ALICE Davidson-Richards is hoping this summer’s Hundred with the Northern Superchargers can play a significant part in her push for higher honours.

The all-rounder from Kent is back in the ‘Yorkshire set-up’ having been announced as a Supercharger earlier this week.

ADR, as she is widely known, played four Kia Super League campaigns as a Yorkshire Diamond between 2016 and 2019.

With a father from Leeds and her university days spent up here too, she feels right at home up North and is delighted to be back.

“I do spend a fair amount of time up in Yorkshire,” she said. “But this is the longest time that I haven’t been back (due to Covid lockdowns).”

Aged 26, Davidson-Richards, a middle order bat and a canny medium pacer, has brief senior England experience, having played one one-day international and five T20s in 2018 - all on tour in India.

It is something she obviously wants another taste of. And with a busy couple of years ahead for England, this is the ideal time to shine.

There will be a one-day World Cup in New Zealand in early 2022, as well as a first appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next summer.

“That would be amazing to be a part of, with it being the first time cricket has been in the Games,” she said.

“And the Hundred is there for players to show what they can do in front of bigger crowds and bigger audiences, especially with the men’s and women’s games being at the same venue on the same day.

“Putting performances in, I don’t see how that can do any harm.

“You’ve seen how someone like Tash Farrant has come back into the England side in New Zealand at the moment after a really good domestic summer last year. It’s a good way of putting yourself out there.”

Davidson-Richards, one of five full-time contracted players with the South East Stars, is confident on a personal level. But she is also confident of team success for the Superchargers women.

The squad still has five places to fill, but its spine is made up of players who have encouraged over the past two summers for the Yorkshire and Northern Diamonds teams.

In 2019, during the final KSL T20 campaign, Yorkshire narrowly missed out on Finals Day following a fine late run of form. Last summer, the Northern Diamonds reached the final of the inaugural one-day Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

“With the Yorkshire Diamonds in the KSL, we always knew how well we could play and how good we could be. It was a case of doing that consistently, which we weren’t able to do,” she reflected.

“In the last year of that, we did show snippets of that and made steps towards making the finals.

“Last year, the girls built on it in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

“It’s definitely a group that enjoys each other’s company and playing together.

“It’s exciting to think what type of performances we can put together this summer for the Superchargers.

“It’s a really tight unit with strength in different areas. We have some really exciting players. Alyssa Healy has just been announced, while there’s the likes of Hollie (Armitage), Lauren (Winfield-Hill), Beth (Langston) and Lev (Katie Levick) in there as well.”

She added: “The Hundred is massively exciting.

“It’s such a good platform for the women’s game to build on, especially with the connection between the two sides. Rather than two separate teams, it’s one unit. I can’t wait to get going.”