Lancs pick up Div 1 T20 Crown

Lancashire are the Division One T20 champions after winning their last two games comfortably against Surrey and Yorkshire. It meant they finished eight points clear of Middlesex, who jumped into second spot with two victories themselves over Kent and Warwickshire.

Warwickshire, in second spot at the beginning of the day, suffered two defeats, to Middlesex and Kent (albeit with a severely weakened team), which left them in fourth place in the league equal on points with Surrey and Kent.

Sussex were denied the opportunity to finish in second spot by the weather, with their games against bottom clubs Berkshire and Somerset abandoned. It meant that Berkshire and Somerset's relegation into Div 2 next year was confirmed.

Division One Table

In Division Two Notts comfortably overcame Scotland in their first game of the day to make sure the Div 2 title was heading back to the Midlands and they were heading into Div 1 next year. But Hampshire (second in the morning) could do nothing to enhance their chances of Div 1 status next year, as their games with Wales and Staffs were washed out. It gave Worcestershire the opportunity to take second spot and their 6 wicket win over Durham gave them the four points they needed to leapfrog over Hampshire. 

At the bottom Essex lost to Scotland by 9 wickets, which meant there was no way back for them. Their last game against Notts was washed out halfway through. Staffs could do nothing but take two miserly points from their two cancelled games (why on earth it is 1 point for an abandoned game, when it is four points for a win, is anyone's guess!) and watch on as Durham beat Derbyshire to save their Div 2 hides, sending Derbyshire down with Staffs and Essex. 

This is how we think the table should look, although not all the results are on Play Cricket yet. 

Division Two Table

The promoted clubs from Div 3 are :- Gloucestershire, Cheshire and Northants. 

MD
01/XIII/17

County T20 Climax this Sunday (not that you'd know it)

This Sunday will see the climax of the 2017 County T20 Competition, and the crowning of the T20 Champions, but you'd be hard-pressed to know it was happening unless you are playing in it, or an ardent fan.

County T20 cricket and the County Championship receives no coverage by the ECB on their website whatsoever. If you click the "County" link then, ironically, the only link to women's cricket there is to the Kia Super League!

Contrast this with Cricket Australia's coverage of their domestic women's competition - the WNCL (see here). On the CA website you will find links to past and present series, which include league tables, fixtures and results, news and video clips.

County cricket and county cricketers, who play for nothing, deserve better.

Anyway back to the matter in hand - the County T20 finale this Sunday.

All teams in Divisions One, Two and Three of the T20 competition will play their last games of 2017 this Sunday.

In Division One table toppers Lancashire finish their season against Surrey and Yorkshire at Banstead CC. They know that if they win both their games they will be crowned champions, but having lost two weeks ago to a rejuvenated Sussex, they have proved that they are not invincible. Both Surrey and Yorkshire are mid-table with three wins out of six games, so Lancashire can take nothing for granted.

Warwickshire and Sussex lie in joint second place just one win behind, with Sussex having beaten both Warwickshire and Lancashire in their last fixtures. Both are ready to pounce if Lancashire slip up, although Warwickshire are far better placed due to a superior net run rate. Warwickshire take on Kent and Middlesex at Beckenham, who are again mid-table with three wins out of six games. Sussex host bottom of the table Somerset and Berkshire, for whom anything less than two wins means relegation.

In Division Two Notts are two wins clear at the top of the table with an unblemished record to date. They will hope to keep it that way when they take on Scotland and Essex at home at Welbeck CC.

The only teams that could deny them the title are Hampshire and Worcestershire, who look to be fighting it out to get the second promotion place. Hampshire take on Wales and Staffs. Worcestershire have Derbyshire and Durham to overcome. With all four of their opponents potentially one of the three counties that will be relegated, both will have a fight on their hands. It will be interesting to see if Charlotte Edwards and Suzie Bates are back in Hampshire colours on Sunday!

At the bottom it is all hands to the pumps for Essex, Derbyshire, Staffs and Durham. With only one win so far this season Essex have it all to do, with table-toppers Notts, and Scotland as their final opponents. The clash between Derbyshire and Durham could be a vital one, with the victor possibly being able to save their spot in Div 2 for another year. It is so tight at the bottom that NRR may well end up being the crucial factor.

In Division Three Gloucestershire are looking to take out the Group A promotion spot and will do so if they beat their closest rivals Oxfordshire, or Devon.

