It was an excellent weekend for Middlesex, who achieved a nail-biting win against Surrey on Sunday by a mere 4 runs as Danni Warren ended with figures of 5-34. They followed this up with an 8-wicket victory against Lancashire yesterday to finish the weekend top of Division 1 with an average of 17 points.

Middlesex captain Izzy Westbury, speaking exclusively to CRICKETher, said:

“Sitting pretty at the top of the league is a novelty for us! It’s a great start, but nothing to be complacent about. We’re always striving to improve and with some tough games still ahead there’s lots to be done. We know how tough it’s going to be to keep that spot but we’re confident that we have the ability to beat any team in the league. Onwards and upwards!”

Middlesex’s main challengers for the top spot at the moment look to be Kent, who also had a successful weekend, achieving two convincing victories against both Lancashire (by 8 wickets) and Nottinghamshire (by 127 runs). Laura Marsh took a career-best 5-15 against Notts and looks set to be marking out her spot in England’s starting XI for the Ashes come July.

Meanwhile in Division 2, Staffordshire and Somerset are now joint front-runners, with both on an average of 18 points (though Somerset have played one less game). For Staffordshire, the highlight came yesterday in their 6-wicket victory over Ireland, as glove-butler Francesca James smashed 52 off 26 balls, including five sixes!

Somerset also enjoyed a huge win yesterday in their game against Devon, with Devon falling short by 118 runs as their overseas star Lizelle Lee took 3-18 in her 10 overs. Lee also starred with the bat as both she and Sophie Luff (111 and 109* respectively) hit centuries.

A full summary of the weekend’s matches is below:

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 1

Berkshire / Nottinghamshire – Alex Blackwell (38) and Heather Knight (34) starred with the bat as Berkshire hit 182-8 in their 50 overs, then bowled Notts out for just 145, with Jenny Gunn’s 52* being the only resistance. Full report here.

Kent / Lancashire Thunder – Lancashire got their total up to 180-8 thanks to Kate Cross’s 68, but Charlotte Edwards hit a half-century to take Kent to 142-2. Play had to be halted after 33 overs due to rain; and Kent won due to their superior run rate.

Surrey / Middlesex – Surrey looked to be on top after Rachel Candy’s 4-21 saw them bowl Middlesex out in only 41.4 overs for 170. But Surrey then suffered a middle-order batting collapse and ended 166 all out, with Middlesex winning by 4 runs.

Sussex / Warwickshire – Sussex beat Warwickshire convincingly by 7 wickets, as Holly Colvin’s 2-17 off 10 overs saw the Bears struggle to 148-9 in their 50 overs. A 93-run partnership between Sarah Taylor (74) and Izzy Collis (32*) then saw Sussex home. More details here.

DIVISION 1 – ROUND 2

Berkshire / Yorkshire – Yorkshire bowled Berkshire out for 104 as Danielle Hazell’s 6-28 made batting look impossible, then strolled to a 9-wicket victory thanks to big-hitting from Lauren Winfield (42*) and Katherine Brunt (41*). Full report here.

Kent / Nottinghamshire – Kent won by a mammoth 127 runs. Laura Marsh starred, hitting 58 and sharing a big partnership with Lydia Greenway (57) to take her side to 214-7, before knocking over Notts for just 87 with a career-best 5-15.

Middlesex / Lancashire Thunder – Middlesex bowled Lancashire out for 101 (captain Izzy Westbury finished with 3-15) and knocked off the required runs in just 27.3 overs, winning by 8 wickets.

Surrey / Warwickshire – in a tight game, Georgia Hennessey top-scored for Warwickshire with 66, taking her team to 176-9, which looked to be a good total after Surrey lost wickets early, including England’s Nat Sciver for her second golden duck of the season. A battling 34* from Sarah Clarke then took Surrey to within touching distance of victory – but they eventually fell short by 6 runs.

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 1

Devon / Wales – Jodie Dibble made a glorious century as Devon set Wales a target of 218, though this was reduced to 140 after rain shortened the Wales innings. Lauren Parfitt hit 46 but Wales still fell short, finishing on 136 in the allotted 32 overs.

Durham / Staffordshire – Staffordshire amassed 244 in their 50 overs thanks to brilliant innings from Evelyn Jones (115*) and Molly Strano (80*), then bowled Durham out for 150 to finish with a 94-run victory.

Essex / Ireland – In a low-scoring game, Ireland’s 139 proved to be just enough, as Essex were once again disappointing with the bat. Ireland’s Kim Garth starred with bat and ball, hitting 49* and taking 3-20 to bowl Essex out for 123, as Ireland won by 16 runs.

