Super 4s - First 50 over games results

Saturday 8th June saw the second set of Super 4s fixtures, this time over a 50 over format with the Emeralds meeting the Sapphires and the Rubies playing Leicestershire u16 boys.

The teams were -
Sapphires - Edwards (capt), Miles, Rowe, Wyatt, Hazell, Odedra, Hennessy, Griffith, Dalton, Carr (wkt), Farrant, Patel
Emeralds - Knight (capt), Brindle, Taylor, Beaumont, Sciver, Luff, Rudd (wk), Hartley, Scutt, Davidson-Richards, Shrubsole, Scutt
Rubies - Winfield, Jones (wkt), Davies, Greenway (capt), Gunn, Cooper, MacGregor, Kelly, Morris, Grundy, Gibbs, Noakes

Emeralds beat the Sapphires by 6 wickets - Invited to bat the Sapphires could muster only 184/6 in their 50 overs with most batsmen making double figures (with the exception of Charlotte Edwards (1)), but only Natasha Miles (69 from 124 balls) making any significant score. Beth Langston (2/32) and Nat Sciver (2/35) were the main wicket takers, with one run out and Anya Shrubsole claiming the only other wicket to fall. Opener Arran Brindle (66* off 102 balls) ensured victory for the Emeralds, matched by new England player Nat Sciver (66). Sonia Odedra took 2/26 as the Emeralds cruised home in the 42nd over with only four wickets down.

Rubies beat Leicestershire u16 Boys by 88 runs - Amy Jones enhanced her chances of opening the batting with Charlotte Edwards against the Pakistanis with a magnificent 120* from 144 balls. Fellow opener Lauren Winfield also staked her claim for a place in the team with 51 from 80 balls. Lydia Greenway (28) and Jenny Gunn (34) hit some late useful runs to set the boys a stiff task. It was one they were not up to as they battled to 160/9 in their 50 overs with three wickets for Gwennan Davies and two apiece for Izi Noakes and Grace Gibbs.

The last of the Super 4s fixtures take place at Loughborough next Saturday (15th June) when the Emeralds take on the Rubies and the Sapphires take on the Boys in two more 50 over contests.
MD
12/VI/13

England Academy team selected to face Pakistan

In addition to the two NatWest Women's one-day internationals and two NatWest Women's International T20 matches versus England, the touring Pakistan team will also play two Twenty20 games and one 50-over match against the England Academy at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough University on 27 and 29 June.

The England Women's Academy squad to play Pakistan women has been named.

England Women's Academy squad:
Tammy Beaumont (captain, Kent) (22)
Alice Davidson-Richards (Kent) (19)
Grace Gibbs (Kent) (18)
Cordelia Griffith (Essex) (17)
Rebecca Grundy (Warwickshire) (22)
Georgia Hennessy (Warwickshire) (16)
Beth Langston (Essex) (20)
Sophie Luff (Somerset) (19)
Natasha Miles (Middlesex) (24)
Sonia Odedra (Nottinghamshire) (25)
Carla Rudd (Sussex) (19)
Cecily Scutt (Surrey) (21)
Fran Wilson (Somerset) (21)

MD
12/VI/13

New faces in England squad to face Pakistan

England have named a 15 player squad to face Pakistan in July.

As predicted here on the Women's Cricket Blog (http://womens-cricket.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/england-to-name-new-director-of-cricket.html) there are call-ups for left arm seamer Tash Farrant, Surrey bat Nat Sciver and Yorkshire bat/wicketkeeper Lauren Winfield. Missing are Katherine Brunt (foot injury), Holly Colvin (broken thumb) and Laura Marsh (shoulder rehabilitation). The squad is:-

Charlotte Edwards (captain, Kent)
Arran Brindle (Sussex)
Georgia Elwiss (Sussex)
Natasha Farrant (Kent)
Lydia Greenway (Kent)
Jenny Gunn (Nottinghamshire)
Danielle Hazell (Yorkshire)
Amy Jones (Warwickshire)
Heather Knight (Berkshire) ODI squad only
Susie Rowe (Surrey) T20 squad only
Natalie Sciver (Surrey)
Anya Shrubsole (Somerset)
Sarah Taylor (Sussex)
Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire)
Danielle Wyatt (Nottinghamshire)

