Round Up of first weekend in Div 2 of the Women's County Championship

Devon made the ideal start to their 2016 campaign to get into Division One of the County Championship, with back-to-back wins against Hampshire and Essex, and with Aylish Cranstone

1st ton for Aylish Cranstone

hitting her first century for the county, and the first century of the WCC 2016 season!

On Sunday newly promoted Hampshire opted to take first use of a fairly spongey pitch against Devon. Opening bowlers Sophie Mackenzie and Rebecca Donohue asserted control over the innings. Mackenzie bowled Charlotte Taylor with a no-ball, who then went on to score an assured 32. Devon built pressure and took regular wickets, despite some resistance from Emily Windsor who stuck around for a 58-ball 13. Lydia Clements bowled tightly in the powerplay to take 1-12 off six, as Hampshire reached 127 all out in the 48th over.

Amara Carr with 53 anchored the Devon innings, which was a stop-start on a pitch where a bit of time was needed to feel comfortable, and Hampshire's bowlers tied up Devon by bowling straight.There were small contributions from a number of batsmen, but Alli Kelly was the pick with 16, and Devon crawled over the line in the 41st over, winning by three wickets.

On Monday Devon racked up 265/5 with Cranstone hitting a magnificent 134* off 140 balls. Essex were unable to string any partnerships together and subsided to 98 all out in the 30th over (for a fuller report see CRICKETher).

Elsewhere Wales ensured that Essex had a thoroughly miserable weekend as they defeated them by 37 runs. Bowled out for 150 (Parfitt 41), Wales proceeded to bowl out their opponents for 113 with Anwen Morgan claiming 4/19.

In the only other game of the weekend new kids on the block Leicestershire were bowled out by relegated Notts for 97. Sonia Odedra took 4/12 in her 10 overs and Kirstie Gordon 4/24 in her set of 10. Former England keeper Jane Smit led Notts to an easy victory with 42*. 
Results

Wales 150 all out beat Essex 113 all out, by 37 runs
Hampshire 127 all out lost to Devon 128/7, by 3 wickets
Leicestershire 97 all out lost to Notts 101/3, by 7 wickets

Devon 265/5 beat Essex 98 all out, by 167 runs
Leics v Wales - abandoned
Lancs v Notts - cancelled

MD
04/V/16

Could this be a decisive weekend in the Women's County Championship?

After the latest T20 action a few days ago the Women's County Championship returns to prominence this Sunday with a full list of fixtures, despite the fact that 27 England (Ashes duties) and England Academy (warm-up game v Australia) players will not be available for selection for their counties. It means that the counties that have relied on their England contingent will have to dig into their reserves, and there will be opportunities for others to take the limelight, as Lissy MacLeod did for Berkshire on Saturday. She top-scored with 61 and took 4/26, as Berkshire posted 202 and then bowled out Middlesex for 165.

It was Middlesex's second County Championship defeat in a row, with two T20 defeats sandwiched in between. This Sunday they take on Sussex, who will be one of the teams who will suffer the most due to England duties. Middlesex will be hoping to reinvigorate their season and Sussex will be hoping to maintain some sort of title challenge.

So who will be missing England players this Sunday?

Kent (5) - Charlotte Edwards, Lyda Greenway, Laura Marsh, Tammy Beaumont, Tash Farrant
Sussex (4) - Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Taylor, Georgia Adams, Freya Davies
Yorkshire (3) - Katherine Brunt, Lauren Winfield, Dani Hazell
Berkshire (2) - Heather Knight, Carla Rudd
Lancashire (2) - Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone
Notts (2) - Jenny Gunn, Danielle Wyatt
Somerset (2) - Anya Shrubsole, Sophie Luff
Warwickshire (2) - Rebecca Grundy, Amy Jones
Devon - Jodie Dibble
Essex - Beth Langston
Middlesex - Fran Wilson
Staffs - Evelyn Jones
Surrey - Nat Sciver

Div One Games
Lancashire v Berks at Wigan CC
Notts v Yorkshire at Welbeck CC
Surrey v Kent at the Kia Oval
Sussex v Middlesex at the County Ground, Hove

League leaders Kent visit local rivals Surrey at the Kia Oval without five frontline players. Surrey will be missing just Nat Sciver from their ranks. It must flip the odds in favour of Surrey who should have Rachel Candy and Sarah Clarke to lead from the front. Could Surrey inflict the first defeat on Kent this summer?
Yorkshire will be without their captain Lauren Winfield plus Katherine Brunt and Dani Hazell for their trip to Welbeck to take on Notts. Yorkshire had a good win over Middlesex two weeks ago, with their Aussie import Beth Mooney a major contributor with the bat. Notts will be missing Danni Wyatt and Jenny Gunn without whom they may struggle for runs, which should allow Yorkshire to keep the pressure on at the top of the league.
Sussex invite Middlesex down to charming County Ground at Hove and they will have to fill in five gaps left by England duties, plus another as Erin Osborne too is on Ashes' duty, but for the other side. The opportunity will be there for Middlesex, but they are low on confidence and Sussex's young pups have very little to lose. One big performance could win this game for either side.
Winless Lancashire take on a resurgent Berkshire side, who beat Middlesex last Saturday for their second win in four games. Both teams will be missing two English players each, with Berks' skipper Heather Knight perhaps the most influential with both bat and ball. Berks will also be without the services of Alex Blackwell, but they have Corinne Hall to replace her and some experience amongst their ranks and I think they may still have just too much for this Lancs Thunder team.

Div Two Games
Durham v Ireland at Durham City CC
Essex v Worcestershire at Garon Park, Southend
Somerset v Scotland at Brislington CC
Staffs v Devon at Milford Hall CC

Staffs against Devon is the top clash in Div 2, with Staffs attempting to keep their unbeaten record and Devon desperate to keep up a challenge for promotion . They are currently third but have already lost two games. A further defeat would end their chances so they have to go for it against Staffs. Defeat would be a blow but not be a disaster for Staffs. They do still have Somerset (the only other unbeaten side) to play. Hopefully both teams will agree to play that cancelled game at some time before the season ends in September.
Somerset take on Scotland, who will be glad that Anya Shrubsole and Sophie Luff will not be lining up for the west country team. But Somerset are likely to still prove too strong for Scotland, who are yet to get off the mark in this higher division.
Also winless so far are Essex, who entertain Worcestershire, at the generally pretty flat Garon Park. I cannot see it being a run-fest, but Worcestershire might just have the edge with the experienced Kiwi Sian Ruck, opening their bolwing attack. Early wickets from her might just clinch it.
And finally Ireland are at Durham. Both teams are consistently inconsistent so anything could happen. Ireland come off the back off a good win over Devon last time out, and Durham beat Worcestershire in a two run cliffhanger. Ireland will miss the experience of the injured Izzy Joyce, who is likely to miss the rest of the season, and they need at least one of their top order batsmen to stand up and get some runs on the board for the team. It could be another nail-biter?

MD
15/VII/15

Staffs & Somerset in Div 2 driving seat

Staffordshire and Somerset remain unbeaten in Division Two of the Women's County Championship after both secured relatively comfortable victories over Essex and Wales respectively. Both are pulling away from their chasers as third-placed Devon slipped to their second defeat of their 2015 campaign at the hands of Ireland, by just seven runs. Worcestershire also lost their second game of the season, by the even narrower margin of two runs, to Durham. At the bottom of the league Scotland (who did not play this weekend) and Essex are both still winless.

Staffs and Somerset still have each other to play, of course (after being rained off at the beginning of the season). Staffs also have Devon, Essex and Worcestershire. Somerset have Scotland, Durham, Worcestershire and Wales still left to play.

Game 17 - Devon v Ireland
Ireland 165 all out (Kim Garth 54)
Devon 158 all out (Amara Carr 33)
Ireland won by 7 runs
Devon will be kicking themselves as this was a must-win game for them if they were going to keep up the pressure on the Staffs and Somerset. They had Ireland at 73/7 at one stage but a great rearguard action by Kim Garth who finished on 54 not out, allowed Ireland to get to 165 all out. It was to prove seven runs too many for Devon, who made a great start through Amara Carr (33) and Aylish Cranstone (22) as they added 66 for the first wicket, but from there on Devon lost wickets at regular intervals, with the last four batsmen being run out, with nine unused balls when the final wicket fell.

Game 18 - Durham v Worcestershire
Durham 133 all out (Catherine Chapman 31, Jo Greaves 3/24)
Worcestershire 131 all out (Lauren Rowles 44, Elysa Hubbard 4/20)
Durham won by 2 runs
Having bowled Durham out for just 133 Worcestershire were probably quite confident they could record their third win of the season, but Durham in the shape of Elysa Hubbard (4/20) and Rachel Petherick (3/19) had other ideas. Worcestershire were reduced to 89/8 and the game seemed gone, only for Lauren Rowles (44) to revive the Worcestershire innings. She and number 10 Emma Walters (4*) took Worcestershire tantalizingly to within three runs of victory, before Rowles was caught behind. Still Worcestershire had another wicket in hand, but despite surviving for several balls no more runs could be added before Durham snapped up the final wicket.

Game 19 - Essex v Somerset
Somerset 101 all out (Hannah Jeffery 3/6)
Essex 72 all out (Cordelia Griffith 22, Anya Shrubsole 4/18, Jenny Withers 3/12)
Somerset won by 29 runs
In another low-scoring game Somerset came out on top. They only just scraped past 100 themselves, bu then they bowled out opponents Essex for just 72, with only Cordelia Griffith (22) making double figures. It was Anya Shrubsole (4/18) that blew away the Essex top order, with Jenny Withers claiming the wicket of Griffith and two more, as Essex slipped to their fourth defeat in four games, following relegation from Div 1 last year.

Game 20 - Wales v Staffordshire
Wales 174/8 (Lauren Parfitt 30)
Staffordshire 175/5 (Molly Strano 47*, Evelyn Jones 40)
Staffordshire won by 5 wickets
Staffs maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable victory over Wales. Wales made steady if unspectacular progress throughout their innings with five batsmen getting into double figures, but none going on beyond 30. In reply Evelyn Jones and Charlotte Whyle opened up with a partnership of 70 before Jones was run out. There was a slight middle order wobble but Aussie Molly Strano (47*) continued her fine season holding the Staffs' innings together and getting them over the line with eight balls and five wickets to spare.

MD
22/VI/15

Week 2 - Middlesex and Somerset set the pace in Divs 1 & 2

It was another action-packed weekend of women's cricket in Divisions 1 and 2 of the Women's County Championship, with some great performances and some amazing results.