Worcestershire / Scotland – Abbit Aitken’s 5-34 was the highlight for Scotland, though Worcestershire still managed to clock up 211-9 in their 50 overs. Extras then top-scored for Scotland with 46, as they failed to chase down the required runs, leaving Worcestershire with a 32-run victory to their name.

DIVISION 2 – ROUND 2

Durham / Scotland – Scotland concluded a disappointing weekend by being bowled out for just 50 (including 30* from Elizabeth Priddle), to give Durham the win.

Somerset / Devon – Somerset achieved maximum points after clocking up a massive 312-2 including centuries from Lizelle Lee and Sophie Luff. Chasing a total of over 300 was always going to be a difficult ask for Devon and so it proved, as they were bowled out for 195 (Dibble 54).

Staffordshire / Ireland – ireland were bowled out for 133 and Staffordshire raced to a 6-wicket victory, thanks largely to a stonking 52 in 26 balls from keeper Francesca James, including five sixes.

Worcestershire / Wales – This proved to be the tightest encounter of the weekend, with Worcestershire emerging the victors by a mere 2 runs. Worcestershire’s Clare Boycott hit 53 and was well-supported by keeper Lauren Rowles (44) as they set Wales a target of 177. Wales were left requiring 3 off the last ball for victory, thanks to a late-order cameo by number 9 batsman Rose Evans (21). But overseas pace bowler Sian Ruck (3-28) had Evans caught off the last ball of the innings, and Worcestershire celebrated victory.

On a difficult batting pitch, it was Berkshire’s bowling unit that shone as they bowled Nottinghamshire out for 145 to achieve their first win of the season, triumphing by 37 runs.

Photo (C) Ruth Conchie

With Berkshire defending 182, opener Daisy Gardner, bowling with pace and movement, looked fired up from the outset, removing Notts opener Zoe Richards with only the fourth ball of their innings, LBW for a duck.

Then in Gardner’s next over, Danni Wyatt was run out. Looking to take a sharp single, backing up off an LBW appeal, she was sent back but slipped. Berkshire celebrated the wicket, but it soon became apparent that Wyatt was in some pain with her shoulder, and it was several minutes before she was able to walk off; with hospital scans later showing a dislocated shoulder and a minor muscle tear but no serious damage.

Photo (C) Ruth Conchie

It then went from bad to worse for Notts, as Sonia Odedra was adjudged to have edged Heather Knight behind for the Outlaws’ second duck, leaving them 5/3. Notts’ veteran ex-England glove-butler Jane Smit provided some fight-back in the early part of the innings, before being brilliantly caught by Heather Knight, running backwards at mid off from the bowling of Fi Morris. It was then Jenny Gunn who took up the resistance, with a cool and collected 52*, but the drip-drip-drip of wickets continued, and Gunn eventually ran out of partners as Berkshire celebrated victory in the 47th over.

Earlier, Berkshire had won the toss and elected to bat on what captain Knight described as looking like a “belter of a pitch”. However, appearances were deceptive and runs proved difficult to come by against a quality Notts attack. Opening the bowling, Sonia Odedra looked every bit an international-class bowler; while Danni Wyatt sent down 10 metronomic overs, returning an excelent 2/17.

Knight played well, taking most of the runs from an opening stand of 56 with Alex Rogers, before being comprehensively bowled, playing down the District Line to Jenny Gunn. All eyes were then looking out for Aussie superstar Alex Blackwell, but she opted to come in at her usual position of 3-down, pairing conservative stroke-play with some assertive running to keep the scoreboard ticking, if not tocking, at around 3 runs per over.

By the 40-over mark, Berkshire were 130/6. They were able to accelerate a bit in the last 10 overs, but finishing on 182, they still fell some way short of the 200 needed for maximum batting bonus points, perhaps showing the unfairness of that system in these kind of circumstances.

However, it proved to be enough for the win and by bowling Notts out, maximum bowling bonus points were achieved*.

After the game, Berkshire captain Heather Knight told CRICKETher:

“There were 500 runs scored on this pitch yesterday but it was pretty slow today! Our plan was to try and bowl really straight and our bowlers executed it brilliantly.”

Berkshire will be hoping for a repeat performance in today’s match against Yorkshire, also at Finchampstead.

——————

* Technically… by taking 9 wickets, maximum bowling points are achieved.

Middlesex 126-7 (Wilson 46) beat Surrey 100-4 (Smith 34) by 26 runs

On a sunny summer evening at the Oval, it was Middlesex who emerged as the inaugural winners of the Pemberton Greenish Cup after Fran Wilson’s 46 saw them reach a total of 126-7 in their 20 overs.

