Regensburg Ready for ECS-W Pink Lady Debut Drama

The ECS-W Pink Lady, 2026 brings senior women’s cricket to Regensburg Cricket Ground in Germany from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 27 September 2026, combining nine matches of T10 cricket with a much bigger purpose.

Three Invitational Players teams, Hope, Unity and Fearless, will compete across two packed match days, with every side stepping onto the ECN stage for the first time. With no previous ECN history separating them, the competitive picture is completely open.

But this event represents far more than a new ECS-W competition.

At its heart is the story of Pink Lady Cricket, a tournament built around resilience, community and a shared mission to raise awareness of breast cancer and support people navigating treatment.

A Fresh ECS-W Story in Regensburg

Regensburg Cricket Ground will host the ECS-W Pink Lady, 2026 across two days of senior women’s T10 cricket.

The event features nine matches between Hope, Unity and Fearless, three Invitational Players teams beginning their ECN journeys together.

There is no established hierarchy coming into the weekend. Every team arrives with the same overall ECN rating of 49, with identical ratings of 49 across batting, bowling and fielding.

Hope are ranked 4,671, followed immediately by Unity at 4,672 and Fearless at 4,673. Those narrow margins underline just how open this competition is before the first ball is bowled.

For all three teams, Regensburg represents a blank page and an opportunity to establish their identity on the ECN stage.

More Than a Tournament

The competitive element is only one part of the story.

The Pink Lady Cricket Tournament is a charity initiative operating under the motto:

“Stronger Together Against Breast Cancer.”

The tournament exists to raise awareness of breast cancer while collecting donations to support patients going through treatment.

Every match played, every person reached and every donation made contributes to that mission.

The event takes place under the patronage of Alexandra Wolf and uses cricket as a platform for something larger than results, runs and wickets. It is about community, courage and the power of sport to bring people together around an important cause.

Esmarie Fournet-Fayat: The Story Behind Pink Lady Cricket

At the centre of the tournament is organiser Esmarie Fournet-Fayat, whose own journey gives the Pink Lady Cricket initiative its deeply personal meaning.

Originally from South Africa, Esmarie is a certified cricket coach who has spent the past seven years helping develop women’s, men’s and youth cricket in Regensburg.

Her connection to the game stretches far beyond coaching and administration. A former Belgian international, Esmarie played for nine years across national and regional leagues in Europe before moving into an increasingly important leadership role away from the field.

During the pandemic in 2020, she founded the first women’s cricket team in Regensburg. In doing so, she also established the first women’s cricket team in the wider Upper Palatinate region, creating a new pathway for women and girls to become involved in the sport.

Three years later, that journey reached another landmark.

In 2023, Esmarie led her team to the Bavarian championship title.

What makes that achievement extraordinary is what was happening away from the cricket field. At the same time, Esmarie was undergoing chemotherapy at Caritas-Krankenhaus St. Josef Regensburg while fighting breast cancer.

Winning a championship while going through treatment transformed an already remarkable cricketing story into one of resilience, determination and leadership.

Stronger Together

Esmarie credits her family and her passion for cricket with providing enormous strength throughout her treatment.

From that experience came the idea for the Pink Lady Cricket Tournament.

Having faced the diagnosis herself, Esmarie wanted to use the sport that had given her strength as a way of offering hope and courage to others going through similar experiences.

That purpose remains central to the event today.

Pink Lady Cricket is not simply a tournament carrying a charitable message alongside the competition. Its mission is embedded into the event itself.

Stronger Together Against Breast Cancer represents the belief that sport can create communities of support, start important conversations and help people feel less alone during some of the most difficult periods of their lives.

Three Teams, One Open Race

On the field, the ECS-W Pink Lady competition could hardly begin on more even terms.

Hope enter as the highest-ranked side at 4,671, but statistically almost nothing separates them from their opponents. Their overall ECN rating is 49, with batting, bowling and fielding all carrying the same score.

Unity follow at 4,672 with an identical overall rating and the same 49 rating across every department.

Fearless sit at 4,673 and complete the symmetry, again carrying an overall rating of 49 alongside matching batting, bowling and fielding scores.

The result is an unusual competitive setup.

There is no obvious statistical favourite, no established ECN record to fall back on and no previous head-to-head history on this stage to shape expectations.

For Hope, Unity and Fearless, the story begins in Regensburg.

Growing Women’s Cricket Through Community

Bringing Pink Lady Cricket into the wider European Cricket Series framework also represents another meaningful step in the development of women’s cricket across Europe.

The event connects the reach and visibility of ECN with a grassroots initiative built around community, participation and social impact.

It also demonstrates how the growth of European cricket is being driven by individuals whose contribution stretches well beyond what happens on the field.

Through coaching, volunteering, organising competitions and creating opportunities for new players, people such as Esmarie Fournet-Fayat continue to expand the game in regions where cricket is still building its foundations.

Events like the ECS-W Pink Lady provide an opportunity to celebrate that work while giving women’s cricket another international digital platform.

Cricket With Purpose

Across nine matches and two match days, Hope, Unity and Fearless will compete fiercely for ECS-W honours.

There will be runs to score, wickets to take and a trophy to chase.

But the legacy of the weekend will not be measured only by the scorecards.

The Pink Lady Cricket Tournament demonstrates how cricket can connect competition with a wider purpose, bringing people together to raise awareness, support those facing breast cancer and show what can happen when a sporting community rallies around an important cause.

Every match from ECS-W Pink Lady 2026 will be broadcast LIVE on the ECN YouTube Channel, helping take that message beyond Regensburg to cricket supporters around the world.

The European Cricket Network extends its sincere gratitude to Esmarie Fournet-Fayat, Pink Lady Cricket, Regensburg Cricket, Alexandra Wolf, the dedicated volunteers and all partners and supporters whose generosity and commitment make this initiative possible.

Three teams begin their ECN stories in Regensburg.

For Pink Lady Cricket, however, the story is already much bigger than the game.

Stronger Together Against Breast Cancer.