In Division 1 Surrey and Notts went into the weekend having won two from two, only for both of them to lose both their games this weekend and throw the County Championship wide open again. It was Middlesex that stepped through the wide-open door, with a nail-biting four run win over Surrey and a comfortable eight wicket win over struggling Lancs. They now sit top of the league with those two wins and the Championship seems to be theirs to lose now. True they still have Kent and Sussex to play, but Kent are likely to be without Charlotte Edwards, Lydia Greenway and Laura Marsh, at least, for that encounter at the end of August, and Sussex could well be missing five front-line players when they meet Middlesex in mid-July. The fixtures have fallen beautifully for Middlesex and it is a question of whether they can hold their nerve. Kent remain unbeaten after comfortable wins over Lancs and Notts, but their strength in depth will be tested in their last four fixtures against Warwickshire, Surrey, Middlesex and Berkshire, who will also be missing their England players of course.

In Division 2 Somerset have shown their title credentials after an emphatic 117 run win over fellow-contenders Devon in their only game of the weekend. True Devon's bowling attack was somewhat depleted after injuries the previous day, but South Africa's Lizelle Lee is loving life in Division 2, smashing runs to all parts of the ground for her maiden century for Somerset. It won't be her last this year. Staffs share top-spot after easy wins over Durham and Ireland. They have tougher games to come. It was also a great weekend for Worcestershire who won both their games against Scotland and a cliff-hanger against Wales. They have proved to be the surprise-package of Div 2 this year and they must be looking forward to their next fixture against Durham in four week's time.
(Div 2 matches will be reviewed and uploaded this afternoon)

Div 1 Review

Game 9 - Berks v Notts
Berks - 182/8 (Alex Blackwell 38, Danni Wyatt 2/18)
Notts - 145 all out (47.1 overs) (Jenny Gunn 52*, Fi Morris 3/28)
Berks won by 37 runs
Berkshire were probably disappointed to only post 182, but it proved to be more than enough as Notts crumbled to 145 all out with only Jenny Gunn (52) and Georgie Boyce (35) putting up any real resistance. Notts made a terrible start to their reply losing Richards, Wyatt and Odedra with only five runs on the board. They also lost Wyatt to hospital as she was run out after slipping and dislocating her shoulder. Gunn did her best to keep Notts in the game, but ran out of partners in the 47th over.

Game 10 - Kent v Lancs
Lancs 180/8 (Kate Cross 68, Kara Sutherland 3/17)
Kent 142/2 (33 overs) (Charlotte Edwards 51, Tammy Beaumont 47)
Kent won by 8 wickets on a faster run rate when game ended by rain after 33 oversLancs did well to recover from 76/5 to post a respectable 180/8 thanks to the bat of Kate Cross and some stickability from the lower middle-order. But Charlotte Edwards (51) and Tammy Beaumont (47) broke the back of the run chase with an 84 run opening partnership despite Kate Cross's bowling, and Greenway and Marsh were leading Kent to an easy victory when the rain brought a premature halt.

Game 11 - Surrey v Middx
Middx 170 all out (Tash Miles 50, Rachel Candy 4/21, Sarah Clarke 3/50)
Surrey 166 all out (41.3 overs) (Libby Walters 30, Danni Warren 5/34)
Middlesex won by 4 runs
Beth Morgan's 100th game for Middlesex was an absoulte cracker. Kiwi Rachel Candy continued her good form for Surrey picking up four wickets as Middlesex threw away a good start (they were 104/2 at one stage) set up by Tash Miles (50), Catherine Dalton (39), and Fran Wilson (30) to finish on a below-par 170. Surrey just needed one of the top five to stick around and they would have got home, but they all fell for 30 or less and it was too much for the lower order who subsided to the wily old medium pace of Danni Warren with more than eight overs still left to play and only four runs needed.

Game 12 - Sussex v Warks
Warks 148/9 (Rebecca Grundy 32, Minahil Zahoor 30)
Sussex 149/3 (Sarah Taylor 74)
Sussex won by 7 wickets
A rather disjointed Sussex strolled to victory over a dysfunctional Warwickshire, who having won the toss bravely elected to bat against one of the strongest bowling attacks in the country. Their opening pair of Rebecca Grundy (32) and Minahil Zahoor (40) managed to add 70 for the first wicket, but they took 21 overs to do so. Amy Jones (1) came in at three but when she was nonchalantly caught one-handed over her head by Izi Noakes at mid-off trying to hit Holly Colvin over the top, the writing was on the wall for Warks. Their young batting line-up gradually capitulated with only Georgia Hennessy (27) putting up any great resistance, as Warks were helped to their total by three dropped catches, some shoddy Sussex fielding, plus a rather blinkered attitude to the bowlers used. The wickets were shared around and Aussie import Erin Osborne claimed her first wicket for the county.
In reply Sussex made a swift start as Adams (20) hit three 4s off the second over, but Georgia Elwiss (10) went in the 6th over and Adams was well caught at slip shortly after to leave Sussex on 40/2. But Sarah Taylor (74) and Izzy Collis (32*) dispatched the far too frequent bad balls adding 93 for the third wicket before Taylor lofted a catch to mid-off, but it was too little too late for Warks.

Game 13 - Berks v Yorks
Berks 104 all out (Alex Rogers 24, Dani Hazell 6/28)
Yorks 105/1 (Lauren Winfield 42*, Katherine Brunt 41*)
Yorkshire won by 9 wicketsBerkshire's batting crumbled to dust before the spin bowling of Dani Hazell (6/28) and Katie Levick (2/40) as they stumbled their way to just over 100 runs. It was never going to be enough and Katherine Brunt, batting at three smashed a quickfire 41* to end the game in just the 15th over of the Yorkshire reply.

Game 14 - Kent v Notts
Kent 214/7 (Laura Marsh 58, Lydia Greenway 57, Sonia Odedra 2/33)
Notts 87 all out (26.5 overs) (Zoe Richards 34, Laura Marsh 5/15, Megan Belt 4/34)
Notts started strongly against the current County Champions removing both Tammy Beaumont (14) and Charlotte Edwards (17) to leave Kent on 40/2, but Laura Marsh (58) and Lydia Greenway (57) added 122 for the third wicket to set up a total well beyond the reach of Notts, minus Dani Wyatt due to her injury from the previous day. From 56/1 Notts disintegrated as a procession of batsmen came and went, with the next nine wickets adding only another 31 runs to the total, as off-spinners Laura Marsh (5/15) and Megan Belt (4/34) wrapped up an easy victory for Kent.

Game 15 - Middx v Lancs
Lancs 101 all out (Natalie Brown 28, Izzy Westbury 3/15, Sophia Dunkley 3/28)
Middx 102/2 (Sophia Dunkley 36*)
Middlesex won by 8 wickets
Middlesex kept their 100% record with a convincing win over Lancs who are really struggling to find their feet in Div 1. Invited to bat Lancs could only muster 101 as they were tied in knots by the Middlesex spinners - Westbury, Dunkley and Hartley. Once Middlesex's Dunkley and Tash Miles had added 63 for the first wicket the result was never in doubt. It was only when skipper Titmuss brought Kate Cross on at fourth change that Lancs got a breakthrough as she picked up both openers. But Middx did not panic and they got home in the 28th over.

Game 16 - Surrey v Warks
Warks 176/9 (Georgia Hennessy 66, Sarah Clarke 3/32)
Surrey 171 all out (49.4 overs) (Sarah Clarke 34*, Katie Green 4/24)
Warwickshire won by 5 runs
Warwickshire pulled off a remarkable victory against title-contenders Surrey thanks to a battling 66 off 110 balls by Georgia Hennessy, and the complete failure of Surrey's top order to score any runs. Hennessy entered the fray with Warks in trouble at 16/2 with both opening bats back in the hutch. When she left Warks had taken their score to 132/6. The lower order eked out another useful 44 runs, five of which would ultimately prove to be the difference between the teams. Surrey's top order got bogged down and then got out to Rebecca Grundy after opening bowler Katie Green had taken two wickets in two balls, including Nat Sciver for her second golden duck of the season. For a while it looked as though 7,8 and 9 - Candy (25), Scutt (23) and Clarke (34*) - might pull off the victory for Surrey, but Anisha Patel accounted for Candy and Scutt and then Green returned to finish off what she had started and to finish with the fine figures of 4/24. Surrey ended up just 5 runs short to round off a thoroughly miserable weekend for them.

Div 2 Review

Game 9 - Devon v Wales
Devon 217 all out (Jodie Dibble 118, Claire Thomas 3/37)
Wales 136 all out (32 overs) (Lauren Parfitt 46)
Devon won by 4 runs when Wales set revised target of 140 to win in 32 overs due to rain interruption
Devon had skipper Jodie Dibble's 118 to thank for their par total of 217 all out. Only three other Devon batsmen made double figures and the highest of those was Cait O'Keefe's 24. Wales used eight bowlers as they tried to winkle Dibble out, but she completed her maiden senior century before falling with the score on 195/7. Between innings rain delayed Wales' response and when they came back out they needed to score 140 from 32 overs. Devon made early inroads, but opener Lauren Parfitt (46) kept Wales' hopes alive. Even when she fell with the score on 100 Wales only needed 40 off 8 overs. Gradually the equation reduced to 17 off 5 with three wickets still in hand, then 11 off three and eight off two. Cartwright was the eighth wicket to fall and with five needed off the last over both Scarborough and Parfitt were run out by Rebecca Silk to clinch the win for Devon.

Game 10 - Durham v Staffs
Staffs 244/1 (Evelyn Jones 115*, Molly Strano 80*)
Durham 150/9 (Rebecca Newark 36*, Stephanie Butler 2/16)
Staffs won by 94 runs
Evelyn Jones (115*) batted throughout the entire Staff's innings for her maiden century for Staffs. She was joined in the controlled run-fest by Aussie Molly Strano who hit 80*. Durham were never in the game after they lost early wickets and only reached 150 thanks to the late order efforts of number 8 Rebecca Newark (36*).

Game 11 - Essex v Ireland
Ireland 139 all out (Kim Garth 49*, Hannah Jeffrey 5/19)
Essex 123 all out (47.1 overs) (Cordelia Griffith 31, Amy Kenealy 3/17, Kim Garth 3/20)
Ireland won by 16 runs
The only significant partnership in the Irish innings was the ninth between Kim Garth (49*) and Amy Kennealy (7 off 33 balls). They took the Ireland score from 63/8 to 112/9 before Kenealy succumbed. A last wicket partnership of 27 between Garth and Jennifer Gray took the final Ireland score to 139. It proved to be too much for Essex who are struggling desperately in Div 2 having been relegated from Div 1 last year.Only opener Cordelia Griffith (31) and keeper Emily Smith (23) scored above 11 as Garth and Kenealy took on the role of tormentors with the ball too. Essex eventually ended 16 runs short when they were bowled out for 123.

