Kent have lodged an official appeal with the ECB regarding the result of their match against Sussex on Monday. The game was declared a tie after Sussex ran a single off the last ball amidst early celebrations from the Kent players, who believed the ball to be already dead.

Sussex required two to win off the final ball as Kent and England captain Charlotte Edwards ran up to bowl. Batsman Ellen Burt missed the ball and Kent keeper Lauren Griffiths then removed a bail in a failed attempted stumping, but Burt’s partner Izzy Collis was already halfway down the pitch and the pair completed the single, while Kent erroneously celebrated victory.

Kent attempted to dispute the run but, after lengthy discussions with the players, the umpires ruled that the ball had not been dead at the time of the run and the match was therefore declared a tie.

Appealing the result of a match is thought to be unprecedented in the 18-year history of the women’s county championship, and there is nothing in the playing conditions regarding the process. It is therefore unclear how the ECB will proceed from here.

A full report of the match can be found here.

CRICKETher has today spoken to the ECB regarding events at Edmonton on Sunday, whereby the Middlesex-Berkshire County Championship match had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to inadequate pitch coverage the night before.

While it is the sole responsibility of the cricket boards to organise grounds for women’s county matches, the ECB have assured us that they have been made aware of the issue and are doing all they can to rectify the situation.

Beth Wild, the ECB’s Media Manager for England Women and Non First Class Cricket, stated:

“The ECB does not currently impose any minimum standards for the grounds used for the women’s County competitions, nor do we have any sanctions in place for incidents of this kind. However, the ECB does expect County Cricket Boards to ensure that the venues they select to host matches in all Non First Class County competitions have sufficient infrastructures in place to provide the best possible opportunity for matches to go ahead, especially when we experience inclement weather.”

“We have this morning contacted the Middlesex Cricket Board and asked them to review the further matches planned to be played at Edmonton CC this summer.”

The MCB now have just under three weeks to act on this before Middlesex Women’s next scheduled fixture at Edmonton on Monday 25th May, against Lancashire.

A weekend of high drama in the Royal London One Day Championship saw Surrey top Division 1, as Kent dropped points for the first time since 2013.

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 1

Sussex / Surrey – Put into bat by Sussex, England wicket keeper Sarah Taylor made 77, but a disappointing total of 143 was chased-down easily by Surrey, as Nat Sciver and Kirstie White both scored 67.

Kent / Yorkshire – At Beckenham, a depleted Yorkshire were taken apart by Charlotte Edwards, who made 88* to see Kent home by 9 wickets, with 15 overs to spare.

Warwickshire / Nottinghamshire – In a match interrupted at one point by thunder and lightning, Notts chased down 105 to beat Warwickshire.

Middlesex / Berkshire – Cover problems and a waterlogged pitch at Edmonton saw the game abandoned without a ball being bowled. (Full Report… such as it is!! Comment)

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 2

Kent / Sussex – Kent failed to clock up all their bonus points for the first time since 2013, as they made just 185, Deanna Cooper top-scoring with 88*. With Sussex needing 5 off the final over, and then two of the last ball, it could have gone either way… and in fact it went both, as a missed stumping and a disputed run, led to a controversial tie being called. The result was disputed by Kent in an appeal to the ECB; but a final ECB statement upheld the umpires’ on-field decision and the tie was confirmed.

Nottinghamshire / Lancashire Lightning – The Lightning suffered four run-outs as they were all-out for 141 in the final over, which Notts chased-down in a team effort, thanks to contributions from Jane Smit (31) Zoe Richards (28*) and Danni Wyatt (27).

Berkshire / Surrey – Surrey went top after beating Berkshire in a tipsy-topsy-turvy game, in which the telling contribution turned out to be from New Zealander Rachel Candy, who scored an unbeaten 81 off 71 balls as Surrey made 217. Berkshire then got within two agonising runs of victory, before they were all-out in the final over. (Full Report)

Warwickshire / Yorkshire – Chasing 207 after Loz Winfield top-scored for Yorkshire with 64; Warwickshire collapsed to 92/8, with Katie Levick taking a fifer, before they recovered some dignity to finish up on 121/8 after 50 overs.

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 1

Devon / Essex – Essex were bowled out for 98 and Devon chased down the required runs in 36.4 overs, winning by 4 wickets.

Staffs / Somerset – No play due to rain.

Wales / Scotland – Match abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a waterlogged pitch.

Worcestershire / Ireland – Isobel Joyce hit a glorious 127*, the maiden century of this year’s Championship, as Ireland finished on 315-5 and then bowled Worcestershire out for 189.

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 2

Devon / Durham – Devon beat Durham thanks in the main to a 1st-wicket partnership of 144 between Amara Carr (95) and Aylish Cranstone.

Somerset / Ireland – Sophie Luff hit 65 as Somerset posted 223, before blowing Ireland away for just 65, the wickets being shared between England’s Anya Shrubsole, sister Lauren and Jenny Withers.

Staffs / Scotland – A maiden championship 50 for young talent Kirstie Gordon wasn’t enough to save Scotland from a Staffordshire Bull Terriering, as Staffs chased down 194 inside 44 overs, with Eve Jones (54) top-scoring for Staffs.

