County Championship Wrap Up

It is always sad when a cricket season comes to an end, as the 2015 season here in England has just done. It is usually made worse by the fact that the sun continues to shine until the end of September, but this year Autumn seems to have arrived early in the UK, with plenty of rain falling from the sky.

Unfortunately that rain arrived a couple of weeks ago, and wrecked the end of the Women's County Championship season, when the Yorkshire v Sussex game was called off. It would have been a pivotal game, but the rules say that it does not have to be played, so it wasn't. Yorkshire went on to annihilate Lancashire in their last game of the season and the County Championship title was theirs for the first time since 2002, when the league had just six teams and five games were played in a week. Kent finished in the runners-up spot. 

At the bottom Lancashire have discovered that life in Div 1 is pretty tough. They have lost all of their eight games and have managed to pick up just six bowling bonus points. That equates to just 26 wickets taken in those eight games, not helped by batting first in seven of their fixtures, including games where they won the toss. They were also missing Kate Cross for four of their games, although she only took three wickets in the four games she did play. Will she be happy to play Division 2 cricket again next year? I am guessing she will, if the ECB will let her.

So the question was who would make the drop with Lancashire? It was between Warwickshire (the Harry Houdini's of Div 1) and Notts. Notts did what they could by beating Surrey and claiming 17 points, but Warwickshire pulled off the great escape yet again by beating Middlesex and claiming the full 18 points on offer. It meant that they finished three points above Notts. Will Notts be able to hold on to Jenny Gunn and Danni Wyatt for the 2016 season? With the promotion of Wyatt's former county, Staffordshire, to Division One next year, it may be a tough call. There is little doubt that Staffs would love to have her back. 

Coming up with Staffs, who finished runners-up in Division Two, will be Somerset. They have been so close to Division One status for the past two years, so it was good to see them get it spot on this year with an undefeated season. Sophie Luff hit a couple of important hundreds and Welsh import Gwenan Davies meant that they did not miss Fran Wilson (who left to play at Middlesex) too much at the top of the order. It will be good to see how they go in Division One next year, and whether they can entice South African Lizelle Lee back to play in the top division.

Looking forward to 2016 the ECB must change the rules on cancelled and abandoned games. They are currently a nonsense. Abandoned games (ie games that are started and not finished) cannot be replayed, and cancelled games do not have to be replayed if one team does not want to. This has always allowed teams to manipulate who they do or do not want to play if the weather intervenes. The rule has to be that abandoned and cancelled games MUST be played. If not then they are conceded and the willing team gets a full bonus points win. I would also like to see the season extended to 12 games. With the current nine teams in the league this would mean eight regular games and then four additional games (there are various formulae that can be used to make these as fair as possible). In 2017 it would be easier to reduce the league to seven teams, playing home and away, perhaps with the goal of having four divisions of seven teams ultimately, which might keep things fresh.

Certainly the County Championship will need some spicing up. Next season the inaugural Women's Cricket Super League T20 competition is due to start, and the season after that there is due to be a 50 over competition, which will undoubtedly impact on the standard of county cricket. Basically the more senior players will not be playing it. But the ECB cannot afford to let it wither on the vine. It needs to be supported, encouraged and properly financed, albeit perhaps reduced from the current 38 teams. It will be the proving ground for up and coming players and the home to those that want to play at a good level, but do not have the time or the ambition to play in the Super League or beyond. 

MD
16/IX/15

County Champs reaches conclusion

So it looks like this will be the last weekend of County Championship fixtures despite the fact that there are two unplayed games in both the 1st and 2nd Divisions.

In Division One if Yorkshire beat bottom of the table Lancs and get 17 or 18 points in the process, then they will be the champions, despite the fact that have a game outstanding against Sussex who could beat them to the title (more here). If they get 16 or less then Kent will be the champions, unless Sussex can beat Berkshire with full bonus points and then it would come down to NRR between Kent and Sussex.
At the bottom Lancs are already relegated back to Div 2, but either Notts or Warwickshire will join them there next season. Notts perhaps have the easier task as they take on Surrey at home. Surrey have had a miserable season and have not won a game since 21st June, although they got to within one run of Yorkshire in their last outing. Warwickshire take on Middlesex, who beat Kent handsomely in their last match and will want to end the season on a high.

In Division Two Somerset and Staffs are both promoted, but it is a question of who will win the Div 2 title. Both are unbeaten and locked together on points, and they take on Wales and Worcestershire respectively. A win is essential, but it could all come down to bonus points. As they have not played each other (cancelled due to rain), if they finish equal top on points then the team with the better net run rate over the season will win the title.
At the bottom Scotland are heading back down to Div 3 but they would love to pick up their first win of the season against mid-table Devon, who are safe from relegation as the two teams below them, Essex and Durham meet in a "winner stays up" match. If Durham win they are safe come what may. If Essex win then they need to get at least three extra bonus points out of eight available to save their bacon.

Division 1
Notts v Surrey at Welbeck CC
Sussex v Berkshire at Horsham CC
Warwickshire v Middx at Egbaston Foundation Ground
Yorks v Lancs at Harrogate CC

Division 2 
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
10/IX/15

Yorkshire say "No" to Sussex replay request

It is the climax of the Women's County Championship. Three teams are fighting it out for top spot. Just 0.5 of an average point (don't ask!) separates the teams. In a recent piece I wrote that the I hoped that the cancelled games from the previous week involving those three teams would not decide the Championship. But it seems that they probably will.