Game 12 - Worcs v Scotland
Worcs 211/9 (Joanna Cull 49*, Thea Brookes 43, Abbi Aitken 5/34)
Scotland 179/9 (Olivia Rae 36, Kate McGill 32*, Abigail Houghton 3/32)
Worcestershire won by 32 runs
Worcestershire's middle-order batting all contributed with Joanna Cull (49*) and Thea Brookes (43) the pick of the them. Together they got Worcs to the respectable total of 211/9. Regular early wickets in the Scotland reply, including three in a row to Abi Houghton (3/32), put Scotland on the back foot and they never recovered to challenge the Worcs total despite 36 from Olivia Rae and late runs from Katie McGill (32).

Game 13 - Durham v Scotland
Durham 166/7 (Catherine Chapman 39, Becky Glen 37)
Scotland 50 all out (Elizabeth Priddle 32*, Helen Fenby 4/11. Rachael Petherick 3/24)
Durham won by 105 runs
Durham set Scotland 167 to win, based around a decent third wicket stand between Catherine Chapman (39) and Becky Glen (37). It was a target that Scotland probably felt happy chasing, until that is, they went into bat. Elizabeth Priddle (32*) was the only Wildcat to get into double figures as her partners found ways t get out at the other end. Coming in at four she remained unbeaten as Helen Fenby took four wicket in just 28 balls (4/11) to skittle Scotland out for just 50.

Game 14 - Somerset v Devon
Somerset 312/2 (Lizelle Lee 111, Sophie Luff 109*)
Devon 195 all out (50 overs) (Jodie Dibble 54, Cait O'Keefe 48)
Somerset won by 117 runs
South African opener Lizelle Lee (111) and England Academy's Sophie Luff (109*) took full advantage of a depleted Devon bowling attack (due to injury the day before) and the beautiful Taunton wicket to add 153 for the second Somerset wicket. Luff, scoring her maiden senior century, then added another 139 with Anya Shrubsole (63*) as Somerset piled up 312/2. Devon got to 96/1 in reply, but then lost wickets in clusters as the game slipped away from them.

Game 15 - Staffs v Ireland
Ireland 133 all out (Shauna Kavanagh 36, Laura Delany 34)
Staffs 137/4 (Francesca James 52)
Staffs won by 6 wickets
Once again Ireland's batting looked fragile as they struggled to 133 all out in 44.1 overs with all five of the Staff's bowlers used claiming a brace of wickets for not many runs. Only three Irish players made it into double figures with opener Shauna Kavanagh (36) and number 6 Laura Delany (34) the only major contributors. Staffs had little trouble knocking off the runs they needed, with Francesca James, coming in at four, after some rather pedestrian progress, smashing 52 off just 26 balls including five 6s. She left the carnage with just 11 needed to win, which Staffs achieved in the 32nd over.

Game 16 - Worcs v Wales
Worcs 176/8 (Clare Boycott 53, Lauren Rowles 44)
Wales 174 all out (50 overs) (Megan Burton 35)
Worcestershire won by 2 runs
Having used eight bowlers the previous day Wales went one better in this match with only the keeper and one other not getting a bowl. Ffion Wynne came out the top bowler with 2/16. Worcs' middle-order did most of the run-scoring with Clare Boycott (53) and Lauren Rowles (44) chief scorers. After losing the in-form Lauren Parfitt early Wales looked to be in trouble as they tried to chase down 177 to win, but Megan Burton (35) got them to 130/5, before a flurry of wickets left them floundering again on 137/8 with overs running out. Rose Evans (21) added 14 for the ninth wicket with Cartwright before she became Sian Ruck's second victim. Evans and number 11 Marsha Davies then took the game to the last over, but still needed 15 to win. They got 13 but Evans was out off the last ball to give Worcs the win by just 2 runs.


MD
26/V/15

Four unbeaten teams in Div 2 head into Week 2 fixtures - full preview

Devon follow up their two wins from Week One (against Essex and Durham) with a home game against Wales and then a quick trip down the road to Taunton on Monday for the local derby with Somerset. Wales will be no pushover after a successful start to their campaign last week (also at the expense of Essex), but Devon will back themselves to come away with a win. However Monday's game against title-contenders Somerset will be a whole lot tougher. Somerset smashed Ireland in their only game of Week One. With hard-hitting South African opener Lizelle Lee in their midst, Somerset's bating line-up looks strong, and their bowling is not too shabby either as they bowled Ireland out for just 65. Devon need to convert their strength on paper to an overall team performance. This is their chance to prove themselves and if they do so they will be in the box seat for one of the two promotion places. It should be a cracker.

Unbeaten Staffs (they beat Scotland in Week One) are on the road to Durham on Sunday, who struggled for runs against Devon in their opening encounter of the season. Staffs will be looking for maximum points. They return home on Monday to meet Ireland, who had a topsy-turvy weekend in Week One, amassing 315/5 against Worcestershire, before being brought crashing down to earth the next day by Somerset. This is a must-win game for both these teams, who both harbour promotion ambitions. Staffs probably start as favourites to come out on top, but another good game is in prospect.

The day before Ireland will have been down in deepest Essex, where they should come out on top. Relegated Essex are finding life tough in Division 2 and Ireland can add to their woes if they beat them in their only game of the weekend. Essex's batting looks fragile, but then so did Ireland's against Somerset. It may be a case of who can hold their nerve?

Newly promoted Scotland pushed Staffs hard in their only game of Week One and will be looking to chalk up their first win in Div 2 against either Worcestershire or Durham. If they play their cards right they have the potential to win them both. Neither Worcestershire nor Durham have particularly strong bowling attacks and runs on the board against them puts more pressure on their batsmen. It will be tough for them both.

The final game of the weekend is Worcestershire's home game to Wales. This is likely to be a low-scoring affair that could go either way. It is a game that both teams will be targeting for a win. It may well be a question of who can grind out the victory.


Sunday 24th May
Devon v Wales at Sidmouth CC
Durham v Staffs at Durham City CC
Essex v Ireland at Felsted School
Worcs v Scotland at Barnt Green CC

Monday 25th May
Durham v Scotland at Durham City CC
Somerset v Devon at Taunton CC
Staffs v Ireland at Meakins
Worcs v Wales at Kidderminster Victoria CC

MD
18/V/15

Surrey, Notts and Devon make the perfect start

Despite the weather doing all that it could to spoil the first weekend's fixtures, the Royal London Women's County Championship got off to a cracking start, with only three of the sixteen games in Divs 1 and 2 lost to the weather. Thanks to all the groundsmen who did such a great job to get Sunday's games, in particular, played.

Once the dust had settled on Monday evening (and there was quite a bit of dust to settle) it was Surrey, Notts and Devon who made the most of the opening weekend with two wins out of two. Surrey head Div 1 with full points, but Devon are technically fourth in Div 2 as Somerset, Staffs and Wales all won the one game they played with full bonus points.

Here's a review of all the Div 1 and 2 results...
(scorecards should be available here)

Div 1 Review

Game 1 - Middx v Berks - cancelled
Rain had apparently got under the temporary tarpaulin covers which caused the game to be cancelled. You can read more here.

Game 2 - Kent v Yorks
(game reduced to 46 overs per side)
Yorks - 157/9 (Laura Spragg 41*, Charlotte Pape 2/31)
Kent - 158/1 (Charlotte Edwards 88*, Tammy Beaumont 43) in 31.5 overs
Kent won by 9 wickets
An easy victory for Kent against a depleted, but spirited, Yorkshire team missing Brunt, Hazell, Macdonald and Winfield, due to an England spin camp in Sri Lanka. Is Brunty thinking of becoming a spinner now too?

Game 3 - Notts v Warks 
(game reduced to 35 overs per side)
Warks 104 all out (Minahil Zahoor 34, Zoe Richards 3/13, Rebecca Widdowson 3/24)
Notts 105/5 (Jenny Gunn 27)
Notts won by 5 wickets
Invited to bat Warwickshire never looked like posting anything like a competitive score as they lost wickets early and continued to lose them as their innings progressed. Only opener Minahil Zahoor (34) put up any great resistance as Warwickshire crumbled to 104 all out. Notts overcame the required score, but it took them 33 overs and they lost five wickets in the process.

Game 4 - Surrey v Sussex
(game reduced to 31 overs per side)
Sussex - 139/9 (Sarah Taylor 77, Sarah Clarke 3/28)
Surrey - 143/3 (Kirstie White 67*, Nat Sciver 67, Ellen Burt 2/27) in 27.3 overs
Surrey won by 7 wickets
A wet outfield meant a late start and when Surrey won the toss they inserted Sussex on a green and speedy wicket. Only Sarah Taylor ever got to grips with the pace of the ball as she hit a fluent 77 out of the first 112 runs Sussex scored, before she was the fifth wicket to fall. Tormentor-in-chief for Surrey with the ball was leg-spinner Sarah Clarke, who claimed 3/28 from her seven overs including the key wicket of Taylor. Sussex had been heading for over 150 after 22 overs, but could only add 27 in the last 9 overs to fall well below a par score.
In reply Surrey lost Knight early, but Kirstie White and Nat Sciver both scored 67 apiece in a 129 second wicket stand as Sussex bowled without any great control or discipline. Sciver was dropped at slip off Colvin when on 9, with Surrey on 32/1. Had it been held it might have been a different game, but both White (who also took four catches and a stumping behind the stumps) and Sciver punished the far too frequent short balls, as a well-organised Surrey cruised to full points.