In Group B it is a two-way struggle between Cheshire and Leicestershire for promotion to Div 2. It is perhaps fitting therefore that they take on each other, and third-placed Shropshire to decide which one of them will go up.

And finally Group C sees Northamptonshire almost certain to take the Division, and the promotion spot, as they need just one win against either Norfolk or Cambridgeshire to make the title theirs.

Let's hope the weather doesn't ruin the climax of the competition.

MD
28/VII/17

Women's County T20 Update

The first week of County T20 action took place 10 days ago with Warwickshire and Lancashire the big winners in Div 1.

Warwickshire romped home against Somerset by nine wickets, chasing just 69 to win, and then put 168/5 (Kathryn Bryce 73* off 49 balls) on the board against Surrey, who could only manage 117/7 in reply.
Lancashire pulverised Kent, bowling them out for 71, as they chased Lancs 143/4. Spinners Emma Lamb (4/15) and Sophie Ecclestone (3/6), the main destroyers. They then comfortably beat Berkshire by 28 runs, although Berkshire kept them down to 130/9 in their 20 overs.

At the other end of the table Kent made it two losses out of two as they were bowled out by Berkshire for just 84. Berkshire cut it fine, but got home with two balls to spare.
Surrey also start the second round of fixtures with no points as they fell 15 runs short of Somerset's 146/3, in their second game of the opening weekend, having been 109/1.

Middlesex, Yorkshire, Berkshire, Sussex and Somerset all managed to win one game and lose one game, so the table looks like this

This Sunday sees some intriguing match ups

Warwickshire take on Berkshire and Yorkshire.
Lancashire have Somerset and Middlesex in their sights.

And bottom two Surrey and Kent are entertained at Sussex. 

In Div 2 Notts, Hampshire and Worcestershire lead the way with two wins out of two, followed by Scotland, Staffs and Wales, who managed one win, and then Essex, Durham and Derbyshire are yet to get off the mark. 

But it will be all change after Sunday as the top three all play each other in Worcestershire. Scotland and Staffs play Durham; and Wales and Essex are hosted at Derbyshire.

MD

28/VI/17

Warks' stumble allows Kent to take T20 title

It was a dramatic last day in the all too short T20 County Cup, with Kent eventually running out winners of the T20 title; Warwickshire being forced to settle for second; Sussex beating Berkshire to send Notts into Div 2 next year; and last year's Div 1 relagatees - Somerset and Surrey coming straight back up into Div 1.

The top of the table action was at Beckenham, where Kent hosted table-toppers Warwickshire and Middlesex. Warwickshire knew they just had to win one of their games. Kent knew they had to win both of theirs, and hope that Middlesex could do them a huge favour.

In the first game Kent comfortably dispatched Middlesex, chasing down 111/6 with just three wickets down and nine balls to spare. Suzie Bates took 3/18 and made 28, but top batsman was Alice Davidson-Richards (30).

Next up it was Warwickshire's chance to seal their first T20 title as they took on Middlesex, but it was not to be. Warwickshire posted a decent 137/8 based around openers Gerogia Hennessy (36) and Amy Jones (29), but an unbeaten third wicket partnership of 98 between Fran Wilson (61*) and Beth Morgan (43*) brought Middlesex home, again with nine balls to spare, as Warwickshire tried eight different bowlers.

It meant the last game was a showdown between Kent and Warwickshire - winner take all. Kent decided to chase, and another decent opening stand of 71 - Jones 40, Hennessy 37, put Warwickshire in a decent position, but they could only manage to put 126/4 on the board at the end of their 20 overs. It didn't look enough until the last five overs or so. Kent had been cruising at 71 without loss, but then lost Bates (43), Edwards (4) and Beaumont (36) to be 88/3 with five overs to come. With 18 balls to come Kent still needed 30 to win with Davidson-Richards and Lydia Greenway at the crease. They took 23 from the 18th and 19th over to leave them needing just seven runs from the last, which they achieved off four balls, to claim their third T20 title.

Meanwhile last year's winners, Sussex, found themselves in unfamiliar territory trying to stave off relegation, as they hosted Notts and Berks. Sussex, without a win, first took on Notts, also struggling at the foot of the table. Notts were invited to bat and Sussex made the perfect start as Freya Davies
(1/6) and Ellen Burt (1/11) bowled three maidens in the powerplay and kept Notts down to 13/2 after six overs. Notts struggled on to make 94/9. In reply Georgia Adams (58) and Georgia Elwiss (15) put on 67 for the first wicket and Sussex cantered home two wickets down and with more than four overs to spare.

