The achievements and disappointments of the national men’s team may have taken most of the headlines, but the summer of 2010 has been a season of remarkable success for Helmien Rambaldo and her Orange Lionesses.

Last Sunday’s overwhelming 183-run victory over Hertfordshire at Letchworth – the team’s fourth in their five matches in the ECB County Championship Division 4 – guaranteed their promotion to Division 3 in only their second season in the competition. They started out in Division 5 in 2009, and have lost just one of the nine games they have played against the English counties.

There are still two Division 4 matches to be played next weekend, but the Dutch side’s points average is so much better than the rest that their nearest rivals, Durham, are mathematically unable to overtake them even if they claim full points from their game against Hertfordshire.

It’s a very satisfying outcome, given that within weeks of the start of the season it was still uncertain whether they would be able to take part. The KNCB’s parlous financial situation had put The Netherlands’ participation for a second season under threat, and it took some quick footwork by the new CEO, Richard Cox, to ensure that they were able to play.

Taking on each county only once, and playing all their matches away from home, the Orange Lionesses could afford few slip-ups and when, after a solid win over Northamptonshire in their opening game, they lost to Derbyshire the following day it seemed as if their campaign might be running into trouble.

But they beat Cornwall in late July by a thumping 177 runs, Marijn Nijman’s 99 having enabled them to reach 309 for seven, and they repeated the trick three weeks later with a 167-run win over Durham. This time it was Rambaldo who led the way with 92, sharing a stand of 129 with New Zealander Kerry Ann Tomlinson, making her debut as the Netherlands’ overseas player. Tomlinson then added a five-wicket haul to her half-century as Durham were shot out for 74.

The final game went much the same way, with Esther Lanser contributing 70 as the Dutch made 246 for nine against Hertfordshire, and Tomlinson again among the wickets, taking three in the dismissal of the English side for 63.

But winning the Division 4 title is only part of the Lionesses’ successes of the summer. They also did well in the European Women’s Championship in Stirling in July, beating Scotland to ensure their qualification for next year’s global World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh, and coming close to securing what would have been an historic win over Ireland.

Defending a modest 125 for nine in that game, the Dutch reduced Ireland to 85 for seven before Isobel Joyce made a match-winning 36 not out.

The most remarkable achievement of that tournament, however, was the Netherlands’ six-wicket victory over a strong ECB Development XI, who went on to beat Ireland and win the championship. The heroine that day was Carolien Salomons, back in the national side after a season’s absence, who hit a 98-ball century as the Dutch chased down a target of 245.

A key feature of the Orange Lionesses’ successes has been the way in which Rambaldo and coach Ed de Moura Correia, building on the groundwork done by his predecessor Job van Bunge, have moulded a strong and cohesive squad.

Without three key players from 2009 – Cheraldine Oudolf (retired), Mandy Kornet (expecting a baby) and Jolet Hartenhof (studying in England) – the team scarcely missed a step, with New Zealand-born Dutch passport holder Lanser, seamer Mariska Kornet, and off-spinner Esther de Lange all proving their worth in the course of the season.

Rambaldo’s 420 runs at an average of 60.00 was a massive contribution in the batting, with Nijman, Lanser, Salomons, Tomlinson, keeper Violet Wattenberg, Miranda Veringmeier, Denise Hannema and Carlijn de Groot all playing crucial innings along the way.

The seam attack, even without Tomlinson’s extra bite, was consistently strong, Laura Brouwers bowling economically, and Kornet and Marloes Braat maintaining the pressure at the other end. Annemarie Tanke’s leg breaks complemented the off-spin of Lanser and De Lange, and she was the side’s leading wicket-taker in the County Championship with 11 at 10.09.

Skipper Rambaldo is generous in her appreciation of the effort made by all those involved.

'Within the team,' she says, 'the players have shown enormous committent and desire to get better at both practices and in matches.

'But another big aspect is the coaching and support staff: head coach Ed de Moura Correira has put in a lot of his time and commitment in getting this team to a higher level. He is well organized, willing to learn and a good listener.

'With the help of Richard Cox, new manager Annemarijn Cohen Tervaert and physio Caroline Hes the whole support staff has taken us a big step further, with a new mindset.'

With six wins and only two defeats over the season it has indeed been a fine effort, and the squad will go into their next challenge – next month’s ICC Women’s Ranking Tournament in Potchefstroom – in great heart. That tournament offers them an opportunity to improve on their current tenth place in the ICC’s global rankings.

The increased professionalism of the Dutch operation both on and off the field, driven by CEO Cox’s commitment to the project, is symbolised by the recent announcement of a sponsorship deal with the Baarn-based clothing manufacturers NAN, who are supplying the side’s off-field clothing.

Beyond that tournament in South Africa lies the prospect of playing in Division 3 of the County Championship next season, with opponents like Wales, Devon, Staffordshire (although one of these sides will go up to Division 2) and Lancashire, and beyond that a very demanding World Cup qualifier in Bangladesh.

It’s a tough programme, but the achievements so far have thoroughly vindicated the initial decision to go into the County Championship, despite the financial demands it brings with it. And who knows, the time may even come when the Orange Lionesses are allowed to face their county opponents on their own turf!