Lancashire Women confirm 7 departures as Cross and Morris retire in 2026
Synopsis
Lancashire Women are losing seven players at once — and the most significant departure is Kate Cross, who retires with 244 club wickets and 102 England caps, including the national captaincy in 2024. It is the most sweeping squad reset in the club's professional history, coming just a year after their 2025 double.
Key Takeaways
Lancashire Women will lose seven first-team players at the end of the 2026 season .
Kate Cross retires with 244 wickets and 200+ appearances for Lancashire, plus 102 England caps and 140 international wickets .
Fi Morris departs with 1,000+ runs and 50+ wickets after joining the club in 2023 .
Seren Smale leaves having scored 2,000+ runs across formats, including a crucial 72 in the 2025 One-Day Cup final .
Liv Bell , Alice Clarke , Hannah Jones (122 wickets) and Danni Collins (863 runs) also confirmed their exits.
The club is expected to rely on its Red Rose Academy pathway to fill the void ahead of 2027 .
Lancashire Women have confirmed that seven first-team players will leave the club at the end of the 2026 season, including England seamer Kate Cross and all-rounder Fi Morris, both of whom will retire when their current contracts expire. The departures mark the most significant squad overhaul in the club's professional era.
Kate Cross: A Red Rose Legend Bows Out
Kate Cross departs as arguably the most decorated player to have represented Lancashire Women. Having featured across both the amateur and professional eras, she made more than 200 appearances for the club and claimed 244 wickets. Her international record with England is equally impressive — 102 caps and 140 wickets — and she captained the national side in 2024. Her retirement marks the end of a defining chapter for women's cricket in the north of England.
Morris, Smale and Jones: Notable Contributions
Fi Morris, who joined Lancashire in 2023, accumulated more than 1,000 runs and took over 50 wickets for Thunder and Lancashire. Her contribution was central to the club's double in 2025, when Lancashire secured both the Vitality T20 County Cup and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Seren Smale, a product of Lancashire's own pathway, leaves having surpassed 2,000 runs across formats. Her knock of 72 in last season's One-Day Cup final was widely regarded as match-defining. Hannah Jones, a Manchester-born left-arm spinner and Red Rose Academy graduate, departs with 122 wickets for the club, having taken 14 wickets during the 2025 One-Day Cup campaign.
Bell, Clarke and Collins Also Depart
Liv Bell's standout season came in 2023, when she claimed 25 wickets across formats on her Thunder debut. The Scotland international was also part of her country's squad at the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Alice Clarke, who made her Lancashire debut in 2018 after progressing through the academy, featured as an opener in both the semi-final and final of last season's One-Day Cup. Danni Collins, who debuted for the club aged just 15 some 11 years ago, leaves with 863 Lancashire runs and a career-best score of 51.
What the Club Said
David Thorley, Director of Women's Cricket at Lancashire, paid tribute to all seven departing players. 'We would like to extend our thanks to the seven players departing the Club at the end of the season,' he said. 'A massive congratulations goes out to Kate and Fi for what they have achieved throughout their careers. They have served the Club with distinction, and we wish them the very best of luck in their retirement. We would also like to wish Seren, Hannah, Liv, Alice and Danni well in their future cricketing endeavours. We thank them for their effort and commitment throughout their time with the Red Rose.'
What Comes Next for Lancashire Women
The simultaneous exit of seven players — including two of the squad's most experienced figures — will require a substantial recruitment drive ahead of the 2027 season. Lancashire have a track record of developing talent through their academy pathway, and the club is expected to lean on that pipeline as it begins rebuilding. The departures also open opportunities for younger players within the Red Rose system to step into larger roles.
Point of View
But the pressure on that system just multiplied considerably — and the speed of reconstruction will be the real test of Lancashire's long-term women's cricket ambitions.
NationPress
16 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are seven Lancashire Women players leaving in 2026?
All seven players are departing at the end of the 2026 season because their contracts are expiring and will not be renewed or extended. Kate Cross and Fi Morris will retire, while the remaining five — Seren Smale, Hannah Jones, Liv Bell, Alice Clarke and Danni Collins — are leaving to pursue other cricketing opportunities.
What is Kate Cross's record at Lancashire Women?
Kate Cross departs as one of Lancashire Women's most distinguished players, with more than 200 appearances and 244 wickets for the club. Internationally, she made 102 appearances for England and took 140 wickets, also serving as England captain in 2024.
What trophies did Lancashire Women win during this era?
Lancashire Women secured the Vitality T20 County Cup and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup in 2025, a double to which several of the departing players — particularly Fi Morris and Seren Smale — made significant contributions.
Who is Fi Morris and what did she achieve at Lancashire?
Fi Morris joined Lancashire in 2023 as an all-rounder and accumulated more than 1,000 runs and over 50 wickets for Thunder and Lancashire. She was a key figure in the club's 2025 trophy double before confirming her retirement at the end of the 2026 season.
What happens to Lancashire Women after these departures?
Lancashire Women will need a significant recruitment drive ahead of the 2027 season. The club is expected to rely on its Red Rose Academy pathway to develop replacements, though filling the void left by experienced figures like Cross and Morris will be a considerable challenge.