England Women fixtures v Pakistan Women
July 1:  First ODI, Louth CC, Lincolnshire, 10:45am
July 3: Second ODI, Loughborough University, 10:45am
July 5: First and second T20 internationals, Loughborough University, 10am & 2:30pm

MD
10/VI/13

Bucket loads of runs in club cricket this weekend

Sunday was another day for club cricket to take centre stage and there were some excellent games and individual performances all round the country. I have rounded up all the league action below.

Southern Premier League

Bath beat Brighton by 110 runs - Bath's batsmen scored an impressive and daunting 263/4 in their 50 overs on a good wicket and lightening outfield. Sophie Le Marchand hit 60 and Sophie Luff completed a fine and deserved century off the last ball of the Bath innings. In reply Brighton made a steady start, but slipped to 70/4. Sophie Parnell (39) and Freya (honorary Sophie) Davies (37*) briefly raised Brighton's hopes, but the lower order faded away against some decent spin bowling and four stumpings from keeper Le Marchand as Brighton were bowled out for 153.

Hursley beat Bexley by 15 runs - It was a run-fest at Hursley as the home side clocked up a mammoth 334/7 with major contributions from almost all their batsmen, but the main partnership coming from Eleanor Ingram (94) and Emily Windsor (56). Sam Wright claimed 3/37 amongst the carnage. Bexley were undaunted by the size of the task and when Alice Davidson-Richards (163*) and West Indies Shakira Selman (81) added 206 for the fourth wicket, an unlikely victory looked a possibility, but it was not to be as Hursley just held on restricting (if that is the right word) Bexley to 319/5 off their 50 overs. A magnificent effort to chase down such a huge total.

Loughton beat Hayes by 98 runs - Loughton inflicted a first defeat of the season on Hayes. Having set them a decent score of 238/8 based around a good knock from the returning Lauren Onajaife (75) and good late runs from Hannah Courtnell (36), Loughton took regular wickets from the outset of the Hayes innings, including the vital wicket of in-form Lydia Greenway for a duck. Eventually they bowled them out for 140 with only Susie Rowe (53) really getting to grips with the Loughton bowlers, for whom Courtnell claimed 3/24.

Finchley beat Wokingham by 34 runs - Finchley decided to have first dig and made a decent fist of it scoring 229/5 thanks to 98 from Aussie-import Emma Inglis, with support from Helen Stolle (50). Heather Knight grabbed 3/46. The Wokingham innings needed a mainstay, but Charlotte Edwards and Heather Knight came and went and no-one took responsibility as batsmen got in and got out. Wokingham finished on 195/9 with six different bowlers picking up wickets for Finchley.

All of which means that Hayes, Finchley, Bath, Wokingham and Loughton are all still in the mix for the title. At the other end Brighton are currently struggling to record their first victory, but it is early days with each team still having seven games to go and with results proving to be difficult to predict as teams vary in composition and performance from week to week.

Midlands Premier LeagueClifton Village beat Walmley by 58 runs - Clifton would have been reasonably satisfied with their score of 226/6 in their 50 overs, with Jenny Gunn (77) leading the way with support from Ruth Barron (44). Walmley made a slow start and then lost wickets to leave themselves at 48/3 and the rebuilding work of Laura Crofts (41) came to nothing as Walmley stumbled to 174 all out in the 47th over to consign them to their first defeat of the season.

Sheffield Utd beat Meir Heath by 8 wickets - Walmley's defeat was good news for Sheffield and they made full use of it with a convincing win over Meir Heath. Meir Heath bumbled their way to 100 before they were all out in the 38th over of their innings. Only Danni Wyatt (26) and Shanel Daley (25) made double figures. Camilla Westwood took 3/24 as all the Sheffield bowlers enjoyed a good day. Lauren Winfield clattered 75 not out as Sheffield raced to victory with just two wickets down in 13 overs.