Game 5 - Berks v Surrey
Surrey 217/7 (Rachel Candy 81*, Imogen Brown 3/44)
Berks 215 all out (Emily Gerke 57, Corinne Hll 54, Katherine Robson 2/29) in 49.1 overs
Surrey won by 2 runsSurrey recovered from being 94/5 to post a competitive 217/7 in their 50 overs, thanks in the main to a sparkling 81* (71 balls) from Kiwi Rachel Candy. In response Berks lost Alex Rogers and Linsey Smith before reaching double figures, but Heather Knight (65) and Aussie Corinne Hall (54) took Berkshire beyond 100 before they lost their third wicket. Unfortunately Knight, and Carla Rudd fell in quick succession and when Hall was out, it was left to Emily Gerke (57) to try and steer her side to victory. She hit a maiden half-century, but when she was run out Berks ran out of steam, despite only needing 11 off the last four overs with two wickets in hand. They took it to the last over, needing three to win, but Immy Brown was caught in the gully off the first ball of Rachel Candy's over to get Surrey home

Game 6 - Kent v Sussex
Kent 185/7 (Deanna Cooper 82*, Holly Colvin 2/13, Ellen Burt 2/26)
Sussex 185/7 (Izzy Collis 63*, Charlotte Pape 2/32) in 50 overs.
Match tied ***Kent are appealing the result to the ECB***[see ECB statement here]
An extraordinary game of cricket that ended in a tie, when Sussex sneaked a single off the last ball as Kent erroneously believed the ball to be dead as it was in the keeper's gloves, and started to celebrate what they thought was a win.
Sussex will be kicking themselves for not winning this match. They had Kent 56/5 with Tammy Beaumont (0), Lydia Greenway (8) and Charlotte Edwards (27) back in the hutch, before a fine innings of 82 from Deanna Cooper (not selected the previous day and her highest score for Kent by some way) took Kent to a respectable, but gettable, 185/7. Cooper and keeper, Lauren Griffiths (27), salvaged Kent's innings with a stand of 87 for the sixth wicket, as Sussex failed to hammer home their early advantage, based on a good opening spell from Ellen Burt (2/26), and another stunning legside stumping from Sarah Taylor off Georgia Elwiss, to remove Edwards.
Sussex got off to a rollicking start in reply through Georgia Elwiss, before she was brilliantly caught by Beaumont in the gully from a slashing drive off Farrant. Sussex's 50 came up in the 9th over, but when Alexia Walker (18) fell in the 10th over the scoring dried up, as Sussex failed to look for singles to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The next 50 runs took another 16 overs and when Sarah Taylor (26) was out in the 27th over Sussex were 104/3, needing 82 off 23 overs. Holly Colvin departed for 14 in the 38th over by which time Sussex had only moved the score on to 133/4. 53 were still needed off 12 overs. The equation came down to 34 off the last 6 overs before Sussex seemed to realise the urgency of the situation. Singles began to be taken freely, although boundaries remained completely elusive (not one was hit in the last 15 overs). Ultimately Sussex needed five to win off the last over, and then two to win off the last ball, bowled by Kent skipper Edwards. She bowled the ball, it was missed by batsmen Ellen Burt and taken by Griffiths behind the stumps, who then removed a bail in a failed attempted stumping. The Kent team, as one, began to celebrate an unlikely victory, but non-striker Izzy Collis (63*) was already halfway down the track looking for a single. She called her partner through for the bye, as Kent continued to celebrate. Despite Kent's protests the umpires rightly adjudicated that the ball was not dead just because it was in the wicket-keeper's gloves, as Sussex were attempting a run. The run therefore stood and the game was tied.

Game 7 - Notts v Lancs Thunder
Lancs 141 all out (Natalie Brown 26, Jenny Gunn 2/20, Sonia Odedra 2/30)
Notts 142/5 (Jane Smit 31, Nalisha Patel 3/24) in 46.5 overs
Notts won by 5 wickets
New girls Lancs Thunder came unstuck in their first game in the "Big Time" as they were bowled out for 141. Their top order all made starts, but no-one could go on to make a significant score as Notts shared the wickets around. At 73/4 with Gunn and Wyatt out Lancs might have sniffed an unlikely win, but Aussie Zoe Richards came in at 7 and smashed a quick-fire 28 off 16 balls to bring the game to an abrupt ending.

Game 8 - Warks v Yorks 
Yorks 207/9 (Lauren Winfield 64, G Davies 3/28)
Warwks 121/8 (Katie Levick 5/19)Yorks won by 86 runs
Yorkshire bounced back from their defeat to Kent on Sunday with a convincing win over Warwickshire, It helped that they had Brunt, Hazell, Macdonald and Winfield back in the fold, particularly as Winfield top scored with 64. Brunt then took two early wickets, but it was Katie Levick's legspin which put paid to Warwickshire's chances. She took 5/19 which ensured Warwickshire ended well short.

Div 2 Review

Game 1 - Devon v Essex
Essex 98 all out (Karen Baker 21, Cait O'Keefe 2/13, Hazelle Garton 2/17, Jodie Dibble 2/18)
Devon 99/6 (Cait O'Keefe 19, Hannah Courtnell 3/28)
Devon won by 4 wickets
Only Karen Baker (21) and Beth Langston (20) got into double figures for Essex as they struggled to make any headway against the Devon attack. After an opening stand of 34 Devon lost three quick wickets in the 40s, to be 45/4 at one stage, but recovered their composure to defeat an Essex side who look like they may struggle again this season, despite the drop in divisions.

Game 2 - Staffs v Somerset - cancelled due to rain

Game 3 - Wales v Scotland - cancelled due to rain

Game 4 - Worcs v Ireland
Ireland 315/5 (Isobel Joyce 127*, Meg Kendal 56*, Abigail Houghton 3/49)
Worcs 189 all out (Rachel Baldwin 47, Laura Delany 3/27)
Ireland won by 126 runs
Isobel Joyce got her, and Ireland's, season off to a flying start hitting an unbeaten 127 in Ireland's massive total of 315, against the Div 2 underdogs Worcs. She shared an unbroken stand of 150 for the sixth wicket with New Zealand import, Meg Kendal.
In reply Worcs batted well to reach a creditable 189 with decent contributions from the top and middle order, but never looked like troubling Ireland's huge total.

Game 5  - Devon v Durham
Devon 268/4 (Amara Carr 95, Aylish Cranstone 60)
Durham 102 all out (Jodie Dibble 3/19)
Devon won by 166 runs
Openers Amara Carr (95) and Aylish Cranstone (60) put on 144 for the first wicket for Devon, which set the platform for a sizeable total, which Durham never got close to overcoming. They were bowled out in the 42nd over for 102 with Jodie Dibble the chief wicket-taker (3/19).

Game 6 - Somerset v Ireland
Somerset 223/9 (Sophie Luff 65, Gwenan Davies 52, Louise McCarthy 2/35)
Ireland 65 all out (Anya Shrubsole 2/9, Lauren Shrubsole 2/9, Jeny Withers 2/23)
Somerset won by 158 runs
Ireland came crashing back down to earth after their huge win against Worcs on Sunday when they were on the other end of a hiding from title-chasers Somerset. South African Lizelle Lee missed out at the top of the Somerset order, but Welsh import Gwenan Davies (52) and Sophie Luff (65) set up the Somerset innings with a stand of 83. Skipper Anya Shrubsole (37) kept the scoreboard ticking over, but the Somerset innings fell away towards the end to leave them slightly short of where they might have expected to be. But it proved to be plenty as Ireland subsided to 65 all out in less than 25 overs with only Gaby Lewis (28) scoring above 14 and four players picking up ducks, including the previous day's heroine Isobel Joyce.

Game 7 - Staffs v Scotland
Scotland 194 all out (Kirstie Gordon 60*, Kathryn Whyle 3/40)
Staffs 196 for 5 (Evelyn Jones 54) in 43.5 overs
Staffs won by 5 wickets
Having had their game the previous day rained off this was Scotland's debut in Div 2. Promising youngster Kirstie Gordon (60*) top-scored for the Scots with a maiden half-century, but found little support from the Scot's middle and late order batsmen. Staffs made a solid if unspectacular start to their reply through Evelyn Jones (56) and Charlotte Whyle (26). Scotland took the occasional wicket but could never really impose too much pressure on Staffs who knocked off the required runs in the 44th over.

Game 8 - Wales v Essex
Wales 217/6 (Lauren Parfitt 109*)
Essex 133 all out (Beth Langston 65, Claire Thomas 3/22)
Wales consigned Essex to their second defeat of the weekend as opener Lauren Parfitt scored her maiden Wales Senior's century, in her 60th knock for her country. Opening bowler Beth Langston could not break through with the ball for Essex, but she did hold the faltering Essex reply together with 65 off 101 balls. Karen Baker (19) was the only other Essex batsman to make double figures, as Essex stumbled to 133 all out in the 41st over.

MD
5/V/15

Women's County Championship 2015 Div 2 Squads, Preview & Fixtures

The nine teams in Division 2 for 2015 will be - Devon, Durham, Essex, Ireland, Scotland, Somerset, Staffordshire, Wales, Worcestershire. Cheshire were relegated from Division 2 last year and Scotland were promoted to Division 2 after finishing top of Division 3. Worcestershire retained their place in Division 2 after beating the Netherlands in the relegation/promotion play-off last season.

Each team will play each other just once and the teams that finish first and second in Division Two at the end of the season will be promoted to Division 1. The teams that finish eighth and ninth will be automatically relegated to Division 3 for the 2016 season.

Positions in the league will again be decided on the average number of points a team achieves from completed, but not cancelled or abandoned games (which are ignored). Teams are awarded 10 points for a win and 5 points for a tie. No points are awarded for an abandoned game. Up to 4 batting (RR of 4 RPO required) and 4 bowling bonus points (9+ wickets) can be achieved, making a maximum of 18 points per completed game.

Having failed to achieve promotion in 2013, despite winning all their games, Lancashire were red hot favourites to make it into Div 1 in 2014. They achieved their goal winning all but their last game of the season to Staffordshire. Somerset just pipped Ireland to second place in the league, beating them by 10 runs in the last game of the season. It meant they got to play against Div 1's Warwickshire to decide who played in Div 1 next year. Having missed out on promotion last year (due to the weather) they must have been heartbroken when Warwickshire achieved the required 15 runs needed off the last over (from Anya Shrubsole no less) to win by 3 wickets and preserve their place in Div 1. Ireland had a good season finishing with five wins out of eight, as did Devon and Staffs.

The scrap at the top in 2015 should be between these four teams - Somerset, Ireland, Devon and Staffs, with newcomers Scotland the wildcard. They were promoted as champions of Div 3 last year and will be keen to make their mark in this higher league.

Devon (finished 3rd in 2014)
Team Colours : Blue
Overseas Player : Hannah Linton
England Academy Players : Aylish Cranstone, Jodie Dibble

Devon will be looking to make that final step to Division 1 in 2015 with what looks like being a fully fit squad for the first time in recent years. They welcome back top order bat and left arm seam bowler Aylish Cranstone after a year out recovering from shoulder injury. They will be skippered once again by Jodie Dibble and will be hopeful that they can get a full season out of both her and keeper bat Amara Carr. They also welcome back Kiwi Hannah Linton for a second stint and have added the promising young all-rounder from Cornwall, Sophie Mackenzie, to bolster the seam attack and middle order. It is also hoped that former U19 Development player Rebecca Bertrand will make herself available for the 2015 campaign, which should help to cover the loss of last year’s stand out batsman Rosalie Fairbairn, who misses the season as she prepares for the birth of her first child. Perhaps the most interesting additions are the signings of Rebecca Silk and Bryony Butcher, formerly of Sussex and Essex respectively. Both bring Division 1 experience and Silk gives more balance to the spin attack of  left armers Dibble and Garton, with her off breaks. Devon are a youthful looking side that should be looking to make a serious challenge for the top two spots. 

