CAPTAIN Lauren Rowles insists Worcestershire Women’s Rapids are heading in the “right direction” as they prepare for back-to-back T20 games at New Road.

Rapids face Staffordshire and Essex tomorrow at 10.30am and 1.30pm respectively and Rowles says the double-header shows women’s cricket is taken “very seriously” within the county.

The team made their first appearance at New Road on August 30 last year against Devon in what was hailed as a new era for the sport in Worcestershire.

Rowles said: “I am very proud to say I was the first Worcestershire women’s captain to lead the side out in the club’s 150-year history but was extremely nervous.

“We were playing our first ever match at New Road and had to win to mark the occasion.

“It was fantastic to have supporters there cheering us on, it created a fantastic atmosphere to play cricket. Thankfully, we got the win.”

The Women’s Super League launches this summer with six new teams in a round-robin T20.

Although the County did not get their own team, Rowles is looking forward to having the “rare” opportunity to play at County headquarters.

“It’s very special to play at New Road,” she said.

“Having the women play there sends a message that, even with things like Super League around and Worcestershire not having a team in that, women’s cricket is still taken very seriously within the county and things are moving in the right direction.”

Rapids dispatched Essex in their previous ECB Division Two 50-over fixture. They were promoted from T20 Division Three last year with an unblemished record and are determined to start the new campaign on a high.

Rowles crossed counties from Gloucestershire to study at the University of Worcester and was soon installed as the club’s captain.

The 23-year-old is also the east cricket development coach at Worcestershire Cricket Board and has vowed to bring further success to the County.

“So far we’ve been a bit hit-and-miss. We slipped up against Hampshire in our first match but then we’ve won two out of our next three games,” she said.

“When everything comes together we are one of the best teams in the league, so for now it’s just about building that belief and consistency.

“After having a good season with the bat last year, my goal was to improve on that. Sadly, it hasn’t happened yet but there’s still a lot of cricket to be played.

“As a team, we wanted to build on our success from last year, getting promoted in the T20 and finishing third in the 50-over format, so you’ll just have to wait and see how we get on.”