ICC European Women's World Cup Qualifier gets underway

There will be two tournaments taking place simultaneously in Deventer this week, as Europe's leading women's sides contest the ICC European championship. An ECB Development XI traditionally takes part in this tournament, and they will do so again this year, defending the title they won in Cardiff in 2005.

But this season's tournament is also a qualifying competition in the build-up to the ICC Women's World Cup 2008, and for those purposes only the matches involving Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands count. All three countries are already scheduled to play in the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan in November, Ireland having qualified automatically, but for Scotland and The Netherlands the results in Deventer will determine their seedings and thus influence their chances of reaching the ICC Women's World Cup itself.

And in addition, the match between The Netherlands and Ireland on Friday, 17 August also qualifies as a full Women's ODI.

Ireland have traditionally been the strongest of the three Associates countries, finishing second to England in 2005 and actually winning the previous tournament in 2001, and they will again have a strong squad this time.

Seven of their side played in the 2005 Women's World Cup, while a further three have played in previous European championships. They have the twins Isobel and Cecelia Joyce (sisters of Ed and Dominic), and another pair of sisters in Heather, the captain, and Jill Whelan.

The squad also includes a sprinkling of younger players, four of whom took part in the 2006 ICC European Under 21 tournament. Two of these four, Jill Whelan and Jillian Smythe, had already played in the 2005 World Cup while still in their teens.

With a batting line-up which includes the Joyces, Clare Shillington and Nicola Coffey, a seam attack led by the Whelans, the off-spin of Eimear Richardson and the leg-breaks of Ciara Metcalfe, the Irish have a well-balanced side which will be tough to beat.

Hosts The Netherlands have just been the traumatic experience of a series of heavy defeats by the touring South Africans, and will need to regroup quickly if they are to have an impact on this competition.

But they too have a good mix of experience and youth, including two players in batsman Maartje Koester and spinner Annemarie Tanke who have played in all three European championships. Four of the squad, opening batsman Caroline de Groot and allrounders Lotte Egging, Mandy Kornet and Marijn Nijman, played in the Under 21 championships last year, having previously taken part in the ICC European Women's Academy in Edinburgh hosted by Cricket Scotland.

The Dutch side will be captained by batsman Helmien Rambaldo, who has benefited from playing in South Africa for several seasons.

Scotland have by far the youngest squad, with no fewer than five players who are sixteen or younger. It was as part of a radical youth development strategy that the Scots helped initiate the Women's Academy, and they will be hoping that the experience gained by seven of their youngsters at the 2006 Under 21 tournament will begin to bear fruit here.

But they also have the experience of allrounder and captain Kari Anderson, an international since 2001 who also played for three seasons with Durham in the English women's county championship, and of Kathryn White's international career similarly extends back to 2001.

So does that of allrounder Fiona Urquhart, not yet twenty, who made her international debut at the age of 13.

For all three teams, however, the England side will present a formidable challenge. Two of the squad, captain Jenni Halstead, a left-hand bat and right-arm spin bowler, and Dawn Prestidge, took part in the 2005 European Championship, while a further four played in last year's Under 21 competition.

With places in England's World Cup squad at stake, players like Georgia Elwiss, Sophie Le Marchand, Jasmine Titmuss and Danielle Wyatt will be out to make a big impression in Deventer, and it will take a fine performance by the Associates sides to overcome them.