EWA beat EWDP in season opener

A somewhat depleted England Women's Academy offered the EWDP U19s an early season opportunity to score some bragging rights over their more senior counterparts. However early wickets from the Sussex quick, Freya Davies, put the EWDP on the back foot, and confident runs from fellow Sussex player, Paige Scholfield, ensured the EWA cruised home with more than 12 overs still in the locker.

The EWA were missing - Georgia Adams (injured), Hollie Armitage (injured), Steph Butler (Sri Lanka), Alex Hartley (Sri Lanka), Georgia Hennessy (unavailable), Emma Lamb (Sri Lanka) and Alex Macdonald (Sri Lanka), so it was left to Davies, Scholfield, Aylish Cranstone, Evelyn Jones, Sophie Luff, and Carla Rudd to keep the young upstarts down, with help from some of the U19s themselves - namely Emily Arlott, Maia Bouchier, Marie Kelly, Sophie Mackenzie, Caitlin O'Keefe and, most significantly, Durham left-arm spinner Rachael Petherick.

In the opposition camp EWDP coach Sally Ann Briggs thought she had a decent line-up of young talent, namely Anna Nicholls, Ellie Threlkeld, Cordelia Griffith, Bryony Smith, Izzy Collis, Alli Kelly, Georgie Boyce, Sophia Dunkley, Nalisha Patel, Katie George and Tara Norris. It was a team that looked on paper to have a strong batting line-up and their self-confidence was evident when they won they toss and elected to bat first on the main pitch at Loughborough, which looked to have plenty of runs in it.

Unfortunately for the EWDP things did not go according to plan as Freya Davies, bowling with good pace and swing, removed three of the top four in her opening six over spell. In the first over of the game Anna Nicholls (2) played across the line and was lbw, beaten for pace, and in the third over her fellow opener, Ellie Threlkeld (5), was bowled. Just as the batsmen seemed to be getting on top Davies accounted for Bryony Smith as she too was beaten for pace, skying a top edged pull to square leg. At 43 for 3 the EWDP were in trouble. But Essex's Cordelia Griffith (54) and Sussex's Izzy Collis (40) gradually rebuilt the EWDP innings through a mixture of caution and occasional aggression. Both dealt harshly with the short ball both on the off-side and the leg-side and together they took the score to 109 for 4 when the players left the field for a short rain break. Unfortunately on their return Griffith immediately drove Sophie Mackenzie to extra cover to depart, and then Alli Kelly was lbw first ball to the left-arm seam of Aylish Cranstone. But Notts' Georgie Boyce proved to be another willing partner for Collis and together they added 54 for the sixth wicket before Collis became Rachael Petherick's first victim, caught and bowled on the drive. It was just reward for the left-arm spinner who bowled well on a pretty unresponsive pitch. Davies returned for the batting powerplay and conceded just four runs in two overs, and when Petherick accounted for Sophia Dunkley missing a favoured sweep shot, skipper Sophie Luff decided to try and finish the EWDP off. It was a tactic that worked perfectly. The hard-hitting Boyce (34) was run out after a mix up by a fine throw from deep cover by Maia Bouchier, and Petherick (3/28) then claimed her third, enticing Nalisha Patel to drive her to cover. Davies (4/34) finished off the innings when she had Bea Firth lbw in the 43rd over. The EWDP were all out for 184.

The EWA were gifted the ideal start with 26 off the first over as Katie George struggled to find her line. Unfortunately most of those runs came in extras. Thereafter Yorkshire's Bea Firth (2/27) and Tara Norris bowled tight lines and Norris was rewarded when Cranstone (5) was bowled in the fifth over. In the next Evelyn Jones chopped a short ball onto her stumps for a 19 ball duck, and the EWA were tottering on 32 for 2. Paige Scholfield came to join her skipper Luff at the crease and the pair initially made steady progress before Scholfield, playing her first game of the season, got her eye in and took a liking to Norris and Patel, hitting five 4s in the space of seven balls. It looked as though the EWDP were going to be heading for an eight wicket defeat, but Dunkley sneaked one past the advancing Luff (25), who was harshly adjudged to have been bowled amid a flurry of keeper's gloves and dropped ball. Bouchier then ran herself out attempting a suicidal single to mid-off and the EWDP sniffed an opportunity. Had Norris held on to a regulation catch at mid-on off Scholfield in the next over the game could have opened up, but it was not to be. Scholfield lost Rudd bowled by the returning hard-working Firth with 35 still needed, but then she and Davies guided the EWA towards a comfortable victory. With the finish line in sight Scholfield holed out to deep square leg for 75, but Davies (22*) rounded off a good day as she hit the winning runs in the 37th over.