Pershore beat Burton Latimer by 7 wickets - and it could have been so much worse for Burton if opener Laura Tonks had not made 101 of the first 156 runs. Burton ended on 170/8, but that was never going to be enough. Opener Thea Brookes hit an unbeaten 110 to lead Pershore to their second win of the year and inflict a third defeat on Burton.

It is still Sheffield, Clifton And Walmley who are setting the pace at the top separated by less than 1 average point.

South West Premier League

Newport beat St Austell by 102 runs - Newport scored an above par score of 225/8 in their 45 overs with Claire Thomas (56) top-scoring. Jade Williams and Nicole Richards claimed three wickets apiece as all 10 St Austell outfielders had a bowl. St Austell never looked like getting close as all their batsmen struggled to score at any pace. They finished on a laboured 123/6.

Plympton St Andrews beat Taunton Griffins by 16 runs - invited to bat Plympton could only manage to score 172 before they were bowled out in the 43rd over. Jess Jones' 33 was the biggest single contribution. Lorraine Szczepanski took 3/21. However in reply Taunton found the going tough too and only Flo Broderick (31) made any significant score as Taunton were bowled out for 156 with four overs still to be bowled. Rebecca Donahue claimed 4/16


Newport retain control of the league as they recorded their fourth win in four games. Plympton are doing what they can to keep the pressure on them, despite having lost to them early in the season.


Cheshire League Division One

Oakmere beat Stockport Trinity by 10 wickets - Having bowled Stockport out for 86 (Hayley Coutts 3/12) Oakmere knocked off the runs in 22 overs with Helen Smith hitting 54* and Shami Ahmed 25*.

Appleton beat Bolton Indians who conceded - A disappointing match for the Bolton Indians to concede, handing back the initiative in the league to Appleton, who go back to the top.

Romiley v Chester Broughton Hall - result awaited

Stalybridge St Pauls v Stafford Metrovics - result awaited.

MD
10/VI/13

More Super 4s and Club Cricket this weekend

The Super 4s move into 50 over format this Saturday with the three women's teams and the one boys u16 team. Heather Knight's Emeralds take on Charlotte Edward's Sapphires and the Rubies, led by Lydia Greenway, take on the Leicestershire & Rutland u16 boys. All the games are being played at Loughborough University and the weather looks to be set fair for them.

Meanwhile on Sunday the clubs are all back in action. The games being played are

Midlands Premier League

Clifton Village v Walmley - Top of the table Walmley will be looking to protect their 100% record, but they may find third-placed Clifton tougher than some of their recent opposition.
Meir Heath v Sheffield Utd - clash of the day will be this one between MH & Sheffield, who had last week off. Sheffield will hoping that Walmley slip up and that they can overcome MH to get themselves to the top of the league.
Pershore v Burton Latimer - Both Pershore and Burton Latimer will want to win this one to help them climb out of the bottom half of the league. BL may just be favourites to nick it.


South West Premier League

St Austell v Newport - Unbeaten Newport will be expecting to win this game against winless St Austell, but St Austell have suffered one cancelled and one abandoned game so far and will be looking forward to completing their first full game of the season - Newport are a tough ask.
Taunton St Andrews v Plympton - Taunton have lost two out of two, but these have been to Newport and Bristol Phoenix. They will hope for better against Plympton, who finally got their season going last week against Bristol. If they can continue that form then they may just kick-start their charge to the top.


Southern Premier League

Brighton v Bath - Brighton take on high-flyers Bath at the Neville Ground Bath have only lost one game this year and that to Wokingham. Brighton will have their work cut out.
Hursley v Bexley - Bexley travel to Hampshire, but may struggle to put out a competitive side away from home, and organised Hursley could make them pay.
Loughton v Hayes - Loughton have to travel to table-toppers Hayes, who demolished Wokingham last week. Hayes will fancy their chances of remaining top.
Wokingham v Finchley - Wokingham will look to bounce back from last week's defeat and keep the pressure on Hayes, but third-placed Finchley will hope to make it three wins on the bounce after losing their opening game of the season to Hayes. With full sides out it might just be a run-fest.