Sussex's Ellen Burt removes Notts' Abbey Hawkins
(c) Don Miles

It meant if Notts lost their next game to Berkshire then Sussex would be safe in Division 1 for another season. Berkshire batted first and made a horrible start and were soon 33/4, but importantly Heather Knight (60*) was still there. Had a simple chance at cover been taken early on, then things would have been far worse. Together with Carla Rudd (36*) she set about rebuilding the innings, and eventually took Berkshire to a creditable, if unspectacular, 122/4. It looked a tall order for a Notts side that has found runs hard to come by, and when they lost their anchor, Sonia Odedra, in the second over, Notts' goose looked cooked. But the Notts middle order had other ideas - Georgie Boyce (32), Abbey Hawkins (23), Jane Smit (35), and Kirstie Gordon (17) kept Notts in touch but they still needed 50 off the last six overs, which they reduced to 15 off the last 12 balls. 10 from the 19th over meant they needed just five runs from the last, but two wickets for Heather Knight from the first three balls meant it was four off three balls. With the fifth ball of the over they levelled the scores and then finally got over the line from the last ball of the game. It was a great effort.

And so relegation came down to the last game of the day. Elsewhere Yorkshire had taken themselves out of the equation by comfortably beaten Lancashire in a rain-affected game. If Sussex lost to Berkshire then they would be relegated.

Sussex won the toss and again inserted their opponents, who were 40/1 at the end of the powerplay. In the ninth over Tara Norris (2/12) accounted for the England skipper, but Kiwi Rachel Priest (60) was still there, and when Berkshire added 37 from the last four overs, they finished on 130/6 - the highest score of the day. Sussex made a sedate start in reply and were only 8/0 after three overs, but Georgia Adams (25) crashed 18 off Heather Knight's only over of the game, which seemed to settle the Sussex nerves. When Adams and Elwiss (30) perished Sussex were ahead of the rate and Danni Wyatt (44) and Sara McGlashan (26*) made sure things stayed that way as Sussex cruised up almost to parity. As a result Knight threw the ball to Kiwi keeper Priest (not keeping in this game) to bowl the 17th over with Sussex needing just five to win. Wyatt, keen to finish the game, swung hard, but edged through to keeper Rudd, much to the delight of all the Berkshire players, and the amusement of Wyatt's Sussex teammates. The game ended next over when McGlashan dabbed the winning run to third man, and Sussex sighed a collective sigh of relief.

In Division 2 Somerset could only win one of their last two games, beating Durham, but crashing to Worcestershire in their other. It was however enough to secure them top spot in the division, as Wales could also only win one of their two games. They beat Hampshire, but then lost to Staffs. It left the door open for Surrey, who barged their way through it due to the surprise appearance of Saffer Marizanne Kapp in a Surrey shirt. She took 2/16 and then made 64* as Surrey waltzed passed Essex's 117/4 with 22 balls to spare. It meant they snatched second spot from Wales.

Coming up from Division 3 will be undefeated Scotland, and Derbyshire, who defeated rivals Devon. It has been a good couple of weeks for Scotland, who recently beat Netherlands in the 50 over format to get through to the World Cup qualifiers early next year.

So County T20s done. Focus is now on the KSL before the County Championship returns at the end of August.

MD
26/VII/15

Two T20 wins put Warwickshire on the brink

Warwickshire, who last year were so nearly relegated from Division One of the County Championship and who were playing T20 cricket in Division Two, currently sit top of Division One of both the County Championship and of the T20 league. Whether they go on to win either competition will be decided in the next few weeks, but whatever happens they have shown what good coaching, good support from the men's set-up, good team spirit and a good attitude can do in cricket.

On Sunday in the T20 format they beat both Lancashire and Sussex, which means with just two games to play they lead Kent, Berkshire and Lancashire by five points. With four points for a win they need to beat either Kent or Middlesex next Sunday at Beckenham to be crowned T20 champions. And it would be thoroughly deserved for a team that is devoid of "megastars". True they have Amy Jones, Jenny Gunn and Becky Grundy in their midst, but only one other player will be appearing in this year's KSL - Georgia Hennessy. Only Notts in Div 1 of the T20 have less KSL players (3). It is a competition that Warwickshire would have liked to have had their own team in, but they lost out when the ECB handed out the franchises in January, presumably to Loughborough who were selected to represent the Midlands. Warwickshire seem to have set out to show what they are capable of, both on and off the field.

