Metro Bank One Day Cup - Round Two

Durham v The Blaze
Durham 200 ao (47.2 ovs) v The Blaze 201/5 (37.2 ovs)
Having been inserted Durham looked to have put themselves into a good position after the early loss of Suzie Bates with Emma Marlow (27), Hollie Armitage (81) and Mady Villiers (45) taking the home team to a healthy 164/2 in the 37th over, but over the next ten overs they conspired to lose eight wickets for the addition of just 36 runs as Sarah Glenn (3/45) and Josie Groves (2/12) ripped apart Durham's middle-order. 
With just 200 to defend Durham needed early wickets, but they could not find them. Tammy Beaumont (22) and Amy Jones (35) fell as the powerplay ended, but the Bryce sisters (Kathryn 54 and Sarah 34) continued the Blaze's inexorable progress to victory with a third wicket stand of 81, and although they both fell with The Blaze short of their mark there was no stopping their progress to a bonus point victory as they reached 201/5 in the 38th over.
Highlights - Durham v The Blaze

Essex v Warwickshire
Warks 289 ao (50 ovs) v Essex 181 ao (39 ovs)
Put into bat Warwickshire were in all sorts of bother at 22/5 midway through the powerplay with their top order blown away by some accurate bowling from Eva Gray (5/62). But consecutive stands of 101 and 132, built around a maiden first-class century from Warwickshire number 7, Emily Arlott (130), with great support from Chloe Brewer (44) and Charis Pavely (31), put Warwickshire firmly back in control of the game as they finished on an imposing 289, losing their last wicket off the last ball of the innings.
Essex made a measured start to their reply, but when Grace Scrivens (53) was out just before Essex got to three figures, the Essex innings began to subside around Cordelia Griffith (72), who battled on bravely. Katie George (3/38) led the way with the ball for Warwickshire. Having staggered to 176/5 in the 36th over Essex's chances of victory were admittedly slim, but they contrived to lose their last five wickets for just five runs as Chloe Brewer (3/18) helped mop up the tail in just 19 balls, to hand Warwickshire a bonus point win which looked so far out of sight six overs into the game. 
Highlights - Essex v Warwickshire

Hampshire v Surrey
Hants 259/8 v 209 ao (43.2 ovs)
Having decided to bat Hampshire took full advantage of a pacey Utilita Bowl wicket as Ella McCaughan (64) and Maia Bouchier (61) compiled an untroubled opening stand of 116 in under 22 overs. In fact it was a surprise when Bouchier gloved a Davidson-Richards' bouncer to keeper Chatli to break the stand. 
Surrey's four-pronged spin attack of Smith, Moore, Capsey and Gregory then clamped down in the middle overs as Hampshire struggled to up the run rate, not aided by losing regular wickets, but a late flurry of runs from Abi Norgrove (26) and a 9 ball cameo from Nancy Harman (14) took Hampshire to a respectable, but not unbeatable, 259/8.
After a slightly wayward first couple of overs Hampshire openers Lauren Bell (2/43) and Freya Davies (2/39) found their line and length and by the end of the powerplay Surrey were 38/3 with England-capped Bryony Smith, Dani Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley all back in the dugout. Only Alice Capsey (57 off 96) and Alice Monaghan  (40) threatened to take the game away from Hampshire, but when their stand of 64 was broken by the metronomic Linsey Smith (3/28) the outcome looked inevitable, and when Davies came back and removed Capsey, it was just a matter of time. Surrey were eventually bowled out in the 44th over for 209 and remain pointless at the bottom of the league table, which few would have predicted at the start of the season.
Highlights - Hants v Surrey