One had hoped that the lessons had been learned from the 2012 season where Essex qualified for the play-offs after playing just two of their league games and declining to play others that had been cancelled. But it seems not. The league rules have not been tightened up.

Kent, who sit top of the league, were due to play Berkshire two weekends ago, but the game was called off due to rain. It seems that game will not now be played. On the same day Sussex had travelled all the way to Harrogate only to watch the rain fall. Following the Royal London Women's One Day Cup Rules and Regulations, Sussex (currently third) requested that the game be replayed before the cut-off date of 28th September. Yorkshire (currently second) have declined due to the non-availability of some of their players. In the circumstances you would think that they would therefore forfeit the game and that Sussex would take full points (10 for the win and a full 8 bonus points).

But you would be wrong. "For a match to be rearranged both counties need to agree to replay it. In the event that they do not agree to replay, the original result of a cancelled fixture remains." This is the official line from the ECB. Is this really right?

If you scour through the Rules and Regs you won't find anything to contradict this. In fact you will find nothing in the rules that deals with this situation at all. Basically if it suits you not to play a cancelled game, then there is no obligation on you to make any effort to sort it out at all, and no penalty for your choosing not to do so. Quite why the rules bother to state that "If the home side is unable to find a suitable venue then the away team shall be offered the opportunity to host the match" is baffling. If the home side simply do not want to play then they can simply say "no thanks".

So that leaves the games that are due to be played this weekend as the last games of the season. Quite simply Yorkshire know that if they beat bottom of the table Lancashire and get 7 or 8 bonus points then they will win the league. They know that if they were to play their cancelled game with Sussex and lose then they would have no chance of winning the league, and Sussex's chances would be enhanced, if they also scored more than 15 points. It seems it is a risk Yorkshire are not prepared to take, so they have simply refused to play.

As for Sussex, there seems to be nothing that they can do. If they beat Berkshire on Sunday and take full points then they will be level with Kent at the top of the league, but Yorkshire will be able to pass them too with 17/18 points from their last game.

And if it rains on Sunday, or Yorkshire or Sussex don't win with enough points, then Kent will be the champions. All in all not a desperately satisfactory way to end women's cricket's premier competition.

MD
09/IX/15

Div 1 Results and Round-Up

Only four of the eight scheduled games could be played this weekend due to excessive rain throughout the country.
League leaders Kent lost to Middlesex, while chasers Yorkshire and Sussex both won, but Yorkshire only by the skin of their teeth after a spirited fightback by Surrey, who fell just one run short. (Check out what this means at the top of the division here)
At the bottom Warwickshire picked up a vital win at Lancs on Monday, which puts Notts down into the second relegation place.
Notts finish their season at home against Surrey and Warwickshire finish theirs against Middlesex, also at home.
Lancs two losses means they will go straight back down to Div 2, no matter what the result of the local derby with Yorkshire on 13th September.

[league table here]

Yorkshire 174/6 (Elise Good 56, Sarah Clarke 3/27)
Surrey 173/8 (Sarah Clarke 51, Laura Spragg 3/33)
Yorkshire won by 1 run
Yorkshire made hard work of reaching 174/6 in their 50 overs, but it looked to be too much for Surrey as they slipped to 76/5 at the halfway point in their reply, but Sarah Clarke (51) and Bryony Smith (35), kept plugging away and they took Surrey into the last 10 overs needing 53 to win. From there on in Surrey managed to keep it at about a run a ball, with 19 needed off the last three overs and then seven from the last six balls with three wickets in hand, including Clarke. But with three needed off the last two balls, Clarke was caught at deep midwicket and Surrey could only manage one off the last ball, to leave Yorkshire winners by one run.

Middlesex 238 all out (Fran Wilson 90, Beth Morgan 77)
Kent 146 all out (Tammy Beaumont 32) 
Middlesex won by 92 runs
Middlesex looked to be in all sorts of bother at 48/3, but this just meant that Fran Wilson (90) and Beth Morgan (77) had more time at the crease together. They put together a 143 run partnership which saw Middlesex finally amass 238 all out to the last ball of their innings. In reply Kent never really got going. After 25 overs they were 64/3 and when Beaumont (32) was run out a short while after drinks all hope was gone for Kent. But with bonus points potentially crucial they past the 100 mark and looked like reaching 150, having been 132/8 with six overs to go and then 146/8 with 10 balls to come, but Jelfs and Belt fell to consecutive balls to leave Kent 4 short of another bonus point.

Lancashire 198/9 (Nat Brown 56, Holly Colvin 3/19, Izzy Collis 3/19)
Sussex 199/4 (Alexia Walker 50*, Holly Colvin 48*)
Sussex won by 6 wickets
Nat Brown was chiefly responsible for Lancashire posting 198/9 at Wigan where the wicket had a very short boundary on one side. Holly Colvin picked up 3/19, as did leg-spinner Izzy Collis. Nalisha Patel and Sophie Ecclestone added an unbeaten 35 for the last Lancs' wicket. In reply Sussex lost a couple of early wickets before Collis (34) and Paige Scholfield (33) added 50 for the third wicket. Both went smashing long-hops to deep square, but veterans Alexia Walker (50*) and Colvin (48*) saw Sussex home comfortably in the 41st over.

