Div 1 leaders Kent recover to win, and Somerset & Staffs look set fair for Div 1 next year

Division One

Kent came back from being 49/6 chasing Surrey's 140 all out to win by four wickets, thanks to an unbroken stand of 92 between Charlotte Pape (59*) with her maiden half-century for Kent and Phoebe Franklin (26*). It means that Kent remain unbeaten and top of Division One, with just two games to play, against Middlesex and Berkshire.
Yorkshire kept up the pressure at the top with a solid win over Nottinghamshire thanks to a great all-round performance from Cecilia Allen, who top-scored with 70* and then took 3/12 as Notts ended 47 runs adrift of Yorkshire's 191/6.
Sussex too kept their title chances alive with a 4 wicket win over Middlesex at Hove. Middlesex were bowled out for 151 with England veteran Beth Morgan holding the Middlesex innings together with 72. Not to be outdone Sussex's former England star Holly Colvin claimed 5/33 and then finished 27* as Sussex got over the line with 22 balls and four wickets to spare.
Berkshire made sure that Lancashire's first season in Div 1 remains winless to date, with a thumping 156 run defeat. It was set up by Alice MacLeod (107) and Sherisa Gumbs (80) who added 165 for the second wicket for Berkshire as they scored a mammoth 308/7. Lancs were always going to struggle with such a mountain to climb and they managed to score just less than half the runs they needed before they were bowled out.

Div 1 Results

Berkshire beat Lancashire by 156 runs
Berkshire 308/5 (Alice MacLeod 107, Sherisa Gumbs 80, Megan Firclough 3/45)
Lancashire 152 (Bhumika Doshi 30, Linsey Smith 3/18, Lauren Bell 3/48)

Yorkshire beat Notts by 47 runs
Yorkshire 191/6 (Cecilia Allen 70*, Laura Spragg 34*)
Notts 144 (Sonia Odedra 31, Cecilia Allen 3/12)

Kent beat Surrey by 4 wickets
Surrey 140 (Kirstie White 51, Megan Belt 4/24)
Kent 141/6 (Charlotte Pape 59*)

Sussex beat Middlesex by 4 wickets
Middlesex 151 (Beth Morgan 72, Holly Colvin 5/33)
Sussex 154/6 (Holly Colvin 27*, Izzy Westbury 3/32)

Division Two

Staffs overcame a potentially difficult hurdle with a convincing win over Devon by six wickets. Devon were bowled out for just 108, but it could have been worse if number 10 Hazelle Garton had not managed to score 36 adding 57 for the last two Devon wickets. Staffs looked to be cruising to victory, before a flurry of wickets left them at 65/4, but Devon could not make any further in-roads into the Staffs batting order as Kathryn Whyle (22*) and Alex Hale (14*) took the Midlanders a step nearer Div 1.
But Somerset remain top of Div 2 thanks to an easy win over Scotland. Gwenan Davies (77) led her adopted county to 214/7 and Scotland never looked like getting very close after being reduced to 8/3. The middle order brought some respectability to the scorecard, but were never up with the rate and Scotland were bowled out in the 45th over for 129.
Essex chalked up their first win of the season against Worcestershire thanks to a magnificent 170 from Lily Reynolds. She opened and was the fourth wicket to fall by which time she had scored 170 out of Essex's 253. They went on to finish on 272/5. Worcestershire managed to get beyond 200 in reply, thanks in part to top-scoring extras of 48, plus some decent middle-order contributions.
And finally Durham managed another nail-biting win, this time against Ireland, by 7 runs. They are becoming masters of the art of defending low totals. This time they scored just 125 before they were bowled out in the 45th over. In reply Ireland lost wickets regularly falling seven runs short with three overs still to be bowled.

Div 2 Results

Durham beat Ireland by 7 runs
Durham 125 (Becky Glen 30, Kim Garth 3/13)
Ireland 118 (Mary Waldron 32*, Helen Fenby 4/18)

Essex beat Worcestershire by 68 runs
Essex 272/5 (Lily Reynolds 170)
Worcestershire 204/9 (Clare Boycott 44, Shona Keaney 3/38)

Somerset beat Scotland by 85 runs
Somerset 214/7 (Gwenan Davies 77)
Scotland 129 (Kathryn Bryce 37, Moira Comfort 3/26)

Staffordshire beat Devon by 6 wickets
Devon 108 (Hazelle Garton 36, Kathryn Whyle 3/30)
Staffs 109/4 (Kathryn Whyle 22*)

MD
20/VII/15