Division One leaders Exeter face one of their toughest tests of the season this weekend when they take on defending champions Plymouth in a mouthwatering clash packed with some of the league’s leading performers.

Exeter currently lead the way with 118 points from seven games, having won six and lost just once, while Plymouth sit third on 103 points. With only 15 points separating the sides, Sunday’s result could have a significant bearing on the destination of the Division One title.

If last season is anything to go by, there may not be much between them. The sides shared the honours in their two meetings in 2025, winning one game apiece, with Imogen Daldorph producing one of the standout individual performances with the ball, taking remarkable figures of 7-16.

This season, however, it is the sheer weight of runs being scored by both teams that catches the eye.

Plymouth have already produced four individual centuries. Missy Banks has reached three figures twice, while Claire Varcoe-Hughes and Darcey Boote have also registered hundreds during a prolific campaign for the defending champions.

Boote will, however, miss Sunday’s game while away on holiday, but otherwise Plymouth are expected to be at full strength.

Exeter can certainly match that firepower.

Elle Golsworthy has struck two centuries, including a magnificent double hundred, while Georgia Read has also passed three figures as Exeter have powered their way to the top of the table.

 

But for all the batting talent on display, Sunday could just as easily be decided by the ball.

Exeter’s Briella Humphreys-Crouch leads the Division One wicket-taking charts with 17 wickets, but Plymouth have the next two leading bowlers in the competition.

Banks has taken 14 wickets to go alongside her considerable contribution with the bat, while Sophie Brandom has 13.

It sets up a mouthwatering contest between some of the most destructive batters and most prolific wicket-takers in the league.

With numerous county players set to feature on both sides and some of the league’s most explosive batters going head-to-head with its leading wicket-takers, Sunday has all the ingredients for a Division One classic.

Match officials: Mark Bennett & Gareth Moore