Warwickshire 109/1
Berkshire
Match Abandoned

Lancashire 86 all out (Emma Lamb 37, Katie Green 3/19, Georgia Davis 3/28)
Warwickshire 87/2 (Amy Jones 30*)
Warwickshire won by 8 wickets
Warwickshire completed a huge win, in all senses, against Lancs on BH Monday, when no other games were played.
Having been inserted Lancs struggled to make 86 all out in 31 overs, with only Emma Lamb (37) making it into double figures. As the drizzle continued to fall Warwickshire made short work of the reply and claimed a maximum 18 points, which will help their relegation battle no end.

Yorkshire v Sussex - Cancelled

Berks v Kent - Cancelled

Middlesex v Notts - Cancelled

MD
01/IX/15

Kent have seventh title within their grasp

This Bank Holiday weekend is the penultimate weekend for the Women's County Championship, with games being played on the Sunday and Monday (Wales and Durham are now playing Saturday rather than Monday). Both Div 1 & Div 2 games are previewed below.

Division One Preview & Fixtures 

Due to the way the fixtures have worked out Div 1 table-toppers Kent actually finish their season this weekend, with away games at Middlesex and Berkshire, and they will know that two wins will give them the County Championship title for a record seventh time. Kent will be without their England trio of Edwards, Greenway and Marsh, but they will have Tammy Beaumont and Tash Farrant available for selection. But Middlesex should be at full strength with Fran Wilson back on duty, plus Aussie import Julie Hunter opening the bowling. If Middlesex can get Beaumont early they should back themselves to win. Monday's game against Berkshire will be no pushover for Kent either. If Berkshire can get a full-strength team on the park, minus Heather Knight, including players such as Rogers, Macleod, Hall, Rudd, Gumbs, Morris and Gardner they will fancy themselves to upset last year's County Champions.

Should Kent lose one or both games, then they will open the door for chasers Yorkshire and Sussex. The two teams meet in a potentially massive game on Bank Holiday Monday at Harrogate CC, but before that clash they have Surrey and Lancashire, respectively, to overcome. Surrey have had a torrid season. They have just finished bottom of the Div 1 T20 table without recording a win and they have not won a game in the Championship or the T20 competition since 21st June. Yorkshire are of course without Brunt, Hazell and Winfield, so they will be relying on their youngsters to keep up their title challenge.

Sussex's Sunday opponents, Lancashire, are also struggling in the Championship without a victory in five games, but they have romped away with the Div 2 T20 title, which should instill some confidence in them. They will, of course, have Kate Cross back in their midst, so Sussex without Taylor and Elwiss again, will need to be on their toes.

If both teams can win on the Sunday then Monday's Harrogate game will be huge. The winner could go on to take the Championship. The loser can wave goodbye to any Championship ambitions. Yorkshire narrowly missed out on the Div 1 T20 title to Sussex on NRR, so they will be keen to avenge that loss, but they will be without opening bats Beth Mooney (returned to Australia) and Jess Watson (injured), so will be reliant on youngsters such as Cecilia Allen, Hannah Buck, Katie Thompson, Phoebe Austin and Bea Firth to show what they can do. It could be a tough ask against a strong Sussex bowling attack, spearheaded by the experienced Holly Colvin and with the new ball threat of Freya Davies.

At the bottom of the league Lancashire meet second-to-bottom Warwickshire on Monday at home. With two teams to be relegated it is a must-win game for both counties. Warwickshire will have met Berkshire the previous day and if they could secure two wins they would lift themselves out of the relegation zone with one game (against Middlesex) still to come. They will have been buoyed by recent T20 performances (albeit in Div 2) and with Amy Jones back in their batting line-up they could make life uncomfortable for the teams just above them in the league table at the current time, particularly Notts and Middlesex, who also meet each other on Monday at Middlesex's new home ground at Merchant Taylor's School. Middlesex must be favourites to come out on top with Notts missing Jenny Gunn and Danni Wyatt on England duties, but it is Notts' only game of the weekend so they will be fresh, whereas Middlesex will have battled it out with Kent the day before.

Sunday 30th August
Lancs v Sussex at Wigan CC
Middx v Kent at Merchant Taylor's School
Warwickshire v Berks at Wellesbourne CC
Yorkshire v Surrey at Harrogate CC

Monday 31st August
Berks v Kent at North Maidenhead CC
Lancs v Warwickshire at Urmston CC
Middx v Notts at Merchant Taylor's School
Yorkshire v Sussex at Harrogate CC

Division Two Preview and Fixtures 

Somerset and Staffs looked nailed on to take the top two promotion places in Div 2 but they can make sure this weekend. Somerset are at home to third-placed Durham on Sunday and then travel to Worcestershire on Monday. Durham have won their last three games against Ireland, Worcester and Scotland so could give Somerset something to think about. Somerset will know if they win both games with decent bonus points they will be promoted - a feat which has tantalisingly alluded them for the past couple of seasons.