Squad (with numbers) : Jodie Dibble (48) capt, Amara Carr (1), Lydia Harris (2), Rebecca Bertrand (3), Vicky Bowden (5), Hazelle Garton (6), Alli Kelly (8), Lauren Bowden (9), Cait O'Keefe (10), Rebecca Donahue (11), Lydia Clements (15), Bryony Butcher (20), Hannah Linton (23), Phoebe Graham (25), Rebecca Silk (26), Claire Varcoe (28), Sophie MacKenzie (32), Aylish Cranstone (44), Jodie Dibble (48)

Durham (finished 7th in 2014)
Team Colours : Dark Blue with yellow details
Overseas Player : None
England Academy Players : None
Durham only beat the two teams who finished below them in the league last year and struggled against the rest, apart from a tight, low-scoring game with champions Lancashire. Runs were often the issue. Laura Hockaday hit her maiden century for the county against Worcestershire, but could not get past 50 in any other game. Catherine Chapman was the only other batsmen to get beyond 50 during the season. Lynn McDonnell and Rachael Petherick led the bowlers. 2015 could be another tough season.
Squad (with numbers) : Laura Ellison (31) (capt), Hayley Falla (2), Laura Hockday (9), Rachael Petherick (3), Catherine Chapman (5), Danielle Peart (1), Sarah King (14), Elysa Hubbard (8), Rebecca Newark (37) , Laura Jones (4), Phillipa Rawbone (56), Lynn McDonnell (98), Caitlin Byrne (7), Jane Riddell (11), Helen Fenby (6), Courtney Coulson (26), Becky Glen (24), Caroline Jamieson (28), Courtney Rowland (97), Bethany Walker (10), Sophie Jacobson (12), Amy Hearn (16), Vanessa Watson (17), Athena Fernyhough (25)

Essex (relegated from Div 1 in 2014)
Team Colours : Blue
Overseas Player : Emily Smith
England Academy Players : Beth Langston
Essex struggled in Div 1 for the past two seasons and were relegated to Div 2 after finishing bottom last year, with just one win. They struggled to score runs all season except in their win over Berkshire (chasing down 193 to win). Overseas signing Emily Smith will keep wicket, but will not strengthen the batting a great deal. If Beth Langston and Cordelia Griffith can both stay fit and play then Essex will at least have a fighting chance, but they are are more likely to be in the bottom three than the top three.

Squad : Hannah Courtnell (capt), Beth Langston, Cordelia Griffith, Lilly Reynolds, Hannah Jeffery, Kara Toleman, Emily Smith, Mady Villiers, Kelly Castle, Shona Keaney, Jessica Bird, Florence Wilkinson, Millie Oddi, Rebecca Neill, Charlotte Hayman.


Ireland (finished 4th  in 2015)

Team Colours : Green
Overseas Player : None
England Academy Players : None
Ireland had a decent season in 2014 winning five of their eight games and finishing level with Staffs in fourth place in the league and 2015 will be a big season for them. Veteran Clare Shillington topped the batting in 2015, but only she and Cecilia Joyce got past 50. 17 year old leg-spinner Elena Tice was top wicket-taker last year (18 wickets) and she will be a key weapon this year. Ireland will also be hoping that the influential and experienced Isobel Joyce, who missed two months in the middle of the 2014 season, will be fit for all their games this year. With World Cup qualification also looming at the end of the year Ireland will need her. Should be in contention for promotion.
Squad (with shirt numbers): Hannah de Burgh Whyte (32), Laura Delany (14), Emma Flannagan (20), Kim Garth (34), Jennifer Gray (29), Cecilia Joyce (44), Isobel Joyce (33), Shauna Kavanagh (85), Amy Kenealy (18), Louise McCarthy (47), Kate McKenna (46), Lucy O'Reilly (99), Eimar Richardson (8), Rebecca Rolfe ((5), Clare Shillington (11), Elena Tice (48), Mary Waldron (81)

Scotland (promoted from Div 2 in 2014)
Team Colours : Blue with a wee bit of tartan
Overseas Player : None
England Academy Players : None
Scotland arrive in Div 2 as Div 3 champions having lost only one game, to Northants, in their 2014 season opener. They are a young and enthusiastic bunch ably led by veteran Abbi Aitken. Scotland's player/coach and number 3, Kari Anderson (Carswell), was the most consistent with the bat, finishing with a league average of 85 thanks to four not outs in seven innings. She also topped the wicket-takers. Her potential absence on the pitch this year will be a big blow. Scotland too are involved in the World Cup tournament in November, so will be challenging themselves in their first season in Div 2. They may find life quite a bit tougher.
Squad (with shirt numbers): Abbi Aitken (91) capt, Charlotte Bascombe (19), Sarah Bryce (6), Kathryn Bryce (17), Kari Carswell (82), Priyanaz Chatterji (7), Lynne Dickson (13), Annette Drummond (8), Briony Gillin (46), Kirstie Gordon (24), Sam Haggo (42), Lorna Jack (10), Abtaha Maqsood (9), Caitlin Ormiston (33), Liz Priddle (16), Ollie Rae (14), Rachel Scholes (5), Kirsty Strachan (1), Fiona Urquhart (27), Nadia Wheeler (23), Kathryn White (11), Lois Wilkinson (73), Ruth Willis (4)

Somerset (finished 2nd  in 2014)
Team Colours : Maroon
Overseas Player : Lizelle Lee
England Players : Anya Shrubsole
England Academy Players : Sophie Luff
Somerset have missed out on promotion for the last two years and you get the feeling that that boat may have sailed. They are unlikely to see much of Anya Shrubsole, although they didn't see much of her last year (she only bowled 18 overs in county games). They have also lost Fran Wilson to Middlesex. But they have bolstered  their batting line up recruiting Gwenan Davies from Wales and South African international Lizelle Lee, who could have a huge impact. 2014 saw the emergence of young bowlers Lorraine Szczepanski & Cassie Coombes who both made a significant impact and a great deal may rest on their shoulders again this year. Lee could be key to another promotion challenge.

Squad (with shirt numbers): Anya Shrubsole capt (41), Lizelle Lee (67), Beth Howe (3), Cassie Coombes (5), Emma Godman (19), Georgia Adcock (7), Georgia Tulip (13), Gwenan Davies (33), Gwyn West (20), Jackie Hawker (21), Jenny Withers (9), Lauren Shrubsole (16), Lorraine Szczepanski (10), Moira Comfort (1), Sophie Luff (6)

Staffordshire (finished 4th  in 2014)
Team Colours : tba
Overseas Player : Molly Strano
England Academy Players : Steph Butler, Evelyn Jones
Staffs were due to have South African Dane van Niekerk as their overseas player for 2015, but when that fell through they picked up promising young Aussie off-spinner Molly Strano. If she makes the Aussie Ashes touring squad she will not play much of the season, but she and Steph Butler may prove an interesting combination. Much will be expected of opening bat Evelyn Jones after her swift elevation to the England Academy this winter. The left-hander will be looking to make some big runs this season. Staffs are likely to be in the top four again, but there are other teams that again look stronger in this division this year.
Squad : Elsa Evans capt, Francesca James, Molly Strano, Steph Butler, Evelyn Jones, Elysse Lally, Charlotte Whyle, Kathryn Whyle, Amy Carnwell, Lucy Kelsall, Cheryl Allcock, Alex Hale, Charlotte Steele

Wales (finished 6th  in 2014)
Team Colours : tba
Overseas Player : None
England Academy Players : None
Wales struggled for runs against the decent sides last year and with the loan of key bat Gwenan Davies to Somerset they are likely to struggle in 2015. Lauren Parfitt will probably shoulder most of the burden for runs and wickets and she will need some of her young players to help her out, if Wales are not to be fighting relegation come September.
Squad : yet to be announced

Worcestershire (finished 8th in 2014)
Team Colours : tba
Overseas Player : None
England Academy Players : None

Worcestershire struggled in 2014 beating just relegated Cheshire in the regular season, but then survived with a win over Div 3 runners-up Holland in a low-scoring play-off game. Lauren Rowles takes over the captaincy full time this year having performed really well in the role last year having deputised for Thea Brookes towards the end of 2014. Brookes should be available for the whole of the 2015 season and her experience and quality will be invaluable in providing the team with firepower at the top of the order, and quality spin bowling and athleticism in the field. Emily Arlott had a wonderful breakthrough year in 2015. Having been involved in the England Women’s Development Programme over this past winter, it will be interesting to see how she progresses. Charlotte North returns on loan from Yorkshire again for 2015.
Squad : Lauren Rowles capt, Naomi Heyward, Emily Arlott, Rachel Baldwin, Clare Boycott, Thea Brookes, Jo Cull, Vicky Evans, Jo Greaves, Abi Houghton, Jess Humby, Charlottre North, Sarvi Razavi, Emma Waters

Fixtures

Sunday 3rd May
Devon v Essex at Exmouth CC
Staffs v Somerset at Bloxwich
Wales v Scotland at St Helens Swansea CC
Worcs v Ireland at Kidderminster Victoria CC

Monday 4th May
Devon v Durham at North Devon CC
Somerset v Ireland at Bath CC
Staffs v Scotland at Oakmoor
Wales v Essex at Pontarddulais CC

Sunday 24th May
Devon v Wales at Sidmouth CC
Durham v Staffs at Durham City CC
Essex v Ireland at Felsted School
Worcs v Scotland at Barnt Green CC

Monday 25th May
Durham v Scotland at Durham City CC
Somerset v Devon at Taunton CC
Staffs v Ireland at Meakins
Worcs v Wales at Kidderminster Victoria CC

Sun 21st June
Devon v Ireland at Tiverton Heathcoat
Durham v Worcs at Durham City CC
Essex v Somerset at Felsted School
Wales v Staffs at Ynystawe CC

Sunday 19th July
Durham v Ireland at Durham City CC
Essex v Worcs at Garon Park, Southend
Somerset v Scotland at Brislington CC
Staffs v Devon at Milford Hall CC

Monday 17th Aug
Durham v Staffs at Durham City CC

Sunday 30th Aug
Essex v Scotland at Billericay CC
Somerset v Durham at Midsomer Norton CC
Wales v Ireland at Newport CC
Worcs v Devon at New Road, Worcs

Mon 31st Aug
Essex v Staffs at Garon Park, Southend
Scotland v Ireland at Wellesbourne CC
Wales v Durham at Newport CC
Worcs v Somerset at Barnards Green CC

Sun 13th Sept
Devon v Scotland at Exmouth CC
Durham v Essex at Durham City CC
Somerset v Wales at The County Ground, Taunton
Staffs v Worcs at Meakins

MD
03/IV/15

Kent take Div 1 & Lancs take Div 2 - WCC Final Week Round-Up

The County Championship season is over it seems, despite the fact that six cancelled games remain unplayed in Division 1 (three of them for Berkshire).