Sussex's Freya Davies (C) Don Miles 2016

At the other end of T20 Div 1, sit Sussex - last year's T20 champions. They are yet to win a game, although they have had two rained off. As well as losing to Warwickshire this weekend they failed to chase down Lancashire's below par 110/5 on a good batting track at the Edgbaston Foundation Ground. Their batting was woeful as they plunged to 58/8 in the 13th over, and only sensible batting from 9, 10 and 11- Tara Norris (6), Freya Davies (17), and Sally Clarke (10), saw the last two wickets add another 34 runs. Sussex have it all to do next week when they meet Notts and Berks at Hove. Two wins will mean that they leap-frog Notts and perhaps keep their place in Div 1 for another season. But they will need to bat and field a lot better than they did this weekend.

The only other game next Sunday is the Lancashire v Yorkshire clash at Leigh CC. If Yorkshire were to lose then they could find themselves bottom of the league, if results go Sussex and Notts' way. No doubt it will be a passionate game and one good performance could swing it either way.

In Div 2 Somerset picked up two important wins on Sunday against Staffs and Surrey, despite having no Anya Shrubsole in the team (still recovering from injury). It puts them two points ahead of Surrey and three points ahead of Wales (who demolished Worcestershire in their only game on Sunday) and Essex (who comfortably beat Durham in their only game). With Somerset due to take on Durham and Worcestershire in Durham on Sunday to conclude their season, they are in the box seat. One win will mean that they can only be overtaken by Wales, who travel to Totton to take on Hampshire and Staffs, while Surrey and Essex have just the one game against each other at Garon Park to wrap up their T20 season. It looks like Somerset will be making the jump back into Div 1 next year, but who will come with them? Wales have it within their own hands, but can they grasp the chance?

MD
18/VII/16

County T20 - Round 3

The third round of County T20 games are played this Sunday. Here is what you can see this weekend

Div 1
Notts, Yorkshire & Kent at Welbeck CC
Warwickshire, Lancs & Sussex at Edgbaston Foundation Ground (third game at Edgbaston CC)
Berkshire v Middlesex at Wokingham CC

Warwickshire are the only unbeaten side in the T20 competition this year having won two games and had one called off. They sit second behind Berkshire who have won three of their four games so far, but who lost to Warks in Round 2. Berkshire have just the one game this Sunday against Middlesex, but with both teams back to full strength Middlesex are probably just favourites.

Meanwhile Warks take on Sussex and Lancs. Sussex racked up 177/3 against Kent two weeks ago, but still lost. They also lost to Warks in their first County Championship game of the season on the same ground. With Amy Jones and Jenny Gunn back for Warks and Georgia Elwiss, Danni Wyatt and Georgia Adams back for Sussex, this could be an epic. Lancs already have two wins under their belts - over Middlesex and Kent, so are going to be no pushover. If any team can come away with two wins they will be doing well.

Up at Welbeck CC Notts host Yorkshire and Kent. Suzie Bates scored a hundred to beat Sussex at Arundel two weeks ago, Kent having lost their first two games to Berks and Lancs. They will be back to full strength this weekend with Tammy Beaumont at the top of the order. They will be difficult to stop. Yorkshire have lost both the games they have played this year but they will be strengthened by the return of Katherine Brunt, Lauren Winfield and Dani Hazell, plus Aussie opener and keeper Beth Mooney. They might just give Kent a run for their money and should probably prove too strong for Notts.

Div 2
Essex, Durham & Hampshire at Garon Park
Surrey, Somerset & Staffs at Banstead CC
Wales v Worcestershire at Aberdare CC

Surrey are the only unbeaten team in a very open Div 2 title race (five teams have won two games apiece). They take on Somerset and Staffs on home ground this Sunday. Both Surrey and Somerset welcome back a key England player in Nat Sciver and Anya Shrubsole respectively. Staffs have one win under their belts over Durham, but could come away with nothing from these two games.

Durham and Hampshire will be keen to try and get something out of their weekend, which they share with Essex. Durham are bottom having lost both the games they have played so far and Hampshire have lost three out of four, including the fixture against Essex, which was brought forward so that it could be played at the Ageas Bowl.