Wales / Essex – Veteran Lauren Parfitt carried her bat for 109* as Wales beat Essex by a country mile, with only Beth Langston’s 65 saving Essex from total humiliation as they registered 9 single-figure scores, with Claire Thomas taking 3/22.

Rachel Candy starred as Surrey made it two from two this weekend, taking maximum bonus points to lead the Women’s County Championship.

It was Berkshire who got off to the more promising start, on a beautiful early-summer morning at North Maidenhead, as Immy Brown had Holly Knight bowled for 5 and then sent England’s Nat Sciver back to the pavilion, LBW for a golden duck. Susie Rowe (21) and Kirstie White (30) helped steady the ship a little, but with Surrey at 94/5, it was Berkshire who seemed to be on top when Candy entered the fray. But the New Zealander proceeded to smash an unbeaten 81 off 71 balls as Surrey finished on 217.

Berkshire’s reply began disastrously, as both Alex Rogers and Linsey Smith departed for ducks; but England Vice-Captain Heather Knight and experienced Aussie Corinne Hall both hit 50s as The Beavers reached 102/2 at drinks.

Knight was eventually out for 65, when a very, very thin edge was caught behind by Surrey glove-butler Kirsty White, off the bowling of Nat Sciver; but Berkshire were a little behind the rate still when Emily Gerke came in to clobber her way to a maiden championship 50, and take Berkshire within touching-distance of the win.

It wasn’t to be, however. Gerke was run out by Candy for 57, and although Berkshire needed just 11 runs off the last 4 overs, the pressure told, as Rachel Hardy was run out in a disastrous “rabbit in the headlights” moment with Immy Brown, who then handed a regulation catch to Holly Knight at gully to end the game with Berkshire an agonising 2 runs short.

Afterwards, Surrey captain Cecily Scutt told CRICKETher:

“We just tried to spread the field and keep control for as long as possible and then held our nerve at the end.”

Reflecting on a weekend that left Surrey at the top of the table, she praised her team, saying:

“It’s great – we had a few first-game nerves yesterday, but everything came together and we played really well.”

Surrey’s next matches are on the late-May Bank Holiday, at home to Middlesex and Warwickshire; while Berkshire face Notts and Yorkshire at Finchampstead.

Players and fans alike were left disappointed earlier today when one of the opening games of the 2015 Women’s County Championship – Middlesex v Berkshire at Edmonton Cricket Club – was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

While the rain had largely disappeared by the time play was due to begin at 11am, it was announced shortly afterwards that the pitch was unplayable after the overnight downpour seeped through holes in the covers.

Newly-appointed Middlesex captain Izzy Westbury, due to lead the Meatballs out for the first time today, said that she was disappointed with the abandonment and hoped to rearrange the fixture later in the season.

Fans who had travelled to watch the game – one from as far away as Ipswich – were equally frustrated.

Edmonton do not currently have fully-functioning covers as their last set were vandalised and they are still awaiting the arrival of new ones.

Berkshire have the chance to redeem their disappointing start to the championship tomorrow in their fixture against Surrey at North Maidenhead CC.

Lincolnshire batsman Beth Smith looks forward to her first season of county cricket.

As the season approaches, the Lincolnshire ladies set-up are relishing the fact that for the first time they are playing in the County Championship. For a minor county, where women’s and girl’s cricket only really got established 5 years ago, this is a major step forward to establishing themselves in the cricketing world.

The ladies team is still in its infancy under new coach/ manager Alan Ward who joined the Lincs coaching staff 2 years ago, but they are going from strength to strength.

Over the winter months the ladies have undergone a regular training programme in preparation for the coming season; and some of the stronger junior girls were also invited to attend the training sessions with the intention that they will be fighting for the chance to play in some of the ladies fixtures during the summer.

The first game for Lincs Ladies is this coming Sunday (3rd May) and they are sending out a strong team looking to make an impact in their first county champs fixture. Due to work and other commitments some of the senior players are unavailable, so a strong suit of U17s join the five experienced seniors in the match against Huntingdonshire & Cambridgeshire.

Some of the youngsters will be ones to watch in the coming season, both for their respective junior team but also within the ladies team.

Becki Brooker, India Freeman and Alexia Page-Graves all performed with the bat last season and will be required to put in similar performances to aid the senior batsmen – Beth Smith, Hayley Butts and Rachael Dyer.

Lucy Barnes (U17) will be assisting the bowling attack alongside debutant senior Sarah McDowell and returning left-armer Dani Jex.

The close fought matches in 2014 have given the Lincolnshire ladies a good platform to spring from in their inaugural season in the county championship. A match report will follow Sundays match; hopefully showing Lincs as victorious!

Come on You Imps!

Beth Smith

CRICKETher has learned that Berkshire captain (and England vice-captain) Heather Knight is set to miss the first day of the county season, after flying back from a training camp in Sri Lanka only the day before.

This is a major blow for The Beavers; and with their big-name overseas signing, Aussie Alex Blackwell, also yet to arrive, they are looking paper-thin for their opening match-up with Middlesex at Edmonton Cricket Club.

However, Middlesex are also expected to be without a key player – spinner Alex Hartley, who has impressed for the England Academy over the winter.

Knight is likely to play on Monday, against Surrey at North Maidenhead.