Not surprisingly Kent clinched the Division 1 title with a convincing victory over second-placed Surrey by seven wickets, chasing down Surrey's meagre 110 in just 19.3 overs. It meant Kent had won their 6th game out of six (two have been cancelled but there seems no likelihood of them being played), and had taken full bonus points in every game. They won the league by a country mile. Their game against Surrey was effectively over when Nat Sciver was out to her first ball to leave Surrey at 5/2 in the second over of the game. Surrey struggled to 110 all out in the 39th over with New Zealand leg-spinner Erin Bermingham picking up another four wicket haul (4/16). Her contribution to Kent's title should not be under-estimated. In reply Kent lost the almost unstoppable duo of Charlotte Edwards (56) and Tammy Beaumont (29) to Nat Sciver's bowling, but by then Kent already had the game and the championship sewn up.

Middlesex imposed the third defeat in a row this season on last year's champions Sussex. Invited to bat Sussex made hard work of scoring 178/5 in their 50 overs. Sarah Taylor top scored with 48* from 70 balls which included just two boundaries. In reply Middlesex lost Helena Stolle early on, but then Tash Miles (77) and Cath Dalton (61) added 129 for the second wicket and took Middlesex to the verge of victory. Late wickets showed that an earlier breakthrough might have given Sussex a sniff of a win, but as it was they were soundly beaten by five wickets, which moved Middlesex out of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile Warwickshire, who started the day in the relegation play-off position, came up against an inspired Heather Knight and the rest of her Berkshire teammates. Knight scored 101 out of Berkshire's total of 199 all out and then took five Warwickshire wickets (5/14) as they were bowled out for 123. Only Georgia Hennessy (48) and Marie Kelly (23) made double figures for Warwickshire, who will now play Somerset for the right to play in Div 1 next year.

Danni Wyatt (116) and Jenny Gunn (50) continued with their good form with the bat as Notts notched up 244/4 against Yorkshire, despite England's Katherine Brunt having her first bowl of the season for the Tykes. Lauren Winfield hit 69 opening for Yorkshire, but no-one else could make above 20 as Yorkshire limped to 178/7 in their 50 overs. Wyatt completed a good day with 3/31.

Div 1 League Table 

In Division 2 title winners Lancashire failed to keep their 100% record as their batting crumbled against Staffordshire's bowling. Chasing 199/7 with 87 from Evelyn Jones, only Kate Cross (who had taken 3/36 in the Staffs' knock) could compile any sort of innings, as she scored 56. Kate Broadmore took 3/37 for Staffs as Lancs were bowled out for 152.

The Somerset v Ireland game always looked close on paper and so it proved to be. Somerset needed to win and win well to ensure they stayed in second place. Thanks to excellent knocks from Sophie Luff (90) and Fran Wilson (89) they put 226/9 on the board, but with Anya Shrubsole again sitting out the game, it was down to Jenny Withers (3/39) and Moira Comfort (2/35) to lead the attack. They probably thought they had the job done as they took wickets at regular intervals and had Ireland nine down and still needing 48 runs to win. But Louise McCarthy (26*) and Lucy O'Reilly (23) had other ideas. They slowly reduced the deficit, but overs were slipping by. Eventually O'Reilly fell in the last over for Somerset to claim a win by 10 runs and a full points victory and with it second spot in Div 2.

Third placed Devon did what they had to do against Durham winning by six wickets, but it was in vain after Somerset's win. Durham were restricted to 156/7 in their 50 overs with Laura Ellison and Elysa Hubbard both scoring 34. Cait O'Keefe took 3/31. Alli Kelly (45) and O'Keefe (44) then brought Devon home with four wickets down and plenty of overs to spare.

At the bottom of the league Cheshire desperately needed at least some decent bonus points from their trip to mid-table Wales. As it was they could only pick up two batting points, which meant they finished bottom of the league and will be in Div 3 next year. Electing to bat Cheshire could only put 132 on the board after being 101/2. Ffion Cartwright took 3/13. Lauren Parfitt (60) and Gwenan Davies (49) ensured Wales romped home by 9 wickets.

Div 2 League Table

Results and scorecards are available here

MD
29/VII/14

Final Weekend of the Women's County Championship

This weekend sees the final official weekend of the Women's County Championship. However the reality is that there have been a number of cancelled games in Division 1 in particular, and any of these could be played before the 17th August cut-off date. I doubt that many of them will be played, unless counties are in with a shout of promotion or in the relegation zone.

This Sunday's fixtures are

Division 1
Berkshire v Warwickshire at Wokingham CC
Middlesex v Sussex at Edmonton CC
Surrey v Kent at Reed's School
Yorkshire v Notts at Harrogate CC
 
Division 2
Devon v Durham at Exmouth CC
Somerset v Ireland at Brislington CC
Wales v Cheshire at St Helen's Swansea
Staffordshire v Lancashire at Meakins

In Divison 1 the stand-out game is the top of the table clash between Surrey and Kent. Victory for Kent would seal their sixth Women's County Championship, equalling Sussex who took the title last year. Standing in their way seem to be Surrey's Nat Sciver (fresh from 154 last week on this same ground) with the bat and veteran leg-spinner Sarah Clarke (14 wickets to date). But as well as their England stars Kent have a leg-spinner of their own - New Zealand's Erin Bermingham - and they should have too much power for Surrey, who have punched above their weight all season. Even a defeat might not knock Kent off the top, depending on the bonus points scored, plus they have two cancelled games that they could still try and play.

At the bottom of the league Essex do not play so look down and out (their outstanding game is a cancelled game v Kent which is unlikely to be played you would think). Warwickshire, just above them take on Berkshire, knowing they need a win to boost their chances of avoiding the relegation play-off match with the Div 2 runners-up. A win for Berkshire will make sure they are safe and probably end their season, even though they have missed three games. It is a difficult one to call but if the side batting first can put 200+ on the board then they could win the day.

Meanwhile in North London Middlesex will be hoping that their T20 success translates into some 50 over form against a Sussex team that are in the doldrums, as they are just 1 point above Warwickshire. Middlesex will certainly be up for the game and they could consign Sussex to their third league defeat in a row.

In Harrogate Yorkshire take on a visiting Nott's side. Yorkshire are not completely out of the relegation picture, so could do with a win just to keep the wolves from the door. On paper it looks like quite an even match with the Yorkies keen to avenge being beaten to the T20 Finals by Notts. Should be a good contest.

In Divison 2 Lancashire are just about home and hosed at the top, but they will want to finish with a flourish against Staffs and confirm their place in Div 1 next year. They have been the standout team in the division and should take the win, even though Staffs have been on a decent run recently.

The question is who will finish second and gain the right to play-off against the second from bottom in Div 1 for the right to play Div 1 cricket next year. Devon's loss to Ireland last week opened up the door for both Ireland and Somerset, with Somerset in the driving seat, which makes the Somerset v Ireland game a must-see. Ireland have got stronger and stronger as the season has gone on, but so have Somerset after a slow start. They have Anya Shrubsole back with ball in hand and she might just be the difference. But not only do they need to win they need to pick up as many bonus points as possible. It will be an epic battle.

Devon have faltered of late, not helped by injuries to some key players. They need to make one final effort against lowly Durham and being at home may give them just that little edge. Someone in the Devon team apart from Roslie Fairbairn needs to stand up and be counted. A full bonus point win could take them back above Somerset into the prized second slot. If they fail to get there they do have another chance if they can re-arrange their cancelled match with Wales, but a defeat would effectively end their hopes.

The final game in Div 2 is the Wales v Cheshire match. Cheshire are currently sitting in the second from bottom spot above Worcestershire, who have finished their fixtures, and desperately need a win. If they could get it they might push Durham below them if they fail to get at least five points from their game with Devon. Wins for Durham and Cheshire could put Wales in a difficult spot, so they will not roll over and die.

It could be a very tense Sunday all over the country.

MD
24/VII/14

New T20 Comp gets underway

The new-style Divisional T20 competition starts with the qualifying rounds next Tuesday and Wednesday (22nd and 23rd July) at various venues around the country. All the Div 1, 2 and 3 qualifying round fixtures are below, but first how is it going to work?

The nine teams in each of Divisions 1, 2 and 3 of the County Championship will fight it out amongst themselves in three groups of three (A, B and C), each playing each other twice over two days (three games will be played one after the other each day).

The winners of the three groups will then play-off against each other in a separate one-day competition (3rd August) where they each play each other just once to see who finishes 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The teams finishing second in their groups in the qualifying rounds will play-off for 4th, 5th and 6th, and the teams finishing third in their groups will play-off for 7th, 8th and 9th. Teams finishing 8th and 9th will be replaced by the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in the Division below for the 2015 competition.

The full rules are here.

Division 1
Div 1 Group A - Berkshire, Middlesex, Sussex at Wokingham CC
Last year's finalists Sussex have to be favourites, with Middlesex probably likely to pip Berkshire for second spot. Berkshire have a good recent T20 record, but have not had a great season.
Div 1 Group B - Essex, Kent, Surrey at Hayes CC
Last year's winners Kent are likely to come out on top, but Surrey may give them a run for their money. The Essex youngsters may struggle.
Div 1 Group C - Notts, Warwickshire, Yorkshire at Welbeck CC
The group of death as all will feel they should be battling it out with Kent and Sussex for the overall title. Yorkshire may have the better T20 batting and might just shave it.

Division 2
Div 2 Group A - Cheshire, Staffs, Worcestershire at Fordhouses CC
Staffs will be looking to progress to the Top Three from this group, with Cheshire and Worcestershire fighting to avoid the bottom three.
Div 2 Group B - Durham, Ireland, Lancashire at Northern CC
Tough group for Durham, who will struggle and Lancs may prove too good for Ireland, but one good game from Ireland could make it tighter than Lancs would like.
Div 2 Group C - Devon, Somerset, Wales at Bath CC
Another tough group from which you would expect Devon or Somerset to progress to the Top Three. It could be a long couple of days for Wales.

Division 3
Div 3 Group A - Gloucs, Hants, Oxfordshire at Frocester CC
These three lie 7th, 8th and 9th in the County Championship with only one win each. T20 is a different game but it could be a dog-eat-dog couple of days. Oxfordshire's bowling might just be the best of the three and pull them through.
Div 3 Group B - Herts, Netherlands, Northants at Tring Park CC
Netherlands should win this group, but they have a tiring few days with three County Champ games in the three days leading up to this competition. Hope they are fit.
Div 3 Group C - Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Scotland at Denby CC
Scotland should progress to the Top Three play-off, but Leicestershire and Derbyshire will be awkward opponents

MD
18/VII/14

Women's County Championship Week 6 - Preview

There are just two official weekends left in the Women's County Championship (this Sunday (20th) and the following Sunday (27th)), so there is a great deal to play for this weekend. Sandwiched in between we have the first round of the new divisional T20 competition (Tues/Wed 22/23rd July - more here)

Division 1
Essex v Middlesex at Garon Park
Kent v Berkshire at Polo Farm
Surrey v Notts at Reed's School
Warwickshire v Yorkshire at King Edwards School, Birmingham

If Kent beat Berkshire they will set up their game the following weekend against Surrey to secure the championship. It is difficult to see Kent slipping up at home to Berkshire with Charlotte Edwards and Tammy Beaumont in such good form with the bat, but Berkshire picked up their second win of the season against Middlesex in the last round of games with Heather Knight finally in the runs. She and Beaumont may be competing for the England opener's slot in the forthcoming Test Match against India, so it will be interesting to see who has the better game. Kent have yet to drop a point in their campaign to date and they will be keen to maintain that record.