Wales and Worcestershire play a lone game at Aberdare CC, but it should be a good one. Worcestershire's Thea Brookes will be keen to show what she can do in T20 cricket ahead of her stint with Loughborough Lightning. She hit a fine 79 in a losing cause against Surrey in Round 2, and will hope for more of the same.

MD
15/VII/16

More County T20 Action

Hopefully this Sunday's T20 fixtures will fair a little better weatherwise than last weekend's. Here is what you have to look forward to :-

Current table-toppers, Berkshire, have the long journey to Harrogate to take on Yorkshire and Warwickshire. All three games should be close, but Warwickshire may just come out on top and keep their good start to 2016 going.

Also heading north are Middlesex and Notts to take on Lancashire. It could be a tough day for Lancs, although they will take great heart from having beaten Kent last weekend.
With the withdrawal of Ireland from Div 1 Sussex & Kent go it alone at Arundel. Kent are 0/2 and will be keen to get some points on the board against a very young Sussex side, which will feature Kiwi Sara McGlashan for the first time.

Home advantage could prove to be the crucial factor for Somerset as they host Wales and Essex at Bath CC. Wales and Somerset come into the day unbeaten and if either of them can stay that way then they will be nicely placed for a move into Div 1 next year. Essex lost the only game they could play last week, in a rain-effected match, to table-toppers Worcs.

And Worcs host Surrey and Hants this week. They will be hoping to make it four wins out of four, but Surrey may have other ideas.

Derbyshire, Devon and Scotland have all won two from two in Div 3, which means the Derbyshire/Scotland clash at Marehay CC will have some added spice. Derbyshire have home advantage but Scotland have some international big game experience. It should be tight.
Devon travel to Northants with Cheshire and Devon will be expecting to take home 8 points.
And at Allbrighton CC Shropshire host Herts and Oxfordshire. Points are vital for all three teams as they try and get their T20 seasons underway.

MD
02/VI/16

T20 Round Up

The rain managed to intervene in many of the scheduled games in the first full weekend of T20 fixtures, but in the games that survived there have been some remarkable results. Bear in mind that teams only get 1 point each for a cancelled/abandoned game, whereas a win is worth 4 points. With teams only playing seven games in Div 1 & 2 this year, having two games cancelled is a massive loss of potential points. The flip side is that if you can get your game on, when others cannot, AND you can win, you are at a huge advantage. Berks in Div 1 and Worcestershire in Div 2 were the big winners this weekend.

Division One

The three games between Middlesex, Sussex and Yorkshire were all called off without a ball being bowled.

But in Wokingham, Berkshire picked up two huge wins, as Div 1 favourites Kent lost both their opening T20 games, against their hosts and newly-promoted Lancashire. The scores were

Kent 95/8 (Alice Davidson-Richards 26, Alice Macleod 2/9, Linsey Smith 2/10, Fi Morris 2/10)
Berks 96/4 (Rachel Priest 38, Alex Rogers 20, Megan Belt 2/20)
Berkshire needed one to tie and two to win from the last ball. They were attempting to complete the first run when the ball was shied at the stumps, missed and they then completed the second run on the overthrow.

Lancs 90/9 (Natalie Brown 23, Jennie Jackson 2/15, Tash Farrant 2/17, Megan Belt 2/21)
Kent 84/5 (Suzie Bates 25, Natalie Brown 2/10, Nalisha Patel 2/20)

Berks 91/6 (Linsey Smith 29*, Sophie Ecclestone 2/11)
Lancs 55 all out (Emma Lamb 26, Hardy 3/3, Morris 3/21)

Division Two
At Usk CC only one of the three games could be completed

Wales 151/4 (Lauren Parfitt 74, Gabby Basketer 43, Bethany Walker 2/29)
Durham 98/8 (Claire Thomas 2/8, Sara Jenkins 2/18)

The Durham v Surrey and the Wales v Surrey games were both abandoned.

At New Road they managed to complete two games...just, with Worcestershire the big winners.

Worcestershire 145/3 (Thea Brookes 76, Miranda Veringmeier 37, Elsa-Marie Evans 2/22)
Staffs 96/6 (Evelyn Jones 48)
and in their second game, the game was called off after 5 overs of the second innings were completed (the minimum required for the game to stand)
Worcestershire 99/6 (Thea Brookes 47, Beth Dodd 2/11, Kelly Castle 2/13)
Essex 20/3 (after 5 overs) (Clare Boycott 2/14)

The game between Essex v Staffs was cancelled.