Somerset v Lancashire
Somerset 205/9 v Lancs 207/3 (36.5 ovs)
Lancashire made it 2/2 and jumped to the top of the MBODC league table, with a commanding win over last week's smash-and-grab heroes, Somerset. 
Having removed Heather Knight early, caught behind off Kate Cross (2/27) Somerset found progress painfully slow, not aided by losing wickets on a regular basis. By the 32nd over Somerset had clawed their way to 89/6 as Emma Corney (35 off 79) departed run out by a Grace Potts direct hit from mid-off. But striding to the crease to join mainstay Alex Griffiths (46) was Amanda Jade Wellington (26). After a measured start - just 2 off her first 10 balls - she and Griffiths took to Tara Norris, hitting 22 runs off the 37th over, including two sweetly-struck Wellington 6s. Ten runs came off the next over, and in the subsequent over Wellington clubbed Emma Lamb for her third 6, but trying to repeat the dose she was caught on the square leg boundary. The pair had added 56 runs in 7 overs. Griffiths fell shortly after and the tail added a useful 46 runs, but 205 still looked well below par. Spinners Hannah Jones (2/23) and Lamb (2/30) joined Cross on two wickets apiece. 
And an opening stand of 151 in under 30 overs between new recruit Eve Jones (97) and Lamb (52) put the result beyond doubt, with Lancashire's only disappointment being that Jones could not find the three runs she needed for her century, as she edged a wide half-volley from Ellie Anderson to backward point. 
Highlights - Somerset v Lancs

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Metro Bank One Day Cup Table after Two Rounds

Martin Davies
28/IV/25

Metro Bank One Day Cup - Round One

What a start to the new eight county Metro Bank One Day Cup! All four matches produced some quality cricket and some great individual and team performances. Here is our round-up of Round One.

Durham v Essex
Essex 177 all out (47.3 ovs) v Durham 178/1 (32.4 ovs)
Durham could not have hoped for a better start to their Tier One professional life. Having inserted Essex on an overcast day at Chester-le-Street, Essex got off to a blistering start with 10 off the first over, but were reined in by some accurate bowling from the tall 17 year old Grace Thompson (2/34) and Scottish off-spinner Katherine Fraser.
Thompson was rewarded in her fourth over with the wicket of Jo Gardner, and when she was replaced by Phoebe Turner (4/33) Grace Scrivens nicked off. Griffith, Miller and MacLeod followed in quick succession and Essex were in a hole at 65/5.
But Jodie Grewcock (31) and Sophia Smale (40) added a precious 53 for the sixth wicket before Grewcock was deceived by the evergreen leg spin of Katie Levick (3/28). Smale and Amara Carr then made some slow progress, but once they too fell to Levick the Essex innings petered out to an inadequate 177 all out.
And after the early loss of Emma Marlow 37 year old Kiwi Suzie Bates (93*) and 27 year old Durham skipper Hollie Armitage (64*) brought all their experience to the fore as they knocked off the runs in just under 33 overs for a bonus point win for Durham to put them top of the table.
Highlights - Durham v Essex

Surrey v Somerset
Surrey 243/7 (33 ovs) v Somerset 241/3 (33 ovs) (revised target 238 under DLS)
A delayed start and then a two and a half hour rain delay reduced the match to a 33 over affair, but both teams' batters found the flat Beckenham wicket to their liking. 
The star-studded Surrey line-up lost Bryony Smith early on, but England's Wyatt-Hodge (33), Capsey (26) and Dunkley (22) failed to capitalise on good starts, before Paige Scholfield (48), Alice Davidson-Richards (57*) and keeper Keira Chatli (25) doubled the score from 122/5 in the 19th over to leave Somerset chasing the imposing total of 243/7. Amanda Jade Wellington (3/42) and Charlie Dean (2/40) were the principal wicket-takers.
Somerset openers Heather Knight (64) and Emma Corney (61) kept the visitors in touch with the run rate in an opening stand of 122 and with Fran Wilson (36*) and Charlie Dean (41) going well Somerset seemed to have set themselves up for victory, but a tight 30th and 31st over including the wicket of Dean who holed out off Alice Capsey, left the visitors needing an unlikely 32 off the last two overs with new bat Wellington heading to the crease.
Just a single off the first two balls of the 32nd over from Rhianna Macdonald-Gay brought Wellington on strike with 31 needed off 10 balls. She preceded to hit the next four balls for 4, to take 17 off the over and leave the equation 15 off the last six balls to be bowled by Davidson-Richards. Wilson cut the first ball for 4 and then got a single off the next ball. The epitome of calm Wellington then smoked the next ball for 4 through the covers and helped the next to fine leg for another boundary. Just two were needed of the last two balls. A leg-bye off the 5th, left Wilson on strike for the last and she calmly pulled the last ball to the boundary for a staggering win. Wellington's match-winning cameo was 24 in 7 balls, all in boundaries
Highlights - Surrey v Somerset