Staffs meanwhile (without overseas leading run-scorer Molly Strano) have just the one game on Monday against a reinvigorated Essex. Essex lost their first four games in Div 2 after relegation from Div 1 last year, but they picked up their first County Championship win in the last round against Worcestershire and have had a decent Div 2 T20 campaign, just missing out on promotion back to Div 1. They take on Scotland the day before, who are currently rock-bottom of Div 2, and two wins could drag Essex out of the relegation zone and the possibility of dropping two divisions in two years. The game at Garon Park on Monday could be a tense affair. If Lily Reynolds can retain her form with the bat for Essex (she hit 170 against Worcestershire) they could make life very uncomfortable for Staffs.

Wales, currently third from bottom, take on Durham on Saturday and then Ireland on Sunday. They cannot rely on those around them losing, but they will have their work cut out to get much from these two games. Durham are on a roll and Ireland have had a good Div 1 T20 campaign and performed admirably against Australia in the recent T20 series in Dublin. Two wins for Ireland (who finish their season this weekend) or Durham, and a slip by Staffs, and both teams could still be in with a shout of promotion to Div 1 next year. Ireland's game on Monday is against Scotland, who will have travelled all the way down to Essex the day before and then back to the midlands for this game. It could be a long drive back home to Scotland on Monday evening if they fail to pick up a win.

Devon's only game of the weekend is against Worcestershire on Sunday. Worcestershire could do with the win with Wales and Essex only one win behind them, but mid-table Devon will want to prove they are better than recent results have suggested. They have lost their last three games to Staffs, Ireland and Somerset to end any hopes they may have had of promotion. It should be a good game.

Saturday 29th August
Wales v Durham at Llanarth 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
Worcs v Somerset at Romsley CC

MD
28/VIII/15

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

County Champs reaches half-way stage

Attention turns again to The Women's County Championship as it reaches it's half-way stage this Sunday with the fifth round of fixtures being played. We look at all the fixtures in Divs 1 & 2 and try to pick some winners.

Division One
Lancashire v Surrey at Urmston CC
Sussex v Notts at Billingshurst CC
Warwickshire v Kent at Egbaston Foundation Ground
Yorkshire v Middlesex at Harrogate CC

In Div 1 unbeaten Middlesex make the long journey to Harrogate to take on Yorkshire. Lauren Winfield and Katherine Brunt should be in the Yorkshire line-up, but it will be interesting to see if Dani Hazell makes it on to the field. She was absent from Yorkshire's recent T20 games in Surrey, where they beat Surrey, but lost to Sussex. Yorkshire will also have played Notts in a T20 match at Headingley tonight (Friday), before the same men's T20 Blast fixture. Middlesex will be buoyant after winning their first two County Championship games (against Surrey and Lancs) and their first two T20 games (against Notts and Somerset), but Yorkshire may prove tougher opposition particularly on home turf.
Sussex host the mercurial Notts at Billingshurst, which could prove to be the game of the weekend. Danni Wyatt is in sparkling form with the bat in T20 cricket, but can she convert that to the longer format? Sussex will hope not. They should be at full strength, and after a shakey start to the season they seem to have got their ducks in a row and look a formidable side in all formats.
Kent will be hoping to take full points from their encounter with Warwickshire to keep themselves in the title battle, before losing their England contingent for the remainder of the Championship season. But Warwickshire beat Surrey in their last County Championship game and if they can put some runs on the board then they could give Kent a good run for their money. They are a young team under the leadership of 24 year old England left-arm spinner Rebecca Grundy. Could she get one over on her illustrious England skipper?
Finally in Div 1 Lancs host Surrey for whom not much has gone right since they beat Sussex and Berkshire on the opening weekend of the season. They have subsequently lost in the County Championship to Middlesex and Warwickshire and they lost both their opening T20 games on Sunday to Yorkshire (by 10 wickets) and Sussex (by 8 wickets). They will be looking to bounce back against Lancs who have yet to pick up a win in the top flight of the County Championship. If Rachel Candy and Sarah Clarke are back in for the fixture then Lancs might still be winless come Monday.

Division Two
Devon v Ireland at Tiverton Heathcoat
Durham v Worcestershire at Durham City CC
Essex v Somerset at Felsted School
Wales v Staffordshire at Ynystawe CC

Staffordshire sit at the top of Div 2 with three wins out of three, but suffered a torrid time at last weekend's Div 2 T20 matches, losing to the Netherlands and Warwickshire. Mind you Wales, their opponents on Sunday didn't fare much better, losing to Cheshire and Durham in the same division. Staffs look likely to make it four from four.
Somerset are also unbeaten so far this season and Essex are the team that have to find an answer to South African opener Lizelle Lee, who is getting great support at the top of the order from Gwenan Davies, Sophie Luff and Anya Shrubsole. Over 300 could be on the cards again if Somerset get to bat first.
Devon need to beat Ireland to keep their title challenge on track. Ireland have struggled for runs after scoring over 300 in their first game of the season, and so are won two lost two so far this season. Jodie Dibble has been scoring plenty of runs at the top of the order for Devon and they look like they might be too strong for Ireland, but this could be the game of the weekend in Div 2.
Finally Worcestershire have made a great start to the season with wins over Scotland and Wales in the Championship. Durham pasted Scotland in their last Championship game and had a decent opening to their Div 2 T20 campaign last week, beating Wales and narrowly losing out to T20 surprises Cheshire. This could go either way.

MD
19/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

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

County Champs - Div 1 - First weekend preview

The Women's Royal London One Day Championship (that's what the rules call it) starts in just two days. You cannot actually win the County Championship in the first weekend, but you can certainly go a long way towards winning it. With just eight games scheduled to be played, by Monday evening most teams will be a quarter of the way through their season (weather permitting of course).