And finally in Div 2 Hampshire were demolished by Somerset in a standalone game
Hampshire 87/9
Somerset 88/0

MD
26/VI/16

County T20 leagues get underway

This Sunday sees the start of the 2016 County T20 competition with three main divisions, and a fourth division split regionally into three more smaller leagues.

In Division One this season are :-
Berkshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Sussex, Warwickshire, Yorkshire

In Division Two are :-
Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Somerset, Staffs, Surrey, Wales, Worcestershire

In Division Three are :-
Cheshire, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Devon, Herts, Northants, Oxfordshire, Scotland, Shropshire


Division One - Quick Preview
Last year Sussex won the Div 1 title but only on NRR ahead of Yorkshire and Kent, with all three teams finishing on the same number of points. Technically the league started last Sunday when Warks were due to play Notts, but it was rained off. With 4 points for a win and only seven games, getting one point for a cancelled game is a bit tough.

Berkshire - will miss Heather Knight for first few games and could struggle, but they have recruited Rachel Priest as a batsman, who could be their saviour.

Kent - with Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway no longer on England duty, plus Suzie Bates and others there will need to be a steward's enquiry if they don't win the title this year.

Lancashire - won all their games in Div 2 last year, but lost every county championship game in Div 1. T20 may be their game but this will be harder than last year.

Middlesex - Likely to be without Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley for the first few games which could wreck their chances of glory.

Nottinghamshire - struggled a bit last year and they are now without Danni Wyatt and Jenny Gunn. Could struggle again despite good form in Div 2 of county champs.

Sussex - a young team hampered by injuries and England call-ups, but Sara MacGlashan might help. Consistency with the bat may be their biggest issue.

Warwickshire - flying high in the county champs they were promoted from T20 Div 2 last year. Could cause a few upsets.

Yorkshire - with Beth Mooney once again joining their ranks they are likely to go well in this comp.

Fixtures this Sunday 

At Wokingham
Berks v Kent
Berks v Lancs
Lancs v Kent

At Radlett
Middlesex v Sussex
Sussex v Yorkshire
Middlesex v Yorkshire

MD
24/VI/16

County Cricket in 2014

It looks like Somerset and Lancashire will have another season in Division 2 next year, as the fixtures for the 2014 season have been released to the counties, although I have yet to see them published anywhere in full.

Division 1 will again have the same nine teams as last season - Berkshire, Essex, Kent, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire and the league fixtures will be all-but over by the end of June. There are two week gaps in mid-May and at the beginning of June, which could be for the Super 3s, and the first ywo weeks of July are clear of WCC games which would suggest a touring team could be in the country - no news on this yet.

We do however know that India will be in England in August which is being kept completely clear of all WCC games, although the T20 finals will be held on Sunday 3rd August 2014.

The only confirmed fixtures I have to date are for Berkshire and Sussex (email me if you have others - cricket@lawdox.co.uk)

Berkshire Fixtures

Sun 4th May Nottinghamshire v Berkshire

Sun 25th May Berkshire v Sussex at Wokingham CC

Mon 26th May Berkshire v Surrey at Wokingham CC

Sun 15th June Essex v Berkshire

Sun 22nd June Yorkshire v Berkshire

Sun 29th June Berkshire v Middlesex at Wokingham CC

Sun 20th July Kent v Berkshire

Sun 27th July Berkshire v Warwickshire at Wokingham CC

 

Sussex Fixtures
Sun 4th May - Sussex v Essex
Mon 5th May - Sussex v Warwickshire
Sun 25th May - Berkshire v Sussex at Wokingham CC
Mon 26th May - Sussex v Nottinghamshire
Sun 15th June - Yorkshire v Sussex
Sun 22nd June - Sussex v Kent
Sun 29th June - Surrey v Sussex
Sun 27th July - Middlesex v Sussex

T20
Tues/Wed 22nd/23rd July - T20 South Regional - Berkshire, Middlesex and Sussex (down to three from last year's four teams) at Wokingham CC - each play each other twice.

Sun 3rd August - T20 Finals

More news as it trickles in over the next few weeks/months.

MD
09/XII/14

Women's Cricket in 2014....

In a previous blog (http://womens-cricket.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/womens-county-championship-2013-as-you.html) I explained that the outcome of the myriad of expensive league play-offs was that nothing changes for next season. Not a single county was promoted or relegated from any of the four divisions of the Women's County Championship.