The Blaze v Lancashire
The Blaze 234 all out v Lancashire 235/2 (45 ovs)
England opener Tammy Beaumont made a scratchy start to the season before falling early for just 4, but then her fellow international Amy Jones (30), surprisingly opening, and in-form Scot Kathryn Bryce (70) saw off the opening spells from Kate Cross and Mahika Gaur. But the introduction of slow left-armer Sophie Morris proved Jones downfall, holing out at long-off. Bryce then found another willing partner in Georgia Elwiss as the pair took The Blaze to a commanding 146/2 with 17 overs still to come, but once Elwiss and Bryce were out The Blaze lost their last five wickets for 43 runs to finish on a disappointing 234. 
After Lancashire's Eve Jones fell towards the end of powerplay Emma Lamb (130*) and Katie Mack (44) took the game away from The Blaze. Lamb brought up her hundred from just 114 balls, including twelve 4s and The Blaze bowlers had no answers. Sarah Glenn did get Mack, but Seren Smale (38*) comfortably eased Lancashire over the line with five overs to spare.
Highlights - The Blaze v Lancashire

Warwickshire v Hampshire
Hampshire 208 all out v Warwickshire 208 all out
Under leaden skies and the e-shaped Edgbaston floodlights Hampshire surprisingly chose to bat first against Warwickshire. Early progress was slow as both Emily Arlott (2/30) and Katie George beat the bat on numerous occasions, with Arlott finally rewarded with the wicket of England's Maia Bouchier in the 5th over. A generous sprinkling of no-balls and wides took Hampshire to 25/1 after 9 overs with part-time seamer Chloe Brewer (3/40) adding 6 more wides in her first over. But in her second she produced an off-cutter which removed Ella McCaughan. Spinners Hannah Baker and skipper Georgia Davis, (2/38) then put a further squeeze on Hampshire who were only 91/4 at the midway point in their innings, Baker having accounted for Aussie overseas Charli Knott and Davis for Georgia Adams. But keeper Rhianna Southby (72) and youngster Abi Norgrove took the score past 150, albeit with only 12 overs left. The Hampshire lower order could only muster 14 runs after Southby fell in the 45th over and 208 (including 43 extras) looked an under-par score as the weather brightened and the pitch eased.
Lauren Bell (2/44) and Freya Davies kept things tight in the powerplay with Sterre Kalis the only casualty for Warwickshire. Having made it to 134/3 Abbey Freeborn's stubborn innings of 70 off 96 balls came to an end and Warwickshire started to look a little frail. Nat Wraith, Brewer, Arlott and Bethan Ellis all fell cheaply with Linsey Smith (4/39) the principal beneficiary. At 165/8 the game seemed to be Hampshire's for the taking, but Charis Pavely (17) and Georgia Davis (13) had other ideas. They saw off Knott, Adams and the returning Bell, before Davies returned to bowl the 43rd over with Warwickshire needing just 20 to win. She removed Pavely with the last ball of that over to leave the equation 19 runs or 1 wicket for the victory. 
Davis and Baker managed to bring the equation down to just 8 off the last four overs, but Davies bowled a maiden, followed by just two off the 48th from Adams. Another accurate over from Davies conceded just two runs and Warwickshire needed four to win off the last over from Adams. Three singles in the first three balls meant they had two balls to get the one run they needed. A dot meant they had just one ball to get it. Davis drove the last ball to Norgrove at short extra cover and ran. Norgrove fumbled but recovered to roll the ball underarm at the stumps at the bowler's end and run Davis out. The match was tied.
Highlights - Warwickshire v Hampshire 

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Metro Bank One Day Cup Table after Round One

Martin Davies
24/IV/25