County champions Kent should be at full strength, given that none of their England players are currently in Sri Lanka learning how to become spin bowlers, or learning how to bat against spin bowlers. The only doubt would seem to be Laura Marsh, who pulled out of going to Sri Lanka with an apparent thigh injury. Yorkshire, on the other hand could be without Lauren Winfield, Dani Hazell, Alex Macdonald and Katherine Brunt (all currently in Sri Lanka). It could be embarrassing for Yorkshire. Kent are likely to make it two out of two on Sunday when they meet a weakened Sussex team, missing several key players through injury, restriction and exams, and without overseas signing Erin Osborne. But Sussex will have Holly Colvin back in their ranks which should add some spice to the game.

On the previous day Sussex will have met with last year's runners-up, Surrey. If Sussex can put enough runs on the board then they can dent Surrey's chances of going one better this year. Sussex will be hoping to keep Nat Sciver quiet and contain overseas player Rachel Candy to avoid a second defeat to Surrey in two years. Sussex should come out on top. They need to win this one if they are to have any chance at the 2015 title.

Surrey are then off to North Maidenhead for their Bank Holiday Monday encounter with Berkshire. If Surrey can take the key wicket of England vice-captain Heather Knight they should come away with their first win of the season.

Berkshire (without Knight) will have been at Middlesex the previous day, in their only game of the weekend, and Middlesex look favourites to come away with a win from that game, if they can build on their T20 form from last season. New skipper Izzy Westbury will be leading from the front in her Lillee-esque headband no doubt.

Notts start their 2015 campaign against Warwickshire at their home ground at Welbeck CC on Sunday. Its a good batting track with plenty of runs in it, and if Danni Wyatt is free to play (which seems unlikely), she could make hay. She is currently having a great time with the bat in Sri Lanka, and will be keen to press for an Ashes squad place. Warwickshire will hope Amy Jones is fit enough to play, and that Becky Grundy (also in Sri Lanka) is allowed to play. Notts might just pip a close game.

Notts second game of the weekend will see the first appearance of Lancashire in Division 1. It could be the game of the weekend, as the LCB Thunder look to get off to a winning start. They have done a great job off the pitch, and will now hope to emulate that on the pitch. But Notts will be a tough start to life in Div 1. Early wickets from Kate Cross could be the key to a Lancs win.

The final game of the first weekend is Warwickshire v Yorkshire. It is a game that both teams will be targeting as a "must-win", which could add to the pressure on both batsmen and bowlers. It could be a nervy low-scoring affair, with Yorkshire (restored to full strength), perhaps, just getting over the line.

There will be a round-up of all the results and performances early next week. If you think there is something I should include then email me - wcb@lawdox.co.uk

Div 1 Fixtures
Sunday 3rd May
Middlesex v Berks at Edmonton CC
Kent v Yorkshire at KCCC Beckenham
Notts v Warwickshire at Welbeck CC
Surrey v Sussex at Reeds School

Monday 4th May
Berks v Surrey at North Maidenhead
Kent v Sussex at KCCC Beckenham
Notts v LCB Thunder (the cricket team formerly known as Lancashire) at Welbeck CC
Warwickshire v Yorkshire at Moseley CC

MD
1/V/15

Lancs Mean Business

The Women's County Championship season (labelled slightly less inaccurately this year as the Royal London One Day Championship - it was apparently a Cup last year!) starts on 3rd May. With just eight games to play the championship could almost be decided by the end of May, by which time most teams will have played four of those games.

With the prospect of a Women's Super League and new franchises apparently looming for 2016, it has been interesting to see how the teams have set themselves up for the season ahead.

Six weeks ago I asked all the Division One and Two counties if they could let me have some basic details about their squads for 2015. First to respond were Middlesex with their full squad, closely followed by Scotland, who duly confirmed their squad and the fact that they are playing in blue "with a wee bit of tartan" (my favourite kit description ever!). Berkshire gave me their full squad with numbers the next day and Essex gave me their squad, and details of their early April Press Day. Notts gave me some details by twitter. Sussex and Devon gave me their squads, numbers and some blurb a few days later. Next to arrive was the Yorkshire squad, closely followed by Worcestershire's with plenty of detail. Lancs was the last to hit my laptop, before it was time to publish my Div 1 preview - No information had been supplied by Kent, Surrey or Warwickshire.

I published the Div 2 preview a week later, by which time I had also heard from Ireland, Somerset and Staffs. No info had been received from Durham or Wales.

To date the Previews have been read over 1,200 times, which shows there is interest out there in women's county cricket.

Four counties in Divs 1 and 2 held joint Press Days with their men's teams - Middlesex, Lancashire, Warwickshire and Essex, although I am not sure that any of those interested in women's cricket were actually invited to any of them. Some good photos were posted on twitter of the days, although Middlesex's gloat of "Our pavilion is better than yours", referring of course to Lords, rang rather hollow as they have never played there and are extremely unlikely to ever do so. But, beyond twitter, media coverage was sparse, to say the least. I appreciate that it is early days and that the Women's County Championship does not have the gravitas of the Men's, but I had hoped for more.