I feel particularly aggrieved for Lancashire and Somerset in Division Two. Lancashire went through the season unbeaten, but then lost in the top of the table play-off game to Somerset. Somerset were then deprived of the opportunity of gaining promotion to Division One when their game with Division One play-off losers Essex at Slough CC was called off for bad weather the day before it was due to be played. Meanwhile just 50 miles north Sussex managed to get a full game in against Yorkshire (albeit with a few breaks for rain). To leave both Lancashire and Somerset languishing in Division Two is simply wrong. Both deserve to play against the better teams next season.

Back in February I wrote a piece suggesting that eight county games in a season was not enough. I still think that is the case and I would therefore suggest that both Lancashire and Somerset are promoted to Division One, making it a league of 11 teams for 2014, who each play each other once. I would scrap the play-offs, which would save the ECB money and a great deal of effort. The winner of Division One IS the County Championship winner. The bottom team is relegated to Division Two.

I would also make Division Two 11 teams - adding Netherlands, Northants, Scotland and Leicestershire to the seven remaining teams. Top team gets automatic promotion to Division One and bottom two teams are relegated into Division Three, which would be split regionally into two leagues - North & East and South & West and would contain Herts, Derbyshire, Gloucs, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, plus the current Division Four teams. Winners of both Division Three leagues would be promoted to Division Two.

I would also like to see the same set-up for a white ball T20 league (ie two leagues of 11). All international cricket (with the exception of the bi-annual Ashes Test) is white ball cricket. At some stage the 50 over format will also have to switch to white ball too, as it is in Australia and New Zealand. It would be great if some of the Division One T20 games could be played on a Friday afternoon at some of the major grounds as T20 double-headers with the men's county T20 competition. What better way for the men's county teams to support the women's game and give their paying customers more cricket to watch? Women's T20 is not the smash-fest that the men's game has become, and some would say it is all the better for that. The top four in the league could play out a finals' day - how about at a ground with lights - two semis and then the final under lights?

In both Australia and New Zealand they play T20 games the day before and/or after a 50 over fixture, thereby reducing travelling time and costs for the teams. In Aus they play a T20 on Friday afternoon, 50 overs on Saturday and then another T20 on Sunday morning. In New Zealand they play a T20 on the Friday afternoon and then a 50 over game on the Saturday. They have not tagged on another T20 the following day. I am not sure this would work in England unless grounds could be secured for Saturdays and Sundays, but it is worth considering.

Finally I would scrap the Super 4s weekends, allowing more time for county games and county T20s to be played. The good county players will get to match themselves against the elite players in these county games and county T20s - proper fixtures that have a real meaning.

I also like Syd Egan's idea for an IPL for women (http://samebat.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/somerset-denied-but-we-can-fix-this.html). Yes its ambitious, but someone has to be? Let's do it in England where the women's game is on a high. Get the best players in the world here for a short T20 tournament played at one or more of the major grounds. Zac at Hove - What do you think?

MD
24/IX/13

Kent win T20 Title

Kent are the 2013 T20 champions after beating Sussex, the 2012 champions, in the final played at Preston Nomads CC on Saturday.

Overnight rain and early morning showers meant that both of the morning's semi-finals were delayed. On the second pitch Kent v Notts was only delayed by 15 minutes and they played a full game. On the main pitch a wet patch on the bowler's run up at one end meant a delay of 90 minutes, and the game was reduced to 15 overs per side.

Kent posted a challenging 131/4 with Tammy Beaumont (47) in fine form. Danni Wyatt was the only wicket-taker for Notts claimed 3/28. At 76/6 in reply Notts looked dead and buried, but veteran Jane Smits (59) had other ideas. She steered her team to within 10 runs of victory before she fell run out in the final over. Notts eventually finished eight runs adrift. Fifteen year old off-spinner Megan Belt claimed three wickets for Kent.

When play eventually started on the main pitch Berkshire, without their talismanic skipper and opening bat Heather Knight, were invited to bat by Sussex. They seemed to lack any self-belief and in a low-key innings struggled to 59/7 in their 15 overs. Alex Rogers (25*) was the only player to reach double figures as the wickets were shared around for Sussex. In reply Sussex lost Alexia Walker and Sarah Taylor, but Paige Scholfield (16*) and Arran Brindle (17*) saw Sussex home in the 14th over.

In the final Sussex won the toss and decided to bat first. Kent were without Lydia Greenway and Laura Marsh and Sussex were already without Georgia Elwiss. As the teams warmed up it became apparent that they would also be without Sarah Taylor.

