About two overs from the end of the Pemberton Greenish Cup, the scoreboards at The Oval died. It summed up a dispiriting evening for Surrey on the pitch; but off the field it was a day that was anything but disappointing.

Over 700 children from local schools packed out the pavilion for yesterday’s match. Kids from all walks of life were equally excited to be there – boys from state primaries cheered the big hits; and girls from posh, private preps applauded the clattering of stumps; all accompanied by a noisy DJ, who might have made the traditionalists frown, but who brought a sense of bounce to the occasion that held up the excitement levels even as the game drifted slightly towards the end.

Ebz Gets Into The Action In The Indoor School

Earlier in the day, a rammed indoor school had seen 300 children through bowling clinics and batting master-classes from Surrey coaching staff, with guest appearances from the captains, Cecily Scutt and Izzy Westbury.

Nat, Cecily & Rachel Candy Take Questions

One teacher at an all-girls school told us of the challenges she faces introducing cricket to the curriculum: “All the schools around us play rounders in the summer, so it’s hard to get a game; but I’m hoping that if one leads, the others will follow.”

Middlesex Enjoy Their Champagne Moment

After the match a champagne-soaked Izzy Westbury was full of praise for the leadership of Ebony Rainford-Brent, telling CRICKETher: “It’s an amazing thing to be playing a domestic cricket match with this turn-out and a lot of counties could learn a lot from it.”

Will there be better games of cricket played in this year’s Women’s County Championship? No doubt! Will there be a bigger “event” in the domestic game this season? No… and that’s why this day was important!

The somewhat one-sided war of words between Kent and Sussex over their controversially tied Women’s County Championship match took another sour turn this week as Kent CEO Jamie Clifford waded in to the argument.

Seemingly taking the ECB to task over their decision to uphold the result, Clifford said in a statement:

“We [Kent] do not believe that there has been an appropriate review and a number of questions remain unanswered.”

Ironically, the main question nobody at Kent seems to want to answer* is what exactly they were complaining about in the first place – there being no basis, in either the Laws of the game or the Playing Conditions of the competition, for the result to be ever in dispute, let alone a week after a private ECB meeting concluded that there was no reason to overturn the original decision.

Last week Kent Coach Stuart Eddicott took to Twitter to call the ECB’s decision “shameful”. The fact that his tweet remains undeleted might seem to represent at least a tacit endorsement of this position by the Kent hierarchy, who could presumably have required him to remove it.

It is unclear at this stage whether the ECB have reopened their investigation into the incident in response to Kent’s queries.

———-

* We did ask!

The continuing amateur status of women’s cricket in New Zealand was underlined today when it was announced that two leading players will be stuck at home, while the White Ferns face critical World Cup qualification matches in India.

Batsman Sara McGlashan and spinner Erin Bermingham, who both played in the recent series against England, are unavailable for the upcoming India tour due to work commitments.

They will be missed though, as New Zealand face India in 3 “must-win” Women’s International Championship games, which help determine automatic qualification for the 2017 World Cup in England, plus 3 T20s and another 2 ODIs.

Although New Zeland Women do have central contracts, these might be better termed “retainers” as the money barely covers expenses, and the players all need  their day jobs to make ends meet. 

Full Squad:

• Suzie Bates
• Kate Broadmore
• Sophie Devin
• Natalie Dodd
• Maddy Green
• Georgia Guy
• Leigh Kasperek
• Morna Nielsen
• Katie Perkins
• Anna Peterson
• Rachel Priest
• Hannah Row
• Amy Satterthwaite
• Lea Tahuhu

Kent players and coaching staff have taken to Twitter to express their anger at the ECB’s decision not to overturn the result of their disputed tie with Sussex.

A tweet from the Kent coach brands the ECB’s judgement “shameful”; saying that the spirit of cricket has taken a “U-Turn”; and also appears to question the honesty and integrity of the Sussex players and officials who responded to the ECB inquiry.

The tweet was then Favorited by two leading Kent players. (A “Favorite“, like a Facebook “Like“, allows a Twitter user to express agreement or sympathy with the opinion expressed in the original post.)

Although the accounts involved are not official “Kent CCC” accounts, they are not private either; and one is a publicly verified “Blue Tick” account, due to the the individual’s status as a contracted England player.

NOTE – The screenshots above were taken at 06:00 on May 8th 2015.

UPDATE – The two players who Favorited  the tweet have since Un-Favorited it.

The ECB have released a statement this evening upholding the umpire’s on-field decision that the controversial Kent / Sussex game last weekend ended in a tie.

Kent had appealed the result to the ECB, as they believed the ball to have been dead in the hands of their wicket-keeper when Sussex snatched a last-ball single to tie the game.

But after some consultation and discussion on the field, the umpires adjudicated that the run was fairly scored; and this decision has now been firmly upheld by the ECB.

The ECB’s full statement appears below:

“The ECB has been in communication with the umpires, and the Kent and Sussex management teams regarding events at the conclusion of the Royal London Women’s One-Day Championship match between the two sides on Monday 4th May 2015. 

Following receipt of all information and discussions with the Head of ECB Association of Cricket Officials, it has been decided that there is no reason to overturn any decision made by the umpires on the day, nor the outcome of the game as had been determined on the day.  The match is therefore a tie.”

The ECB have confirmed to CRICKETher that an appeal has been received from Kent regarding the controversial conclusion to their match with Sussex on Monday, which was initially declared by the umpires to have ended in a tie.

Statements have been presented from various interested parties, including the umpires, and currently, the ECB consider that the match has no official “result”.

The full ECB statement appears below:

The ECB is currently in communication with the umpires, and the Kent and Sussex management teams as to the outcome of the Royal London Women’s One-Day Cup match between the two sides on Monday 4 May 2015.

The incident came to the ECB’s attention immediately following the conclusion of the match.

All of the information is being carefully considered as a matter of priority.

We’ll keep you posted with more information as we have it.

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.