Women's County Championship - Kent and Somerset March On

A round-up of last weekend's Women's County Championship Division One and Two Results

Division One

Berkshire will be kicking themselves that they could not get more runs on the board against Kent having reduced them to 40/4 in reply to their own meagre total of 62 all out. And one of those four wickets was the prize scalp of Charlotte Edwards (15). Had they been chasing 150 it could have been a whole different ball game. But it was not - Alice Davidson-Richards (4/20) and Tash Farrant (3/8) were Kent's Broad and Anderson combination bowling out Berkshire in the 30th over with only three batsmen scraping in to double figures. Daisy Gardner did her best to keep Berkshire's hopes alive claiming 3/22 off her 10 overs, but Kent got home in the 24th over and remain unbeaten. They play Sussex next Monday in what could be their toughest game of the season.


Essex and Middlesex fought out a tight match. Invited to bat Essex managed to put together an innings of 176/8 in their 50 overs based around a painstaking 41 from 114 balls from opener Beth Langston and good middle-order contributions from Lauren Onajaife (41) and Bryony Butcher (33). Anna Nichols and Naomi Dattani claimed three wickets apiece. In reply Middlesex had got to 129/3 thanks mainly to Helena Stolle's 46, but then the Middlesex wheels came off when Cath Dalton was run out. Lily Reynolds claimed four wickets in 20 balls and Middlesex found themselves bowled out 22 runs short and with 28 balls left.

Warwickshire finally managed to pick up their first victory of the season against Yorkshire. Put in they made a reasonable score of 166/6 thanks to Amy Jones (51) and Fran Clarkson (30). Yorkshire could only manage 132 in reply with Isabelle Watson taking 5/35.

And in the final match in Division One Notts consigned Surrey to their third defeat on the trot. They were bowled out having struggled to 112 in 45 overs and Notts knocked them off for the loss of just three wickets in 35 overs.

The up-to-date league tables are here - http://womens-cricket.blogspot.co.uk/p/womens-county-championship-league.html

Division Two
Ellwyn Campbell and Fran Wilson both scored 85 for Somerset as they set Ireland a stiff target posting 247/7 in their 50 overs. Laura Delaney chipped in with four late wickets for Ireland. In reply the Irish were without their influential skipper Isobel Joyce, who was off playing hockey in Antwerp for her club in the Eurohockey Club Champions Trophy. Ireland missed her ability to bat long, as they lost wickets at regular intervals and fell 77 runs short when all out for 170. Melissa Scott-Hayward (31) and Clare Shillington (30) top-scored for the Irish and Lauren Shrubsole took 4/38.

Lancashire maintained their winning start to the season with a decisive four wicket win over previously unbeaten Staffordshire. Invited to bat first Staffs were soon struggling at 22/3 and despite a few middle order runs from Shanel Daley (22) and Francesca James (24) Staffs could only limp to 109 before they were bowled out with 3 overs of their innings remaining. Jasmine Titmuss bagged 4/8 off her 10 overs. Lancashire took their time getting the runs and lost six wickets in the process, but still got there with some ease.

Cheshire won their first game of the season against the currently winless Welsh. Wales invited Cheshire to bat but they saw a lot of Jennifer Halstead (78) and Dawn Prestidge (76), who added 141 for the third wicket out of a final total of 197 all out in 47.5 overs. Unfortunately for Wales no-one could hang around for very long with opener Gabby Basketter (59) and when she was the seventh wicket to fall with the score on 123 the end was in sight. Wales were eventually bowled out 34 runs short on 163 with three overs left to bowl.

Unfortunately there was no play in the Durham v Devon game.

The up-to-date league tables are here - http://womens-cricket.blogspot.co.uk/p/womens-county-championship-league.html 

MD
21/V/13