Alexia Walker (26) hit nine off the first over from Tash Farrant, but together with Georgia Adams (26) they could only get Sussex to 26/0 after the first 6 power-play overs. With more fielders then set out on the big East Preston boundaries, fours became even more difficult to hit. Sussex lost Walker in the 11th over with the score on 56 and in the next over Adams was caught at short third man off Megan Belt (1/19) - 59/2. Sussex limped along and it was only 18 off the last two overs they helped them to a below-par 107/5.

Charlotte Edwards (49) opened with Alice Davidson-Richards (17). With an inexperienced middle order Edwards set out her stall to bat through the innings, allowing Davidson-Richards to try and go after the bowling. She fell in the 8th over to a good catch at long-on by Hannah Phelps off Holly Colvin (42/1). Kent were always up with the required run-rate and when whippet Tammy Beaumont (35*) joined her skipper in the middle they continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with quick singles and twos to the fielders in

Kent T20 Champions

the deep. At the end of the 13th over they were 71/1, but by the end of the 16th they were 102/1 and the game was theirs to lose. Freya Davies (1/17) did manage to nip out Edwards in the next over that went for just one run, with a pacey inducker that just clipped the off bail, but it was too little too late for Sussex with Beaumont guiding her team home with 10 balls to spare.


In the third/fourth place play-off Berkshire defeated Notts by 5 wickets as they chased down 113/8 in the 18th over.

All the teams looked a little jaded in this competition, and the long hard season has obviously told on all the England girls, who are already thinking about the impending tour to the West Indies in October. Perhaps some consideration should be given to the T20 regionals being played earlier in the season, with the finals in the middle of the County Championship matches, allowing the County Championship to take centre stage at the end of the season.

Sussex will need to pick themselves up and dust themselves off before next week's County Championship play-off with Yorkshire. Quite why a league system needs a final is beyond me, but play it they must. Quite who will be playing for both teams is anyone's guess.

MD
8/IX/13

County T20 Finals Preview

Four teams will line up this Saturday (7th September) in the County T20 finals having made their way there through the three regional leagues played back in July.

T20 South 1 winners were Sussex. Having lost to Kent in the round robin games they managed to beat them in the final by two runs, despite Kent only needing five to win off the last over with eight wickets in hand.
T20 North and Midlands 1 winners were Notts, who won all their group games and then thrashed Yorkshire in the final thanks, in the main, to a fine 102 (63 balls) from Danni Wyatt, who had a good couple of days with the bat.
T20 South & West 1 winners were Berkshire, who had been convincingly beaten by Somerset in the group games, but came back to sneak a win in the final against them by three runs.
The fourth spot in the finals went to the runner-up with the best net run rate from their regional final, which meant that Kent had squeaked in ahead of the unfortunate Somerset.

T20 form is very hard to predict as one individual can have such a big influence on a game. Berkshire are severely hampered by the lack of their injured captain and Ashes hero Heather Knight, who scored runs in all their group games, and you would have to back Sussex to overcome them in their semi-final. Sussex themselves are without the injured Georgia Elwiss, who proved so effective for them with the bat in the group stages, but have some good youngsters coming through together with England stars Sarah Taylor, Arran Brindle and Holly Colvin.

Kent v Notts in the other semi-final is much harder to call. Notts are the only unbeaten team in the competition and have the pocket-rocket Danni Wyatt and the very experienced Jenny Gunn. But Kent have the strength in depth with Charlotte Edwards, Laura Marsh, Tammy Beaumont and the in-form Lydia Greenway all in their line-up. Despite having only just managed to qualify for the finals from the group stages they are probably favourites to win the competition, particularly as they have not made it to the County Championship final this season, and will want some silverware in the cabinet over the winter. However T20 is not their favourite format of the game (they lost to Middlesex in the group stages), so anything could happen.

Preston Nomads CC - in the heart of the Sussex Downs

The finals day is being played at Preston Nomads CC in Clappers Lane, Fulking (BN5 9NH) in the heart of the Sussex Downs. It is a beautiful ground and a magnificent clubhouse and I would urge you to get down there if you possibly can.


The semi-finals to be played at 11am are between
Sussex v Berkshire
Notts v Kent

The final will be played on the main pitch in the afternoon (probably 2.30pm) between the two winning teams.

MD
04/IX/13