Surrey must win at home against Notts to keep up the pressure on Kent, who they then face in their last game of the season. They (and England) will be hoping that Nat Sciver can give them a few overs. She has not bowled for them for two months and they may need her if Dani Wyatt and Jenny Gunn can get going. They failed in the last round against Kent, who hammered Notts by nine wickets. This could be a tight game with one big performance helping their team to the take the honours. I think Notts might just pip it.

Warwickshire against Yorkshire  is going to be a great scrap. Yorkshire scraped home against lowly Essex in their last game by just one wicket, chasing 183, thanks to another good knock by Kathryn Doherty (55*). Beyond the top four Yorkshire look vulnerable and if Warwickshire can take early wickets they could be in with a shout. Warwickshire will be desperate for the win, as they hover dangerously just two points above Essex at the bottom of the league with only a trip to Berkshire to come. Amy Jones (124) and Marie Kelly (63) helped themselves to some runs against Essex in Warwickshire's last game, but they will find Yorkshire's bowling a bit tougher. Seconds away - round one!

This could be Essex's last game of the season (if they fail to play their cancelled game v Kent). Defeat would almost certainly consign them to Division 2 cricket next year. Their batting is extremely fragile, but Sussex's Hannah Phelps has shored up the middle order, and Cordelia Griffith may make a comeback from injury with bat if not with ball, so Middlesex should not take this game too lightly. They too have only won one game (against Surrey) and losing to Essex would put them in a real scrap to avoid relegation. If they can hold their nerve Middlesex should win this one.

Division 2
Devon v Ireland at Axminster CC
Cheshire v Somerset at Cheadle CC
Durham v Worcestershire at Durham City CC
Staffs v Wales at Milford Hall

With Lancs away and clear at the top of the league and on a rest week, the focus turns to the three teams chasing for the all-important second spot and a tilt at Div 1 cricket next year (Devon, Somerset & Ireland), and the three teams battling it out at the bottom of the league trying to avoid relegation (Cheshire, Worcestershire & Durham). This makes the Devon v Ireland game a real humdinger. Devon have home advantage, of course, but they are without key players Jodie Dibble and Amara Carr, due to injury, and they will be relying on some young guns to get them through. Ireland had been struggling to get runs on the board, until their last game against Worcestershire, when they clocked up 256, with the top eight all getting into double figures. This could be a low-scoring tense afternoon of cricket.

Equally important at the bottom of the league is the clash between Durham and Worcestershire. This is potentially Worcestershire's last game of the season and they have only one more point than Durham, who still have Devon to play. Defeat for Worcestershire will almost certainly mean that they will be the automatically relegated team, unless they can pick up a hatful of bonus points in their defeat. Both teams only win of the year has come against Cheshire, who are just one point above Worcestershire with Somerset and Wales to play. Bonus points for runs and wickets may be almost as important as the win itself. It is going to be mighty close.

Somerset (in third) will expect to come away from Cheshire with full points in the bag. Unfortunately for Cheshire Anya Shrubsole seems to be back with ball in hand. She has yet to bowl a single over for Somerset, but did open the bowling on Sunday for Bath. A big win could see Somerset leapfrog over Devon into second and set up their final game of the season against Ireland as a real cracker.

MD
15/VII/14

Women's County Championship Week 5 - Preview

It is only the end of June but we are already getting to the nitty gritty end of the Women's County Championship. This weekend serves up some more tasty encounters. In Division 1 another win by Kent might just seal the County Championship for them, and in Division 2 promotion hopefuls Somerset and Staffs clash. Around 500 people watched the Sussex v Kent game last week. It would be good to see similar crowds at all the games this week. 

Division 1
Berkshire v Middlesex at Wokingham CC
Essex v Yorkshire at Garon Park
Surrey v Sussex at Imber Court
Kent v Notts at Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells

Kent, fresh from their convincing win over Sussex last week, meet Notts, who just managed to hold on against Middlesex in their last fixture. Notts are still right up there at the top of the league (they will be kicking themselves that they lost to Berkshire by one run in their opening game of the season) and can afford to chuck everything they have at Kent. Charlotte Edwards is in imperious form (three hundreds in four games so far) but if they can catch her on an off day, then the Kent nerves may jangle. Danni Wyatt and Jenny Gunn have been the mainstay of the Notts batting and they will again be key.

Sussex travel to Surrey, who had last week off. Surrey started their season well with wins over Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Essex, but slipped up against Middlesex a couple of weeks back. Sussex will be keen to keep the pressure up on Kent at the top and take advantage of any slight mistake they may make, so they must go for the win. Surrey have won their games with team efforts, rather than individual brilliance. Only one Surrey batsmen has so far got past 50, and the wickets have generally been shared around. Sussex will hope to impose themselves on this game and take full points from it.

Since their opening win of the season at Notts, Berkshire have struggled, losing to both Essex and Yorkshire. This game against Middlesex is one they must be looking to win. Defeat would put them into the relegation mix with some tough games to comes - including Kent, Sussex and Surrey. The same can be said of Middlesex, who have also won only one game, although they probably should have beaten Notts last week. They will hope nerves don't get the better of them this week and that Heather Knight's poor run of form continues. I think the Middlesex Meatballs will come away with the win.

Finally Essex entertain Yorkshire. Essex's hopes of reviving their season must have been high after they defeated Berkshire two week's ago, but they came crashing back down to earth when they were bowled out for 49 last week by Warwickshire, who won by the small margin of 311 runs. Yorkshire won their first game of the season against Berkshire last week and should add to Essex's woes by inflicting another defeat on them.


Division 2
Worcestershire v Ireland at Stourbridge CC
Cheshire v Devon at Barnton CC
Somerset v Staffordshire at Nailsea CC
Lancashire v Wales at Sutton CC

Lancashire can cement their position at the top of Division 2 when they take on Wales at Sutton CC in their penultimate game of the season. After this week they will only have Staffordshire left to play and promotion to Division 1 is agonizingly close for them. Wales will be no pushover, but Lancs are likely to prove to be too strong for them.

With Lancs seemingly away at the top of the division, there are a number of teams jostling for the runners-up spot and a tilt at Division 1 status via the play-offs. Devon currently hold second spot, after defeat to Lancashire last week. They have the long journey to Cheshire, who are one of the three teams trying desperately to stave off relegation (along with Durham and Worcestershire). Devon have the players to win this game, but it might be tighter than they would like.

Somerset have recovered from a poor start to the season and have fought their way back into contention for the runners-up spot, but they find themselves against Staffordshire, who have exactly the same points tally as they do from the same number of games. The team that loses can probably wave goodbye to any chance of promotion, so this is the weekend's big clash. So far this season Anya Shrubsole has not bowled a ball for her county. Might she do so this weekend? Somerset have potentially the better batting line-up, but they have not always performed this season. Home advantage might just swing it their way and keep their promotion hopes alive.

Ireland are not out of the runners-up equation either. They are just four points behind Somerset and Staffs and they travel to Worcestershire. The Irish girls did not play last week, but they had hit some form in their game the previous week against Wales, and if their batsmen can back up what their bowlers do then a win should be on the cards for them, leaving the clash between Durham and Worcestershire in mid-July as a huge game.

MD
27/VI/14 

Women's County Championship - Week Four Round Up

A potentially decisive weekend in both top divisions with important wins for Kent and Lancashire at the top of their respective leagues, defeat for Essex at the bottom of Division 1 and a first win for Durham at the bottom of Division 2.

Division 1
Results
Kent 299/3 beat Sussex 217 all out by 82 runs
Notts 194/6 beat Middlesex 192 all out by 2 runs
Warwickshire 360/6 beat Essex 49 all out by 311 runs
Yorkshire 251/9 beat Berkshire 202 all out by 49 runs

Sussex will be ruing inviting Kent, with a top four batting line-up who all play for England, to come and play them on one of the best batting tracks in England at Arundel Castle. A good crowd of a couple of hundred saw Kent rack up 299/3 with Charlotte Edwards (151) and Tammy Beaumont (107) enjoying an opening partnership of 253. Sussex missed playing, but injured, Sarah Taylor behind the stumps (both openers were dropped); playing but injured Geogia Elwiss's bowling and Arran Brindle, absent for family reasons. In reply Sussex were going well after the early loss of Georgia Adams (4), with Elwiss (92) and Taylor (56) taking the score to 140/1 in the 26th over, before Taylor clipped a Megan Belt full-toss straight to Lydia Greenway at midwicket. A great deal now rested on Elwiss with Sussex fielding a very young middle order line-up. She and Izzy Collis (19) took the score to 187 at drinks at 34 overs. But first ball after drinks Laura Marsh claimed the vital wicket of Elwiss, given out lbw, and from there the Sussex innings subsided to 217 all out. New Zealand import Erin Birmingham claimed 4/28.

Notts just managed to cling on to beat Middlesex in a thriller at Welbeck CC. Notts had been restricted to 194/6 in their 50 overs with Jenny Gunn (57) and Danni Wyatt (49) again in the runs. Danni Warren (2/18) was the pick of the bowlers. In response Middlesex lost opener Helen Stolle to the second ball of the innings, but thereafter the top order accumulated runs nicely - Catherine Dalton (48), Tash Miles (42) and Emma Inglis (41) - and Middlesex seemed to be cruising to victory. But four wickets from Wyatt (4/41) saw Middlesex needing 12 from the last three overs with two wickets in hand. A run out left them needing six from the last and Amy Gauvrit won it for Notts with a wicket from the penultimate ball.

Yorkshire picked up their first win of the season against a Berkshire team that are slipping down the league table after successive defeats. Yorkshire owed their 253/9 to a magnificent 128 from opener Lauren Winfield. Fellow opener Jess Watson (33) and Kathryn Doherty (22) were the only other major contributors, in an innings which saw four Yorkshire players run out. Alice MacLeod (76) led the Berkshire reply, but Aimee Simms (3/42) claimed three crucial middle order wickets, including MacLeod's, which took the wind out of Berkshire's sails. They ended well short on 207/9.

