SOMERSET’S Cooper Associates County Ground has been named as a host venue for the 2017 ICC Women’s World Cup.

The England and Wales Cricket board (ECB) today (Monday) announced the five host grounds, with Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Lord’s all selected to host the competition’s 31 matches starting on June 26 next year – with Lords set to stage the final on July 23.

It will be the first time that the tournament has been held in England since 1993, when the home side beat New Zealand in the final at Lord’s, revisiting the scene of their triumph in 1973 in the first Women’s World Cup Final against Australia.

Steve Elworthy, ECB’s Director of Events said: “This is a very exciting time for the women’s game in this country and staging a Women’s World Cup here will really help drive interest and participation in women’s cricket at every level.

“It’s critical we use this event to reach out to young children in particular so we’ve moved the tournament start date to earlier in the summer – a decision which will help our host venues encourage attendance by engaging with schools in the build-up to the event.”

Clare Connor, ECB’s Director of England Women’s Cricket and Chair of the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee, said: “At a global level, the introduction of the ICC Women’s Championship has made our game more competitive and exciting than ever before.

“It has created global context and meaning to all our ODI series whereby the result of every match has a direct impact on qualification for next summer’s World Cup.”

“In this country, last summer’s record-breaking attendances for the Women’s Ashes series showed there is a growing audience and appetite for women’s cricket – we witnessed excellent crowds, including full houses at Chelmsford and Hove, coupled with growing media and commercial interest.

“The launch of the new Women’s Cricket Super League here later this year will give the women’s game another significant fillip and help set the stage for what promises to be a fantastic showcase for our sport next summer.”

Guy Lavender the Chief Executive of SCCC said: “We are delighted to see the Women’s World Cup coming to Taunton in 2017.

“We have a long association with the Women’s game both regionally and internationally.

“Women’s cricket is growing considerably and we are pleased to be at the forefront of those developments.”

“The last time the Women’s 50 Over World Cup was staged here was in 1993 and the Cooper Associates County Ground is going to play a key part in the delivery of Women’s International cricket in 2017.”

He added: “It’s going to be a wonderful event for the club and we are very happy to be supporting it.”