In her interview with TMS on Saturday at Worcester, the ECB’s Director of Women’s Cricket Clare Connor addressed concerns about the future of domestic T20 cricket when the Kia Super League ends and is replaced by The 100, pledging to deliver a new “equally worthwhile” T20 tournament in its place.

She also made a personal commitment to working towards full professionalism, acknowledging that this had to be more than the few-thousand pounds players outside the fully contracted England elite currently make from the game.

The long-term intent is the right one – we need an elite T20 competition which involves the England contracted players. To quote England captain Heather Knight:

“Obviously Twenty20 international cricket is huge in the women’s game, so we need to make sure that from 2020 the structure below the new competition is right.”

But unfortunately there is a problem…

The KSL ends in 2019, and Connor doesn’t see full professionalism until at least 2024; but without full professionalism you can’t have a T20 competition which involves the England players!

Why? Well, oddly, it isn’t the England players who are the problem, but the amateurs who (without full professionalism) will make up the majority of the squads in The 100.

You see, the amateurs are… well… amateur – they have other jobs! And whilst it might be feasible to take 6 weeks of unpaid leave to play in The 100, for which (during those 6 weeks at least) they will be well-remunerated, taking another 4 weeks to play in the new T20 as well just isn’t going to fly with most employers.

This means the new T20 is initially going to have to be played at weekends… and not during The 100 in July/ August, obviously… and not during the international window in June/ July, or the England players would not get any domestic T20… and not during the County Championship window, which is currently May/ early June.

So when are they going to play it?

January?

It’s almost like no one thought about the implications of this before they irrevocably committed themselves to the policy! (Remind you of anything?)

Of course, there is an easy way to solve this problem: make The 100 a T20 tournament for the women. You can still have the same teams; you can still call it “The 100” – just make 120 balls rather than 100 – then you don’t have to play an additional T20 tourny!

But something tells me that would be far too much like having your cake and eating it… and no one wants that!

In the first round of the T20 Cup, the big excitement of the day took place off the field at Edgbaston Foundation Ground where Worcestershire, chasing 117 against Surrey made… 117. The question then was: what now? Super Over? Wickets down? Nobody there was sure, and a long discussion ensued, which included people texting us at Mill Hill, over 100 miles away!

We pored over the rules on our phones, alongside Martin from Women’s Cricket Blog, eventually concluding that we didn’t know either, because the playing conditions (which are in two separate documents – one general one for non-professional T20 in England, and one specifically for this competition) appear to have changed independently and now contradict each other.

The generic conditions suggest wickets down, whilst the T20 Cup conditions (which supersede the generic conditions) imply a Super Over, without actually explicitly saying so, because they refer to another section which… doesn’t appear to exist!

Only in women’s county cricket!!

In the end they decided not to play the Super Over and call it a tie, so that is how it has gone down for the moment, but this may change – we will keep you posted if it does!

(And yes – 4 points for a win, but only 1 for a tie.)

(And no… we’ve got no idea either!!)

On the actual field of play in Birmingham, Warwickshire beat Worcestershire and Surrey to go top on Net Run Rate. (Although in the final standings the result between the teams supersedes NRR.)

Middlesex avenged their County Championship relegation, beating Sussex and Yorkshire at Mill Hill with Sophia Dunkley continuing to press her case for a possible England call-up ahead of the T20 Tri-Series later this summer.

Finally Lancashire also took 2-from-2 with wins against Kent and Notts.

England huffed and puffed against South Africa at Worcester today, but a fine innings from Lizelle Lee was ultimately the difference between the two teams – South Africa winning by 7 wickets with 4 overs to spare.

Perhaps the turning point was Katherine Brunt’s disallowed catch, which would have sent Lee back to the pavilion on 68, leaving two new batters at the crease. Brunt certainly thought she’d caught it, telling the media after the game:

“I honestly believe I caught it, but obviously that’s not my decision – when it goes upstairs its their decision and I guess that’s the decision they made and that’s the one I’ve got to stick with.”

But in truth the match was arguably already long lost by that stage, with South Africa having done the hard work in the morning to reduce England to 64-6, with all their “proper” batsmen back in the pavilion.

Brunt’s innings of 72*, and in particular her partnership of 51 with Laura Marsh, did give them something to bowl at; and although Brunt’s innings wasn’t pretty, it was effective. It also came off the back of a half-century against Hampshire in the County Championship:

“That set me up for this game today,” she said. “I had to bat for a long time and the ball was seaming around, so it something that I’ve been doing. I’ve been waiting my whole career to be taken seriously in terms of batting and being a genuine all-rounder, and the more I can go out there and show that I can bat, I’m happy.”

And she believed England had done enough:

“I fancy our squad as a really good bowling side and I thought we could dig ourselves out from anything above 140. Once we got past 140 it was time to get as many as we possibly could and I truly believe coming out that we had enough to defend, because I back our bowlers.”