Warwickshire too picked up their first win of their 2014 campaign against an Essex team that seem destined to play in Division 2 next year. Amy Jones hit an 80 ball 124, as Warwickshire amassed 360/6 in their 50 overs. Marie Kelly (63) and Minahil Zahoor (61) also enjoyed themselves. A demoralised Essex were bowled out for 49 in less then 20 overs with Georgia Hennessy (3/13) and Laura Crofts (3/17) the chief beneficiaries. 

Division 2
Results
Durham beat Cheshire
Lancashire 230/5 beat Devon 227/7 by 5 wickets
Staffs 188/3 beat Worcestershire 187 all out by 7 wickets
Somerset 126/5 beat Wales 122 all out by 5 wickets

Lancashire were indebted to England's Kate Cross, who set up their victory over title challengers Devon not only with a three wicket haul, but then a vital 63 not out. Devon had put 227/7 on the board with in-form Rosalie Fairbairn (96*) and Linton Hannah (50) the major contributors. Cross claimed 3/40 and Jasmine Titmuss 2/29. Lancs might have wavered when they lost their third wicket at 102, but Cross came in to join Natalie Brown, who hit an equally important 66, before she became one of Jodie Dibble's three victims (3/39). But by this time the Lancs score had moved on to 194/4 and Cross guided her team home, and to the top of the league, with three overs to spare.

Staffs completed a comfortable victory over Worcestershire after bowling them out for 187 in the last of their 50 overs. New Zealander Kate Broadmore produced season best figures of 6/31 as only Sarvenaz Razavi (58) and Lauren Rowles (50) put up any great resistance for Worcestershire. Charlotte Whyle (106*) produced her best batting of the season as Staffs romped home with more than six overs to spare.

Somerset chased down Wales rather meager total of 122 all out, but only after having been a nervous 74/4 at one stage. Loraine Szcezepanski took 3/17 with only Gwenan Davies (29) and Megan Burton (20) getting out of the teens for Wales. Fran Wilson (45) anchored the Somerset reply before being run out trying to run the winning run.

Durham won what was a "must-win" game for them against Cheshire. Durham could only put 132 on the board with four batsmen getting into the 20s. Sophie Ecclestone took 4/31 and Cheshire probably felt confident they could send Durham crashing to 6th defeat, but Elysa Hubbard (4/12) and her fellow bowlers for Durham had other ideas. At 98/8 Durham must have felt confident of a victory, but that became 125/8, befoe Hailey Falla claimed her only, but the vital 9th wicket of Gaby McKeever (17), who looked like she was going to steal the game from under Durham's noses. Lynn McDonnell then wrapped up the Cheshire innings without any further runs scored. Durham remain bottom of the league, but are in touch with Worcestershire and Cheshire just above them.

scorecards are available here
up-to-date league tables are here

MD
24/VI/16

Women's County Championship - Week Three Round-Up

Division 1
Results
Essex 194/6 beat Berkshire 193/10 by 4 wickets
Middlesex 178/6 beat Surrey 177/8 (50 overs) by 4 wickets
Notts 134/4 beat Warwickshire 133/10 by 6 wickets
Sussex 201/4 beat Yorkshire by 6 wickets

Sussex showed their strength in depth when they travelled to Harrogate to play Yorkshire without four frontline players - Brindle, Davies, Elwiss and Taylor - and still came away not only with a win, but full bonus points. Yorkshire managed to put 200 runs on the board thanks in the main part to a mature knock of 94 from the experienced Kathryn Doherty. Izi Noakes was the chief wicket-taker (4/38), with Rebecca Silk also claiming 3/31. In reply Georgia Adams (106), skippering the senior side for the first time, and Izzy Collis (41) got the visitors off to the perfect start putting on 92 for the first wicket before Collis fell. Adams lost Scholfield and Green, but continued to her maiden senior century, before she too fell, with just 24 needed for victory. Sussex eased home with five overs to spare to stay top of the league, leaving Yorkshire still without a win this year.
Surrey's unbeaten run this season came to an abrupt halt at Middlesex as they chased down Surrey's below-par 177/8 with four wickets in hand and two overs to spare. Middlesex owed their win to the batting of veteran England player and skipper Beth Morgan (79*), after Middlesex had been languishing at 61/5 with the top order batsmen all having departed. Morgan found willing allies down the order in Izzy Westbury (15) and Sophia Dunkley (26*) as she guided her team to their first win of the season. Surrey themselves had been 93/8 before New Zealander Rachel Candy (43*) and Katherine Robson (37*) added an unbeaten 84 for the ninth wicket. Nat Sciver (32) and Kirstie White (27) had earlier added 55 for the second wicket.
Notts consigned Warwickshire to their fourth defeat in four completed games and to bottom slot in the division with a comfortable six wicket win. Warwickshire could only manage to put 133 on the board against an accurate Notts' attack. Sonia Odedra (4/25) and Lucy Maxwell (3/22) were the chief wicket-takers. In reply the in-form Danni Wyatt (48) and Jenny Gunn (47) eased Notts over the line and up to fourth in the league breathing down Surrey's neck.
And Essex's batting finally showed up as they beat Berkshire by four wickets to claim their first win of the season. Berkshire owed a debt of gratitude to the returning Isa Guha (58*), who came to the crease with her side at 70/6 and refused to leave. Aussie import Heather Graham took 4/32. Guha dragged her team to 193, but Essex's middle order, strengthened by on loan Hannah Phelps (25) from Sussex, held firm, with Graham (52*) and Kara Toleman (44*) finishing the game with an unbeaten stand of 63 and with 18 balls to spare. Fi Morris was the pick of the Berkshire bowlers with 3/19.

Division 2
Results
Devon 261/5 beat Worcestershire 252/10 by 9 runs
Somerset 240/10 beat Durham 113/8 (50 overs) by 127 runs
Lancashire 209/4 beat Cheshire 105/10 by 104 runs
Ireland 116/4 beat Wales 114/10 by 6 wickets

Devon won a humdinger of a game against Worcestershire to maintain their position at the top of Division 2. They rattled up 261/5 with in-form Rosalie Fairbairn (76) leading from the front, ably supported by Alli Kelly (55) and Jodie Dibble (40). Clare Boycott took 2/32. They probably thought they had plenty, but the Worcestershire top order set up their team for an unlikely win as they raced onto 208/3, but Fairbairn (2/24) claimed a couple of important wickets and Jodie Dibble (2/28) put the brakes on. Worcestershire lost five wickets for 27 runs and eventually ended just agonisingly short, much to Devon's relief.
Lancs, who will take on Devon next Sunday, kept up the pressure with a very comfortable win over struggling Cheshire. Natalie Brown scored an undefeated 112 in Lancs' 209/4. Cheshire never really threatened and were all out for 105 in 44 overs. Nalisha Patel 3/25, Megan Fairclough 2/10 and Jasmine Titmuss 2/17 were in the wickets. Ellie Mason battled hard for a top-scoring 32.
Unbeaten Wales came unstuck against Ireland, who finally found their form with both bat and ball. Wales were in a hideous mess at 38/7 before Marsha Davies (34) put up some resistance. But she was the only Welsh player to get into double figures as they crumpled to 114 all out with just one ball of their 50 overs unused. Louise McCarthy picked up 3/13. A solid opening stand of 67 meant the result was never really in doubt, particularly as one of those openers was Cecilia Joyce (53). Ireland did lose four wickets but finished the game in the 37th over.
Somerset finally picked up their first win of the season against bottom side Durham. Anya Shrubsole was not fit enough to bowl, but she could bat. She scored her first century for Somerset (105) and added 176 for the third wicket with Fran Wilson (70). But Somerset ended on only 240 as the lower order were blown away by the returning Lynn McDonnell (3/35). However it was still far too many for Durham, who crawled to 113/7 in their 50 overs.

Full scorecards are here
Up-to-date league tables are here

MD
16/VI/14

Preview of Week Three of the Women's County Championship

Week Three of the Women's County Champs

Sunday 15th June is Week 3 of the Women's County Championship with just one round of games being played. Kent sit out the week in Division 1 and Staffs sit out in Division 2.

Division 1
Essex v Berkshire at Felsted School
Middlesex v Surrey at Edmonton CC
Warwickshire v Notts at Wellesbourne CC
Yorkshire v Sussex at Harrogate CC

Top of the table Sussex (on NRR) travel all the way to Harrogate for their clash with Yorkshire. They will be hoping that skipper Sarah Taylor is passed fit to play and will lead the side after sitting out a rain-soaked weekend two weeks ago. Yorkshire have their own injury worries with Dani Hazell unlikely to be in the starting line-up and Katherine Brunt already sidelined. This is a repeat of last year's Championship final, but Yorkshire have not had the best of starts this year, having been smashed by Kent and then dipping out to Surrey by just 7 runs, chasing 222. Lauren Winfield has been in good form with the bat, but she needs some support, and they will miss Hazell with the ball.
Surrey will look to keep their good start to the season going when they travel to Middlesex. Middlesex put in a decent performance against Kent in their only game of the season so far and this is likely to be a tight one. Surrey have wins against Warwickshire, Yorkshire and Essex under their belts, but are likely to find the Meatballs a stiffer test.
Notts will be looking to consign Warwickshire to their fourth defeat of the season after posting 248/5 against Sussex before the rain came. Danni Wyatt and Jenny Gunn have been in good form with the bat this season (although there seems some doubt over Gunn's fitness) and they may prove too strong for this young Warwickshire team, who have struggled so far this season.
Finally Essex host Berkshire. Essex are having a torrid time of things with three heavy defeats already this season. Berkshire have won the only game they have played, against Notts, and they look likely to remain unbeaten.

Division 2
Devon v Worcestershire at Sidmouth CC
Durham v Somerset at Durham City CC
Lancashire v Cheshire at Old Xaverians CC
Wales v Ireland at Newport CC

The three undefeated teams in the league - Devon, Lancashire and Wales will all be looking to maintain their clean starts to the 2014 season. Current table-toppers Devon are at home to Worcestershire, who suffered badly at the hands of Wales in the last round. Devon will be looking for a full 18 point win to keep them at the top.
Lancs take on local rivals Cheshire, who beat Staffs on the opening day of the season, but have subsequently lost to Worcestershire and Ireland. Provided Lancs don't collapse in a heap, as they nearly did against Durham in the last round, they should be comfortable winners.
Wales entertain Ireland, who have not made the start they would have liked to the season, finding runs, in particular, hard to come by. Wales have beaten Durham and Worcestershire quite comfortably, but their batting will be more thoroughly tested by the Irish bowlers. Could be a close one if Ireland bring their "A" game.
Finally Durham take on Somerset. Durham are 0/4, but Somerset have lost their last two games (to Lancs and Devon). It could be a nervy low-scoring game at Durham City CC. Either team needs one match-winning performance with the bat or the ball.

MD
12/VI/14