Cheshire League Division 1

Appleton v Bolton Indians Last year's champions take on the undefeated Bolton Indians in a crucial encounter. Appleton really need to clip the wings of high-flying Bolton to keep their season on track. A win for Bolton would put them firmly in the box seat.
Romiley v Chester Boughton Hall - CBH find themselves in second place in the table, having beaten Appleton and Stalybridge, but lost last week to Trafford Metrovics failing to chase down 126. Romiley may just fancy their chances.
Stalybridge St Pauls v Trafford Metrovics - Trafford will be on a high after last week's win, and they will hope to ease any relegation worries by defeating Stalybridge, who are yet to win this season.
Stockport Trinity v Oakmere - Oakmere recorded their first win of the season last week against Romiley and will be expecting to gain another 25 points this weekend as they visit bottom of the table Stockport, for whom this will be only their second game of the season.


MD
6/V/13

Super 4s - T20 results

Just three teams of women (36 in total) and an U16 boys team took to the field in Loughborough last Saturday for the first of three weekend's of "Super 4s" action (should it now be called the Super 3s?).

The women taking part were :-

Emeralds - Knight (capt), Beaumont, Brindle, Sciver, Luff, Hartley, Scutt, L Smith, Davidson-Richards, Shrubsole, Rudd, Langstone
Sapphires - Edwards (capt), Wyatt, Rowe, Hazell, Miles, Hennessy, Dalton, Carr, Griffith, Reynolds, Cross, Farrant
Rubies - Winfield, Jones, Gunn, Greenway (capt), Wilson, Cooper, G Davies, Morris, Grundy, Odedra, Noakes, Gibbs

Some of the names missing that might have been expected to take part were - England's Brunt, Colvin, Marsh and Taylor, plus the Academy's Dibble, Macleod, Shipman and Watson.

The ball dominated in this first weekend of T20 games with no side scoring more than 112. It is tough format as a batsman trying to show what you can do, but fearing giving your wicket away, which tends to lead to low scoring games.

Sapphires beat Rubies by 9 wickets - Sapphires could only muster 89/8 in their 20 overs with only Lydia Greenway (25 off 37) scoring more than 20. Tash Farrant claimed 2/13 off 4 overs and Danni Hazell 2/10 off 4. Charlotte Edwards (45* off 43) and Danni Wyatt (33 off 37) took them to within nine of victory before Wyatt fell.

Emeralds beat Leicester u16s by 7 wickets - Emeralds restricted the boys to 104/9 in their 20 overs with Anya Shrubsole (2/13 off 4) and Cecily Scutt (2/16 off 4) the pick of the bowlers. Tammy Beaumont (0) and Heather Knight (6) went early but Arran Brindle (58* off 61) and Nat Sciver (24 off 41) steadied the ship, although Sciver fell just before the game was won.

Sapphires beat Emeralds by 5 wickets - Emeralds managed to score 108/3 with Arran Brindle (44 off 38) and Heather Knight (31 off 44) the main scorers. Danni Hazell (2/17 off 4) was the main wicket-taker. In response Edwards (1), Wyatt (7) and Hazell (5) went cheaply, but Suzie Rowe (34 off 36) and Natasha Miles (41 off 37) took the score to 82/4 before Rowe fell. Miles went with the scores level, but Sapphires sneaked home with 2 balls to spare.

Rubies beat Leicestershire u16s by 6 wickets - The Leicester boys also managed to score 108 but for the loss of four wickets (one to Noakes, Odedra and Grundy and one run out). Lauren Winfield opened and batted throughout the Rubies' reply for 56 off 46 balls. She lost Jones (5), Gunn (1) and Wilson (4), but Cooper (6*) helped her take Rubies to victory with 10 balls to spare.