full scorecard here

MD
2/V/15

England Women - Winter Training Squads in full

The following squads have been announced for the Winter Training

England Women Performance Squad

Tammy Beaumont (Kent)
Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire)
Kate Cross (Lancashire)
Jodie Dibble (Devon)
Charlotte Edwards (Kent)

Georgia Elwiss (Sussex)

Natasha Farrant (Kent)

Lydia Greenway (Kent)

Rebecca Grundy (Warwickshire)

Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire)

Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire)

Amy Jones (Warwickshire)

Heather Knight (Berkshire)

Beth Langston (Essex)

Laura Marsh (Kent)

Sonia Odedra (Nottinghamshire)

Natalie Sciver (Surrey)

Anya Shrubsole (Somerset)

Sarah Taylor (Sussex)

Fran Wilson (Somerset)

Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire)

Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire)

England Women’s Academy

Georgia Adams (Sussex)

Hollie Armitage (Yorkshire)

Stephanie Butler (Staffordshire)

Freya Davies (Sussex)

Alex Hartley (Middlesex)

Georgia Hennessy (Warwickshire)

Evelyn Jones (Staffordshire)

Emma Lamb (Lancashire)

Sophie Luff (Somerset)

Alex Macdonald (Gloucestershire)

Carla Rudd (Berkshire)

Paige Scholfield (Sussex)

England Women's Development Programme U19

Emily Arlott (Worcestershire)

Maia Bouchier (Middlesex)

Georgie Boyce (Nottinghamshire)

Isabelle Collis (Sussex)

Sophia Dunkley (Middlesex)

Sophie Ecclestone (Cheshire)

Beatrice Firth (Yorkshire)

Abigail Freeborn (Sussex)

Katie George (Hampshire)

Cordelia Griffith (Essex)

Hannah Jones (Surrey)

Alli Kelly (Devon)

Marie Kelly (Warwickshire)

Sophie Mackenzie (Cornwall)

Anna Nicholls (Middlesex)

Tara Norris (Sussex)

Cait O’Keefe (Devon)

Nalisha Patel (Lancashire)

Rachel Petherick (Durham)

Bryony Smith (Surrey)

Eleanor Threlkeld (Lancashire)

England Women's Development Programme U15

Lauren Bell (Berkshire)

Sophie Buckton (Warwickshire)

Ella Chandler (Hampshire)

Isobel Cloke (Kent)

Charlie Dean (Hampshire)

Danielle Gibson (Gloucestershire)

Tiarna Paris Gilkes (Warwickshire)

Jess Golden (Kent)

Eva Gray (Surrey)

Katie Green (Shropshire)

Alex Griffiths (Wales)

Bess Heath (Derbyshire)

Nancy Hebron (Essex)

Nancy Hughes (Middlesex)

Ellie Mason (Cheshire)

Alice Monaghan (Hampshire)

Hannah Poulter (Yorkshire)

Rhianna Southby (Surrey)

Lucy Staunton-Turner (Lancashire)

Erin Staunton-Turner (Lancashire)

Jessica Kate Thornton (Wales)

MD

19/IX/14

England U19s Success in South Africa

England U19s will return from South Africa today quietly content with their showing in Potchefstroom. Admittedly they lost the T20 series 2-1, but then went on to win the 50 over series 3-0. Unfortunately their game against the full South African side was washed out amid heavy thunderstorms.

For full details on all the games click on the "U19s in South Africa" tag above.

It took the team a little while to find their feet and the pace of the wickets, losing the first two T20 games, although they should really have chased down 113 in the second game. But by the third T20 the batsmen were beginning to like South African conditions and rattled up 181 in their 20 overs, which the Saffers were never going to get. From then on England looked in charge in the series, winning the toss and batting first in all three 50 over games and scoring 275, 275 and 238. It was only in the last game that South Africa looked even likely to chase down the target, failing by just one run to meet the England score.

After the first two T20s England batted well against a fairly moderate bowling attack. Sophie Luff (233 runs at 58.25) and Aylish Cranstone (184 runs at 46.00) headed the batting, with consistently good scores. They were closely followed by skipper Jess Watson (187 runs at 37.80), who started the series really well before running out of steam a little. Georgia Hennessy (154 runs at 25.66) tempered her middle-order batting according to the state of the game and played some firey innings to help the scoring along when it began to lag.

