Kent go top as Yorkshire flay Middlesex

Kent have clambered their way back to the top of Division One of the Women's County Championship courtesy of an easy victory over Warwickshire, and league leaders Middlesex crashing to a nine wicket defeat at Yorkshire, which keeps Yorkshire right in contention too.
Surrey and Sussex have kept themselves in the hunt for top-spot with solid wins over Lancashire and Notts respectively. At the bottom things are looking bleak for Lancashire as they have now lost four from four.
But the England players on Ashes' duty will miss the next three games for their counties (19th July, 30th & 31st August), so things could all change before the season reaches it climax on 13th September (Kent having completed their fixtures on 31st August).

Div 1 Results and Reports

Game 17 - Lancashire v Surrey
Lancashire 78 all out (Nat Sciver 5/27, Sarah Clarke 4/11)
Surrey 79/4 (Susie Rowe 35*)
Surrey won by 6 wickets
Lancashire's disappointing first season in the top flight continued as they were skittled out for just 78 runs in less than 38 overs, losing their fourth game of the season, as Surrey romped home in less than 20 overs. Nat Sciver did the early damage claiming five of the top six wickets for just 27, and, who else, but Sarah Clarke (4/11) dispatched the last four Lancs' batsmen with her flighted leg breaks (she already has 14 wickets in Div 1 this year). Surrey made light work of getting the required runs, although they did lose four wickets in the process. Susie Rowe (35*) saw them home after Nat Sciver went for a bright 28, including five 4s.

Game 18 - Sussex v Notts
Notts 132 all out (Jenny Gunn 39, Danielle Wyatt 36, Holly Colvin 4/20, Erin Osborne 3/28)
Sussex 133/5 (Sarah Taylor 39)
Sussex won by 5 wickets
Sussex ran out very comfortable winners against Notts who quite simply could not put enough runs on the board to challenge the Sussex batting line up. Inserted Notts were soon two down as Sonia Odedra called her partner Georgie Boyce through for a suicidal run only to see her easily run out. Odedra herself then went edging Freya Davies to Georgia Elwiss at gully in the fifth over. Notts were 21/2. But Jenny Gunn (39) and Danielle Wyatt (36) made the most of some attacking fields set by Sarah Taylor, as Sussex strived to dislodge the two key Notts' batsmen. Eventually it was the spin combination of Holly Colvin (4/20) and Erin Osborne (3/28) that initially frustrated the pair and then took their wickets - Wyatt attempting to launch Colvin over mid-on and edging high to slip and Gunn eventually plopping one back to Colvin, having stood firm the ball before when it seemed she had edged the ball behind to Taylor. In the same over Aussie Zoe Richards departed for a duck and Notts were 103/6. Osborne returned as Colvin completed her spell and accounted for nine and ten, and then Freya Davies removed the jack's off stump to end the Notts innings.
In response Sussex lost Georgia Adams in the second over to Wyatt for a duck, but Georgia Elwiss (27) and Sarah Taylor (39) took the Sussex score past 50 in the 9th over and seemed to be cruising, before Elwiss was bowled by a full loopy off-break from Wyatt. Sussex's progress was stalled but not halted. Taylor continued to bat positively, despite losing Izzy Collis (10), with Paige Scholfield also hitting a breezey run-a-ball 25, but then Taylor fell to Gunn, caught at mid-off looking to go over the top. At 99/4 Notts might have felt they had a glimmer of a chance, but Osborne and Holly Colvin saw Sussex home easily in the 29th over.

Game 19 - Warwickshire v Kent
Kent 209/8 (Tammy Beaumont 67, Charlotte Edwards 37, Georgia Davies 3/23)
Warwickshire 125 all out (Megan Belt 3/20, Tash Farrant 3/23)
Kent won by 83 runs
Invited to bat Kent made their usual solid start through Tammy Beaumont (67) and Charlotte Edwards (37), the pair adding 90 for the first wicket, before Edwards was unfortunately run out at the non-striker's end as the bowler deflected a Beaumont drive onto the stumps. 30 runs later Kent's serene progress came to a juddering halt as they lost Lydia Greenway (5), Laura Marsh (0) and Beaumont in the space of five overs, leaving them on 133/4. Alice Davidson-Richards (27) and Kara Sutherland (23) decided to consolidate and they took the score to 184/6 before they were both out, together with keeper Lauren Griffith. Kent managed to push the total beyond the maximum bonus point 200 mark before they ran out of overs, setting Warwickshire 210 to win. As they stumbled to 41/5 Warwickshire never looked like being in contention. Only Georgia Hennessy (35) and Liz Smart (24) offered much resistance as Tash Farrant and Megan Belt picked up three wickets apiece as Warwickshire were bowled out for 125 in the 43rd over.

Game 20 - Yorkshire v Middlesex
Middlesex 174 all out (Fran Wilson 45, Katie Levick 3/??)
Yorkshire 175/1 (Lauren Winfield 99*, Beth Mooney 69)
Yorkshire won by 9 wickets
(no scorecard yet available)
Yorkshire restricted table-toppers Middlesex to just 174 as they bowled them out in the 42nd over of their innings. Fran Wilson top scored as Middlesex failed to set Yorkshire anything remotely resembling a challenging target.
Yorkshire openers Lauren Winfield (99*) and Aussie Beth Mooney (69) looked to be taking Yorkshire to a ten wicket win, before Mooney was caught on the boundary off Hartley with just six runs needed to win. Unfortunately there were not quite enough runs required for Winfield to complete a well-deserved century, but no doubt the Yorkshire skipper was happy enough with her own form and the thumping nine wicket win.

MD
22/VI/15