MD
4/V/13

Club cricket update

Southern Premier League

Hayes beat Wokingham by 9 wickets in the weekend's most important fixture. A full-strength Hayes side really showed their class. They restricted a strong Wokingham side to 168 ao in 37 overs and then knocked them off for the loss of just one wicket. Jenny Jackson took 5/21 and Tash Farrant 3/31. Only Heather Knight (79) put up any serious resistance as Wokingham lost their last eight wickets for 12 runs. In-form Lydia Greenway (73*) and Kathryn Leng (65*) knocked off the runs in the 30th over.

Bath beat Hursley by 9 wickets. Having bowled out nine-woman Hursley for just 81 Bath made short-shrift of knocking off the runs they needed losing just one wicket.

Bexley beat Brighton by 9 wickets. A weakened and injury-ravaged Brighton team managed to clock up 135 all out with Freya Davies top-scoring with 50, but Alice Davidson-Richards (64*) led Bexley to a much-needed victory.

Finchley beat Loughton by 3 wickets. Loughton set a respectable total of 169/8 in their 50 overs with skipper Joanne Cook top-scoring with 56. Natasha Miles and Anna Nicholls both picked up three wickets. Beth Morgan (73*) held the Finchley response together as they reached their target with seven wickets down and three and a half overs to spare.

Unbeaten Hayes still top the table followed closely by Wokingham, Finchley and Bath. Hursley, Bexley and Brighton are fighting for survival.


Midlands Premier League

Walmley showed their title credentials by beating Meir Heath by 23 runs. Amy Jones (47) and Becky Grundy (30*) were the main run-scorers as Walmley set Meir Heath 161 to win having lost nine wickets in the process. Meir Heath crumbled to 32/5 thanks to openers Elizabeth Russell (2/24) and Kayleigh Alsop (3/11) and never recovered despite 48 from Shanel Daley and 37 from Charlotte Whyle. They were bowled out in the 42nd over with Grundy also claiming 3/26.

Sheffield Utd beat Pershore by 205 runs. Sheffield kept up the pressure on Walmley with a convincing win over Pershore. Tammy Beaumont (73) and Lauren Winfield (60) set up the Sheffield total of 280/6. Pershore had no answer to Camilla Westwood (4/33) and Aimee Simms (4/2) as they were skittled out for 75.

Clifton Village v Quatt - result unknown

South West Premier League

Plympton beat Bristol Phoenix by 69 runs to record their first win of the season and clip the Phoenix's feathers. Plympton made 189/9 in their 45 overs with Alli Kelly hitting 53 and Lorna Browne 32*. Bristol progressed nicley to 60/1 but then Browne took the ball and claimed three wickets for one run as Bristol plunged to 66/5. They never recovered and were 120 all out. Jess Richards (26) top-scored.

St Austell v Taunton St Andrews - result unknown

Cheshire League Division One

Bolton Indians beat Stockport Trinity by 69 runs to go top of the league. They managed to score 166 ao thanks to lower order contributions from Nalisha Patel (39) and Jessica Bradley (31). Katie Paterson (2/16) was the pick of the Stockport bowlers, but no batsmen could anchor the Stockport response as they were bowled out for 97. Katie Haszeldine (33) did what she could but she was fighting a lost cause.

Trafford beat Chester Boughton by 6 runs. In a nail-biter Trafford managed to defend 125 ao restricting Chester to 119/4 in their 40 overs. Mary Priestner for Trafford and E Ecclestone for Chester both hit 31. It was Chester's first defeat of the season

Oakmere beat Romiley by 97 runs. Oakmere helped themselves to 208/5 in their 40 overs with Shami Ahmed hitting a magnificent 111*. Romiley could only achieve the same score as Shami hit herself with five wickets down. Hayley Coutts took 3/24.

Appleton beat Stalybridge St Pauls by 10 wickets. Having bowled Stalybridge out for just 47 with wickets neatly shared around, Appleton took all the points within 13 overs to stay in contention with Bolton Indians and Chester Boughton Hall, after their surprising defeat.

Yorkshire League Division OneThree games were scheduled to be played, but no results are known.

MD
04/V/13