Of all the counties it does seem that Lancashire lead the pack - off the field, at least. They are new to Div 1 this year, but they have made the most of their promotion with...well...self-promotion. They have received good local media coverage and have made others aware of this through good use of social media. They have also taken the novel step of calling themselves the Lancashire Thunder. Their press release, which I found on their website, was full of effusive claims for the new nickname. It will apparently "increase media coverage of the game, make the game attractive to new players and retain players within women's cricket." Woah!! Whether it will do any of these things is debatable, but what it does do is remove the word "Women" from the description of the Lancashire team. It shouldn't, but somehow the use of the word "women" in a sporting context, suggests "inferior to men's". Women's cricket is not inferior to men's. It is a different product, with different skills and different nuances.

It is for this very reason that I have never been a fan of double-header T20s with men's teams. Women's T20 cricket has all the subtlety that the men's game does not. In my eyes it is actually a better pure cricket product than men's T20, but that is not what attracts people to watch men's T20 cricket. They ignore women's T20 in their droves when it is played before men's games. The last T20 World Cup in Bangladesh proved the point. Crowds of upwards of 9,000 turned up to the group games played exclusively in Sylhet, but when the semi-finals and the finals were played before the men's games in Mirpur, the ground was almost empty. Sylhet, and indeed Chelmsford (where they get crowds of up to 5,000 to watch England Women play T20) have proved that there is a market for women's T20 cricket, but it is NOT the same market as for the men's T20.

But I digress. The point is that no-one is quite sure how women's cricket is going to pan out over the next few years. All that you can say is that it has come a long way in the past five years and if you were an entrepreneur or a betting man you wouldn't mind investing a few bob in women's cricket going a lot further in the next few years. Suddenly the marketing guys at county cricket clubs are waking up to this fact and to the fact that they need to start getting their ducks in a row. The winners will be those that take the time, and make the effort, to understand women's cricket and how best to market it. At the moment Lancs appear to be leading the field.

MD
15/4/15

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

Women's County Championship 2015 Div 1 Squads, Preview & Fixtures

The nine teams in Division 1 for 2015 will be - Berkshire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire. The first games will be played on Sunday 3rd May and the last scheduled weekend is 13th September, although games can be played up until 28th September 2015.

Essex were relegated from Division 1 last year and Lancashire were promoted to Division 1 after finishing top of Division 2. Warwickshire retained their place in Division 1 by beating second in Div 2, Somerset, in the play-off last year.

Each team will play each other just once and the team that finishes top of Division One at the end of the season will be the champions. There will be no Championship Play-Off. The teams that finish 8th and 9th will be automatically relegated to Division 2 for the 2016 season. The teams that finish 1st and 2nd in Division 2 will be automatically promoted to Division 1 for the 2016 season. The full rules are here.

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. An abandoned game cannot be replayed, but a cancelled game can, 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.

Kent won last year's rain-affected championship winning all six games that they played. They failed to play Berkshire and Essex. They were worthy champions though winning most of their games at a canter led by Charlotte Edwards (491 runs) and Tammy Beaumont (417 runs) with the bat and Kiwi import Erin Bermingham (leg-spinner, with 16 wickets) with the ball. With traditional rivals Sussex having a poor season (won three lost three), it was Surrey that finished second, winning five of the seven games they played. Notts won four of the seven they played, but finished fourth behind Berkshire who only managed to play five of their scheduled games (winning three of them).

This season is the first with a white ball, and the first in which county games clash with international fixtures. In fact with the Ashes being played here this summer it is doubtful that any side will see their international players between mid-June and the end of August - this covers four fixture weekends. This will undoubtedly affect some teams more than others, but it effectively throws the County Championship wide open. Kent will be strong when they have their England contingent with them, but do they have players to call on when they are away? Middlesex, on the other hand, will have the same squad available for all their games. The fixtures have fallen nicely for them and they have a real chance of being there or thereabouts come the end of the season. Berks, Notts and Yorkshire will suffer without their England players, but Sussex may have enough strength in depth to weather the shortage. New girls Lancs are also likely to trouble a few teams in their first season back in Div 1. Surrey were last year's surprise package and they will fancy their chances of going one better than last year. With only eight games to be played this could be the most open County Championship for years.

Berkshire (3rd in 2014)
Colours : Black, Green and Gold
Overseas Players : Alex Blackwell/Corrine Hall
England Players : Heather Knight
England Academy Players : Carla Rudd
The addition of Aussie legend Alex Blackwell to the team for the County Championship games on 24th and 25th May will be a brief, but huge, boost to Heather Knight and her team. If they can win those two games then they may well be safe in Div 1 for another year. They will miss Knight when she is on England duty, so it is important that they start the season well.
Squad (with shirt numbers): Heather Knight (5) capt, Alex Rogers (1), Carla Rudd, wkt (2), Georgia Dean (3), Lissy Macleod (4), , Emily Gerke (6), Daisy Gardener (7), Imogen Brown (8), Amanda Potgieter (9), Rachael Hardy (10). Fi Morris (11), Alex Blackwell (12), Sherisa Gumbs (15), Linsey Smith (16), Corrine Hall (17), Isa Guha (19)