But that reckoned without Lizelle Lee, who played a quite untypical innings:

“It was a bit unlike her,” said Brunt. “She normally plays a lot more aggressively than that, so she didn’t give us as many opportunities this time. I thought she played quite sensibly and she took her opportunities when they came, but that’s what you can do when you are not chasing as many.”

As for Lee herself, she was typically modest, saying this was “up there” but not her best innings.

Did she think she was out to the Brunt “catch”?

“Honestly I did, but the guys called me from the top and said listen – wait – I think she could have dropped it, so I waited.”

“Then Dane [van Niekerk] started screaming at me: use this chance!”

And use it she did, finishing the match with a thumping 6 to consign England to defeat in their first home match since the World Cup final.

Interestingly, Lee thinks that South Africa are a better side than when England knocked them out in the semi finals on the way to their win at Lords:

“We’ve improved immensely! The World Cup was a great event for us – we batted well, we bowled well, and we didn’t do anything that bad in the semi-final – I think England were just a little bit better.”

“But now there’s 4 years to go until the next World Cup, so we have to go hard and use series like this teach you the confidence you need.”

And if one match can ever be a statement, this was it – South Africa are a serious side, with serious ambitions, and when it comes to the next World Cup they will be up there!

It was back in ’68 – 1868, to be precise – that a group of Aboriginal cricketers from Australia embarked upon the first ever cricket tour of England by an overseas side. It was a tough tour, by all accounts – one man, King Coal, died of tuberculosis and two others had to return to Australia due to ill-health. In all, the Aboriginals played 47 games, at grounds across the length and breadth of England, including The Oval – winning 14 matches, losing 14 and drawing the rest.

150 years later, two new Aboriginal XIs – men’s and women’s – have returned to follow in their footsteps – the men playing in shirts bearing the names of those original pioneers.

We caught up with Sally Moylan – formerly of Aussie state side ACT – who scored 24 runs against Surrey Women at The Oval.

“It’s a moment that I will cherish for ever,” she says.

“It means a lot coming to such an iconic ground as The Oval – it is where a lot of Test matches and famous cricket has been played, including the 1868 tour, which we hold dear to our hearts.”

“It is important, coming over here and reconnecting to that story and learning more about what took place here all those years ago – we went to Lords the other day and saw all the cases from that tour and the gifts that were brought with them.”

“So this tour has been 150 years in the making for us, speaking on behalf of the team. It is such a phenomenal moment and a moment that will live with us for ever – to come all that way to play here and to go on our own journey and start our own legacy, like those men did 150 years ago.”

“Hopefully in many years to come we will have more Aboriginal women playing the game and coming back here; and maybe in a hundred years I won’t be around, but we’ll see someone playing with Gardner on the back of their shirts.”

The Aboriginal Women’s XI were in the end well-beaten by a Surrey side which included England’s Bryony Smith, who hit 50 as Surrey posted 149-6 off their 20 overs, with Ashleigh Gardner talking 2-28.

Smith then went on to take a wicket with the first ball of the Aboriginal XI’s innings – Sara Darney caught by Priya Chatterji at cover – but it was captain Hannah Jones who was to steal the show with the ball, taking 5 wickets for 18 as the Aboriginal XI were bowled out for 113.

For Jones it was a nice warm-up prior to the County T20 Cup starting on Sunday:

“It was a good way to start our T20 season – we really enjoy playing at The Oval – and now we are looking forward to Worcestershire and Warwickshire on Sunday. Bryony Smith is in great form – nothing phases her and she continues to get runs, so we don’t mind her on our side!”

Despite leading the league all season, Hampshire still needed to take close-to maximum points from their final match against Middlesex to make sure of securing a maiden Women’s County Championship; but they did it… and they did it in style – taking all 18 points, and consigning unlucky Middlesex to relegation in the process.

Batting first, Hampshire were wobbling slightly at 64-4, but a century partnership between Ella Chandler (56) and Fi Morris (45) took them to within touching-distance of the 200 they needed for maximum bonus points, and Charlotte Edwards (20) did the rest.

With Yorkshire having already dropped a bonus point batting against Notts, the question then was whether Hampshire could win the game and take 5 wickets in the process. But in the end only Beth Morgan (43) made a significant dent in the scorebook, as Middlesex were bowled out for 144 and Hampshire celebrated without even needing to look at Yorkshire’s result.

Not that Yorkshire really had a bad day – New Zealand’s Leigh Kasperek top-scored with 68 and took 3-19 as they beat Notts by 74 runs; but by taking 7 wickets and scoring 96 for 4 bonus points, Notts did just enough to stay ahead of Middlesex and avoid relegation.

With Somerset already relegated, there were in fact four teams who could theoretically have joined them along with Notts and Middlesex. Lancashire would have to have been very, very unlucky with other results to be relegated; but Warwickshire were in 7th place going into the final day, without a win, but with two ties.