Surrey struggled to achieve the required rate of just above 6 an over from the outset, with no runs coming off the bat until a single from Kirstie White in the third over.

And it took until the 7^th over for their first boundary, as Holly Knight drove the ball through mid-on. She was dismissed two balls later, however, holing out to Izzy Westbury at cover off the bowling of Danni Warren, leaving them 29-1.

There was hope for Surrey yet, with wickets in hand, but the pressure mounted after Alex Hartley bowled two successive maidens. With the required run rate up to 10, White attempted to hit out against Westbury’s off-spin, but sent the ball into the hands of Naomi Dattani at mid-wicket and was out for 12.

It was a spectacular low diving catch, symptomatic of Middlesex’s sharp performance in the field, which considerably restricted the ability of their opponents to score freely throughout the innings. Even England’s Nat Sciver did not look able to up the rate, hitting just 9 off 12 balls before being clean bowled by Sophia Dunkley in the 14^th over. The highlight for Surrey was a swift 34* (27 balls) from Bryony Smith, but it came too late to make a difference.

Surrey eventually finished on 100-4, falling 27 runs short of their target.

Earlier, Middlesex had been left reeling at 4-2 in the third over, after Rachel Candy clean bowled Dunkley for a duck with just the second ball of the game, then trapped Catherine Dalton lbw for 2.

But Natasha Miles fought back for Middlesex, hitting three boundaries off the next over before being bowled by Surrey’s captain Cecily Scutt for 15.

Anna Nicholls (28) then provided good support for Wilson as the pair helped Middlesex accelerate with a 57-run partnership. The runs came mainly in singles at first, but Wilson’s fluency improved throughout and she finished with four boundaries to her name.

She eventually departed in the final over, run out at the striker’s end as she and Dattani (16*) attempted to force through yet another single.

After Middlesex celebrated their victory with champagne on the outfield, captain Izzy Westbury told CRICKETher:

“I feel elated. After those first 3 overs I definitely didn’t think we’d win it! But we played as a team and everybody pulled through.

It’s given us a lot of confidence going into our next round of County Championship matches this weekend.”

Meanwhile Surrey, who are currently top of the County Championship, will be hoping for revenge in their Championship game against Middlesex at Reeds School on Sunday.

The ECB have announced that their decision to uphold the original tied result in the Kent-Sussex Championship match on Monday 4th May will stand.

Comments from the Kent CEO Jamie Clifford made earlier this week had previously called the ECB’s decision into question, after he stated that Kent did not believe that there had been an “appropriate review” into the controversial outcome, and that “a number of questions remain[ed] unanswered”.

However, the ECB’s spokesperson Beth Wild has confirmed to CRICKETher that the original result will stand, stating:

“The outcome was fully examined by Nick Cousins, the head of the ECB’s Association of Cricket Officials, and we are no longer reviewing the umpires’ decision. The tied result will not change.”

“Jamie Clifford has been in touch with us to check that the appeal was conducted properly, and to confirm that the umpires had not been unduly influenced by the Sussex players.”

“We hope that the matter is now resolved.”

The ECB also confirmed that they are aware of Kent coach Stuart Eddicott’s tweet, which branded their decision “shameful”, and that they had requested that contracted England and Kent player Tammy Beaumont remove her original “favourite” of the tweet.

Kent have been given the option to refer the decision to the ECB’s Recreational Cricket Group, which meets tomorrow, should they wish to pursue the matter further. However, given that the grounds for their original appeal are still unclear (there is nothing in the playing regulations to allow for such a procedure), it is presumably unlikely that they will do so.

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.

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.

England captain Charlotte Edwards has strongly hinted on twitter that she intends to retire in the wake of the 2017 World Cup.

In a tweet sent yesterday to current head of women’s cricket at the ECB, Clare Connor, regarding the London Marathon, Edwards stated: “Totally got this!! #2018”

It is unlikely that with her current commitments as captain – England Women were awarded professional contracts in February last year – Edwards would be able to consider taking part in the London Marathon until after she retires from international cricket.

Edwards, who is now aged 35, has previously stated that her aim is to keep playing for England until the 2017 World Cup, which is due to take place in England. This, though, is the strongest evidence yet that she intends to retire in the wake of the tournament.

It would certainly be a fitting way to end a career which began in 1996, when Edwards was just 16 and women’s international cricket was still being played in skirts. She has been a prolific run-scorer ever since, and remains a mainstay of England’s batting, having amassed (to date) 1645 runs in Tests, 5812 in ODIs and 2299 in T20s.

She took over the captaincy from Connor in 2006, and recently led England out for the 200th time, making her the most long-standing captain in the history of English cricket.