Kent (Champions in 2014)
Colours : Blue
Overseas Player : To be announced in April
England Players : Tammy Beaumont, Charlotte Edwards, Tash Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Laura Marsh
England Academy Players : None 
Kent's record in the County Championship cannot be denied, and last year they trounced all teams they played. But without some, or all, of their England players they are likely to find it much harder this year. Last year their batting was dominated by Tammy Beaumont and Charlotte Edwards (900+ runs between them). Their bowling was dominated by New Zealander Erin Bermingham, who it seems is not returning for the 2015 season. An announcement on a new overseas player is due in April it seems. Edwards, at least, is likely to miss several matches. Contracted England players Beaumont and Farrant are likely to be available, but Kent's batting will look a bit thin without possibly Edwards, Greenway and Marsh.
Squad (with shirt numbers): Charlotte Edwards capt (23), Tammy Beaumont (2), Megan Belt (6), Lottie Bryan (19), Deanna Cooper (4), Alice Davidson-Richards (24), Tash Farrant (53), Phoebe Franklin (10), Grace Gibbs (61), Lydia Greenway (20), Lauren Griffiths (14), Jenni Jackson (11), Hannah Jelfs (18), Laura Marsh (7), Charlotte Pape (8), Emily Thompson (17)

Lancashire Thunder (Promoted as Div 2 Champions)
Colours : Red
Overseas player : Meg Phillips
England Players : Kate Cross
England Academy Players : Emma Lamb
Lancashire finally made it into Div 1 as 2014 Div 2 Champions, having missed out in 2013, and having been in Div 3 just four years ago. They are a team on the up, with a very professional attitude to the game and will be a tough team to beat. Emma Lamb had a much quieter season with the bat last year and it will be interesting to see how the England Academy girl goes in the top flight. Kate Cross frequently made useful runs last year, so she will be missed for this as well as her bowling skills when on England duty. Young off-spinner Nalisha Patel however was the team's leading wicket-taker in the league last year. Her technique and confidence will be put to the test this year.
They start their season with away games in May against Notts, Kent and Middlesex. It could be a baptism of fire.
Squad (with shirt numbers) : Jasmine Titmuss (3) capt, Natalie Brown (10), Jessica Couser (9), Kate Cross (16), Rachel Dickinson (17), Bhumika Doshi (14), Sophie Ecclestone (19), Megan Fairclough (4), Georgia Holmes (2), Hannah Jones (7), Emma Lamb (6), Laura Marshall (12), Shachi Pai (18), Nalisha Patel (15), Meg Phillips (1), Eleanor Threlkeld (21)

Middlesex (6th in 2014)
Colours : Blue and Pink
Overseas Player : None
England Players : None
England Academy Players : Alex Hartley, Fran Wilson
Middlesex have a new captain in Izzy Westbury and a new batsman in the shape of Fran Wilson from Somerset. Westbury will still have the help and guidance of the experienced Beth Morgan, who marshalled her side beautifully last year. A young side with some exciting young talent - look out for Sophia Dunkley with both bat and ball, who will not be affected by England call-ups. Expect the unexpected. If they get a decent start and believe in themselves then they could be battling it out at the top of the table come September. Their fixtures against Sussex and Kent are nicely timed.
Squad : Izzy Westbury capt, Natasha Miles, Catherine Dalton, Fran Wilson, Beth Morgan, Anna Nicholls, Sophia Dunkley, India Whitty, Ria Ravel, Alex Hartley, Danni Warren, Millie Pope, Naomi Dattani, Hannah Wakeman, Maia Bouchier 

Nottinghamshire (4th in 2014)
Colours : Green & Gold
Overseas player : Zoe Richards
England Players : Jenny Gunn, Danni Wyatt
England Academy Players : Sonia Odedra
Jenny Gunn has handed over the captaincy to Sonia Odedra for this season and she will be hoping that Danni Wyatt and Gunn have as good a season with the bat as they did last year. Young Georgie Boyce is also a name to look out for with the bat. With the ball Odedra will miss last year's opening partner, Aussie Megan Schutt, and may have to juggle her bowling resources well. Their season could depend on how many of their England players are required on duty for their country. If Wyatt stays with them throughout the season then they are likely to do quite well.
Squad : Sonia Odedra capt, Georgie Boyce, Amy Gauvrit, Jenny Gunn, Abbey Hawkins, Hannah Hughes, Lucy Maxwell, Zoe Richards, Jane Smit, Ruth Sprawson, Esther Stock, Shelby Sutton, Olivia Thornton, Bethany Unwin, Rebecca Widdowson, Danielle Wyatt

Surrey (2nd in 2014)
Colours : Brown
Overseas player : Rachel Candy
England Players : Nat Sciver
England Academy Players : 
Last year veteran leg-spinner Sarah Clarke led the Surrey wicket-takers, and Nat Sciver the run-scorers (courtesy mainly of 154 against Notts). It is difficult to see them repeating last year's heroics and finishing in the top three, but new Director of Women's Cricket, Ebony Rainford-Brent will be keen that her 1st XI have a good season. New Zealander Rachel Candy returns for her second season with the county, and her experience will be invaluable, but she will not be able to do it all on her own. She had an indifferent season in 2014 and may have to contribute more with both bat and ball if Surrey are to feature this year.
Squad - yet to be announced

