Durham sign Hollie Armitage as captain to begin Project Darwin era

Armitage, who captains Northern Diamonds in the regional setup, follows Diamonds head coach Dani Hazell in making the move to Chester-le-Street for 2025 and beyond

Durham have signed Hollie Armitage on a three-year deal and have made the one-cap England batter their first professional female captain.

Armitage, who captains Northern Diamonds in the regional setup, follows Diamonds head coach Dani Hazell in making the move to Chester-le-Street for 2025 and beyond.

Their signatures are particularly significant, coming off the back of conjecture around the future of Diamonds players, many of whom are based in Leeds or Headingley, after Durham initially won the tier-one tender for the region. It has since been announced that Yorkshire will join tier one in 2026.

But Armitage's three-year deal is a long-term commitment from the 27-year-old, who made her England debut as a concussion substitute for Sarah Glenn in New Zealand earlier this year.

"I am really looking to starting a new chapter at Durham," said Armitage. "It's a brilliant opportunity to start fresh, with a new team and create something exciting.

"After speaking to Marcus, I knew this was going to be the best move for me to develop my cricket. Dani has been a big part of my journey over the last few years, and it'll be great to continue that alongside her at Durham."

^{Hollie Armitage will be Durham's first professional female captain (Evan Barnes/Getty Images)}

Marcus North, Durham's director of cricket, described Armitage's signing – she is Durham's first signing of the Project Darwin era – as "a proud and historic day" for the county.

"Hollie is an outstanding player who has a huge amount of domestic experience, both here in England and overseas with Sydney Sixers, Central Districts and Tasmania," North added.

"Her leadership skills will be vital for Durham alongside her proven record as a run-scorer at the top of the order; she is a match winner and we very much look forward to her joining in November."

Armitage, who spent part of her winter at Central Districts in New Zealand, captained Diamonds to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title in 2022.

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