex will need others like Joanne Gardner to step up if they want to compete against a strong Somerset side.

In the bowling unit, Eva Gray has picked up five wickets from four matches, going at 5.52 per over. Smale has also been tidy, conceding runs at 5.32 and taking five wickets. Sophie Munro and Grewcock provide more wicket-taking options. Even with these efforts, the bowling has not quite delivered as expected this season.

Key Players: Jodi Grewcock, Eva Gray, Sophia Smale

Essex Women Predicted Playing XI:

Grace Scrivens (C), Cordelia Griffith, Ariana Dowse, Jodi Grewcock, Sophia Smale, Joanne Gardner, Florence Miller, Amara Carr (WK), Sophie Munro, Kate Coppack, Eva Gray

Weather Conditions

Reports indicate a largely pleasant start to the day in Leeds, with sunny to partly cloudy skies and minimal chances of rain during the morning hours. Conditions are likely to be mild to warm as the game progresses, though there could be some cloud cover building later, with only a slight possibility of brief interruptions.

YORW vs ESSW Pitch Report

Headingley has hosted one Women's One-Day Cup game this season, with Yorkshire posting 280-9 after being asked to bat first and then restricting The Blaze to just 210.

The venue usually tends to offer a fair contest in 50-over cricket, with a pitch that plays true and favors batters as the innings advances. Early on, seamers can find assistance if conditions are overcast or the surface has some moisture, but it generally evens out over time. Scoring is rarely difficult here once the new ball phase is done, which is why teams winning the toss more often than not choose to field first, banking on conditions to improve for batting later.

All in all, 250 is a respectable total at this ground, but any team batting first would ideally want to reach around 270 to have a proper hold on the game.

Toss: To Bat

In the first match of the Women’s One-Day Cup played at Headingley this season, The Blaze won the toss and elected to field first against Yorkshire, but ended up losing by 70 runs. This result might tempt the captains in this game to bat first, as the conditions will be essentially pleasant.