The Bears needed a big win, and they got one, posting 205 v Lancashire, thanks to Sophie Devine (50) and captain Marie Kelly (64). They then bowled Lancs out for 121 to live to fight another season in Div 1 in 2019.

So in the end it was Middlesex who went down to Div 2. Did they deserve relegation? Probably not, but then nor did Notts or Warwickshire – as the teams stand right now, Div 1 is one side too small; but unfortunately that’s the way things are, and although it will be of little consolation to Middlesex, I’d bet my last penny that they will be straight back up again next season.

Finally, at the very foot of the table, Somerset achieved a final day consolation win versus Kent, bowling them out for 126 and chasing the runs thanks to (who else?) Sophie Luff, who hit 76*.

So that’s that for another year! Congratulations to Hampshire; and commiserations to Somerset and Middlesex.

Next on the agenda for the counties is the T20 Cup (without all the England players), and then of course the Super League – so stay tuned and we’ll keep you covered!

Even without their England players, Sussex proved too strong for Berkshire in a one-sided match at North Maidenhead, which confirmed Sussex’s promotion back to Div 1 of the Women’s County Championship.

With Sussex without Georgia Elwiss, Danni Wyatt and Sarah Taylor, Berkshire might have felt hopeful, even while missing their own England talisman, Heather Knight; but put into bat by Sussex, the Beavers were soon in desperate trouble.

Lissy Macleod was brilliantly caught by Abi Freeborn at second slip off Freya Davies with just 8 on the board, bringing Carla Rudd – suffering with a hand injury after a cycling accident in the week – to the crease. Rudd and Emily Cunningham took the score on to 20, before Cunningham skied a catch to Davies at mid on, precipitating a collapse which saw Rudd, Lauren Bell and Ashleigh Muttitt all sent back to the pavilion in quick succession, leaving Berkshire on the brink at 21-5.

A 54-run partnership between Annabel Flack (27) and Phoebe Graham (29) held back the Sussex tidal wave for a while; but both were dismissed by Chiara Green, who took 3-13, and no other Berkshire batsman made a single run – the Beavers finishing all out for a disappointing 94.

In the chase, Georgia Adams was dismissed early – LBW to Graham; but Chiara Green and youngster Ella McCaughan took Sussex past 50, before Green spooned Emma Walker to Lissy Macleod at mid on and McCaughan gave a regulation catch to Carla Rudd, fielding at cover due to her hand injury.

But the damage was already done and Abi Freeborn (27*) and Paige Scholfield (13*) steered Sussex home – Scholfield hitting the only 6 of the match to cow corner in the process.

The result confirmed Sussex as winners of Div 2, and they will be back where they belong, in Div 1 of the Women’s County Championship, next season.

Afterwards, Raf Nicholson spoke to a very happy Sussex skipper, Georgia Adams.

The Women’s County Championship reaches a finale this weekend, with lots still to play for in both the top 2 divisions.

Bonus points could be critical – here is a reminder of how they work:

Batting First

75 Runs = 1 Bonus Point; 100 = 2; 150 = 3; 200 = 4

Batting Second

1.5 Runs-Per-Over = 1 Bonus Point, 2 = 2; 3= 3; 4 = 4

Bowling

3 Wickets = 1 Bonus Point, 5 = 2; 7 = 3; 9 = 4

So… what do they need to do?

NB – IF YOU ARE A PLAYER, DO YOUR OWN MATHS – WE THINK THIS IS RIGHT, BUT DON’T DEPEND ON IT!!

Div 1

TABLE

Hampshire, Yorkshire or Kent could win the title. Somerset are already relegated, and one of Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Middlesex or Warwickshire will join them.

Hampshire v Middlesex – Win with 7 or 8 bonus points to be certain of being champions; or else drop no more than 1 bonus point compared with Yorkshire.

Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire – Make up 2 bonus points on Hampshire to be champions.

Kent v Somerset – Win big and hope Hampshire and Yorkshire both lose to be champions.

Lancashire v Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire & Middlesex v Hampshire – Win to make 100% sure they stay up. (There is a chance any of the three could be relegated if they lose badly and other results go against them.)

Warwickshire v Lancashire – Win big and hope other results go their way to avoid relegation.

Somerset v Kent – Already relegated.

Div 2

TABLE

Two of Sussex, Surrey and Wales will be promoted. Derbyshire and Northamptonshire are already relegated; but everyone except Sussex and Surrey could theoretically be relegated, with the 6th placed side going into a play-off vs one of the top Div 3 sides.

Sussex v Berkshire & Surrey v Essex – Win to guarantee promotion; or hope Wales don’t win big.

Wales v Devon – Win big, and hope one of Sussex or Surrey lose big.

Devon v Wales, Berkshire v Sussex & Essex v Surrey – Win and hope other results go their way to avoid the play-off.

Derbyshire v Northamptonshire & Northamptonshire v Derbyshire – Both already relegated.