Sussex (5th in 2014)
Colours : Black 
Overseas player : Erin Osborne
England Players : Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Taylor
England Academy Players : Georgia Adams, Freya Davies, Paige Scholfield
Sussex welcome back former England international Holly Colvin after a year out of the game, and she and overseas off-spinner Erin Osborne, could wreak havoc with the ball in the first few games of the season. Batting may be more of an issue for Sussex, but they bat long and they may well need to once Sarah Taylor, and possibly Georgia Elwiss, are called away on England duties. Last year's campaign was a huge disappointment to a talented squad, but their 2015 campaign could be defined in the first weekend when they meet Surrey and then Kent.
Squad  (with shirt numbers): Sarah Taylor (30) capt, Georgia Adams (13), Flora Bertwhistle (55), Ellen Burt (8), Izy Collis (22), Holly Colvin (10), Freya Davies (3), Georgia Elwiss (34), Abbey Freeborn (29), Chiara Green (14), Anna Harris (77), Megan Janman (5), Izi Noakes (12), Tara Norris (24), Erin Osborne (67), Hannah Phelps (19), Jess Saunders (44), Paige Scholfield (45), Tanya Wake (4), Alexia Walker (7)

Warwickshire (8th in 2014 beat Somerset in play-off to remain in Div 1)
Colours : Blue & Yellow
England Players : , Rebecca Grundy, Amy Jones
England Academy Players : Georgia Hennessy
Warwickshire struggled last season winning just one of their six games that they played and that against bottom of the table Essex (albeit that they won that by 311 runs!). Apart from that game Warwickshire struggled for runs last year. Amy Jones will have had winter experience in New Zealand, Dubai and Sri Lanka, so should hit the ground running with the bat. She may need to. Warwickshire showed a great deal of character to beat Somerset in last year's play-off with a memorable maiden century from Helen Shipman, and great late order batting from Liz Russell and Isabelle Watson. Warwickshire will hope Shipman is fit to play more games this year and that Georgia Hennessy can bat and bowl as she did against Surrey last year in the opening game of the season (84 and 5/38).
Squad : Nadia Bacciochi, Louise Brazier, Jessica Crawley, Laura Crofts, Georgia Davis, Tiarna Paris Gilkes, Kate Green, Becky Grundy, Georgia Hennessy, Miriam Heritage, Amy Jones, Marie Kelly, Sian Kelly, Anisha Patel, Liz Russell, Liz Smart, Isabelle Watson, Mina Zahoor.

Yorkshire (7th in 2014)
Colours : Purple & Black
Overseas player : Beth Mooney
England Players : Katherine Brunt, Dani Hazell, Lauren Winfield
England Academy Players : Hollie Armitage, Alex Macdonald
Came down to earth with a bump in 2014 winning just two games, against Essex and Berkshire, after reaching the Play-Off Final in 2013. Captain Lauren Winfield was the mainstay with the bat, and they will miss her greatly if she is on England duty, or injured (as currently). They will also miss Kathryn Doherty, who is not available this season. Aimee Simms managed 10 wickets last year, but will also miss 2015, which means Bea Firth and Alex Macdonald will need to lead the attack when Brunt and Hazell are unavailable. It could be another tough year for them.
Squad (with shirt numbers): Lauren Winfield (10), Cecilia Allen (12), Katherine Brunt (2), Hannah Buck (5), Ami Campbell (6), Beatrice Firth (7), Elise Good (14), Dani Hazell (4), Katie Levick (3), Alex Macdonald (9), Beth Mooney (16), Kennedy Nuttall (13), Laura Spragg (11), Katie Thompson (8), Maddy Walsh (15), Jess Watson (1)

Fixtures

Sunday 3rd May
Middlesex v Berks at Edmonton CC
Kent v Yorkshire at KCCC Beckenham
Notts v Warwickshire at Welbeck CC
Surrey v Sussex at Reeds School

Monday 4th May
Berks v Surrey at North Maidenhead
Kent v Sussex at KCCC Beckenham
Notts v Lancs at Welbeck CC
Warwickshire v Yorkshire at Moseley CC

Sunday 24th May
Berks v Notts at Finchampstead CC
Kent v Lancs at Spitfire Ground St Lawrence
Surrey v Middx at Reeds School
Sussex v Warwickshire at East Grinstead CC

Monday 25th May
Berks v Yorkshire at Finchampstead CC
Kent v Notts at Spitfire Ground St Lawrence
Middx v Lancs at Edmonton CC
Surrey v Warwickshire at Reeds School

Sunday 21st June
Warwickshire v Kent at Egbaston Foundation Ground
Lancs v Surrey at Urmston CC
Sussex v Notts at Billingshurst CC
Yorkshire v Middx at Harrogate CC

Sunday 19th July
Lancs v Berks at Wigan CC
Surrey v Kent at Kia Oval
Sussex v Middx at the County Ground Hove
Notts v Yorkshire at Welbeck CC

Sunday 30th August
Lancs v Sussex at Wigan CC
Middx v Kent at Merchant Taylor's School
Warwickshire v Berks at Wellesbourne CC
Yorkshire v Surrey at Harrogate CC

Monday 31st August
Berks v Kent at North Maidenhead CC
Lancs v Warwickshire at Urmston CC
Middx v Notts at Edmonton CC
Yorkshire v Sussex at Harrogate CC

Sunday 13th September
Notts v Surrey at Welbeck CC
Sussex v Berkshire at Horsham CC
Warwickshire v Middx at Egbaston Foundation Ground
Yorks v Lancs at Harrogate CC

MD
27/III/15