On the bowling front it was the seamers that dominated with 9 wickets for Hennessy and 8 apiece for Freya Davies and Grace Gibbs. Off-spinner Fi Morris with 8 wickets was the only spinner to have any real impact on any games, generally bowling tight spells, but left-arm Lydia Harris also bowled well in the two games she played.

Generally the ground fielding was good, including five run-outs in the first 50 over game, but the catching was below par. Perhaps another argument for more white-ball cricket in England in the future?

Five of this fifteeen woman squad are in the England Academy for the winter - Butler, Carr, Davies, Hennessy and Watson and five more are in the current U19 squad - Collis, Gibbs, Harris, Kelly and O'Keefe, and all will have taken a lot from this tour and are likely to be seen again in England shirts. In addition 19 year olds Luff and Cranstone have certainly not done their future England prospects any harm with their performances on this tour.

[As a postscript Sophie Luff and wicket-keeper Carla Rudd have been added to the Academy squad]

MD
25/X/13

Anxious wait for England places

There are a lot of anxious girls around the UK waiting for the imminent announcement of the England squad to tour West Indies; the England U19 squad to tour South Africa; and the England Academy, U19 and U15 Winter training squads. This week will hopefully put most of them out of their misery.

England have a bit of a dilemma over the West Indies squad in that many of the successful Ashes squad are currently nursing niggles/injuries. Of the 18 players originally named for the Ashes series at least eight have current injury issues, two of whom will definitely not be touring - Heather Knight and Laura Marsh.

Katherine Brunt - played in the County Champs final v Sussex but did not bowl
Georgia Elwiss - has missed the last two months of the season with a back injury
Lydia Greenway - did not play for Kent in the County T20 Finals two weeks ago
Jenny Gunn - did not play for Notts in the County T20 Finals two weeks ago
Heather Knight - will not tour as recovering from hamstring tear
Laura Marsh - is back in hospital having apparently had further surgery on her right shoulder
Anya Shrubsole - pulled up in the first T20I with a groin injury and missed rest of T20s
Sarah Taylor - missed Sussex's County T20 final match, but played County Champs final albeit with a stiff back.

This leaves Charlotte Edwards, Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Holly Colvin, Tash Farrant, Dani Hazell, Ami Jones, Nat Sciver, Lauren Winfield and Danni Wyatt from the original 18.

England have four or five T20Is (depends if they get to the final) and three ODIs to play in 20 days in the West Indies, starting on 14th October (just under four weeks). I anticipate that a few younger players will get a chance to tour with the full England side and may even get a chance to take to the field. It is a chance to blood some younger players, particularly before the Ashes return trip to Oz in January. The Aussies are likely to be a tougher outfit on home soil and will be smarting from their 12-4 trouncing this Summer. They will also be half way through their own domestic season, so some of their batsmen and bowlers may have found the form that eluded them here in England.

More news on all the squads as soon as I can get hold of it.

MD
17/IX/13

England in West Indies and England U19s in South Africa

England in West Indies

The 2013 winter schedule for England women will include a T20I tri-series against West Indies women and New Zealand women in Barbados in October, followed by a three-match, one-day international series against West Indies women in Trinidad.

T20 tri-series - Kensington Oval, Barbados
West Indies, New Zealand & England
Monday October 14 - West Indies v New Zealand
Wednesday October 16 - New Zealand v England
Friday October 18 - West Indies v England
Sunday October 20 - West Indies v New Zealand
Tuesday October 22 - New Zealand v England
Thursday October 24 - West Indies v England
Saturday October 26 - Final - Top two teams from preliminary rounds

ODI series - Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad
West Indies v England
Tuesday October 29 - 1st ODI
Friday November 1 - 2nd ODI
Sunday November 3 - 3rd ODI

England U19s in South Africa

Cricket South Africa have also announced the following fixtures to be played by England U19s in October in their forthcoming tour of South Africa. All the games will be played in Potchefstroom.

SA Emerging tour vs England U19

October 2013
Fri 11    1st Twenty20   SA Emerging v England U19
Sun 13   2nd Twenty20 SA Emerging v England U19
Mon 14  3rd Twenty20 SA Emerging v England U19
Thu 17   1st One Day   SA Emerging v England U19
Sat 19    2nd One Day  SA Emerging v England U19
Mon 21  Warm Up 02  Sri Lanka v England U19
Tue 22    Warm Up 03     South Africa v England U19

Details of the U19 squad are due to be released next week by the ECB.

MD
09/IX/13