By Raf Nicholson & Syd Egan

The regional T20 competition is structured similarly, although it begins slightly later (in June), with the top 3 teams progressing to a Finals Day on 5 September. (The full regional fixture list can be downloaded here.)

The schedule means that each region’s England players are likely to only be available for the opening four rounds of the RHF, missing out on the later rounds and the grand final. They will also be absent for the entirety of the T20 competition.

That will add to both the opportunities and the pressures faced by the 41 new domestic professionals who were handed contracts last December. This Saturday, that group will be facing the exciting yet daunting prospect of their first competitive cricket as professional cricketers. Some will flourish in the new system… but some may find it a difficult adjustment to make, just as the England players did back in 2014.

It’s also worth remembering that for the T20 competition, the 8 teams have been divided into two groups: Group A, containing reigning champions Southern Vipers, as well as South East Stars, Central Sparks and Lightning; and Group B, which consists of last year’s runners-up Northern Diamonds, plus Western Storm, Sunrisers and Thunder. In theory the groups should be evenly matched – the allocations are based on seedings from performances in last year’s RHF Trophy – but things might go differently in practice.

(Scroll down to the bottom to see each team’s full squads for this season.)

WHO’S GOING TO WIN IT?

Raf: Western Storm were unlucky to miss out on the final last year, falling foul of the North / South group system which meant that only one of the southern-based teams could progress. This time around, the seeding system means that they have every chance of getting there. I’d argue that with 6 professionals (instead of the 5 which all other regions have), they have a built-in advantage. I’m especially keen to see what a winter of proper training has done for all-rounder Georgia Hennessy, who when I spoke to her in March described the whole process as “mental but amazing”.

Syd: Southern Vipers’ 44-run warm-up victory last weekend against South East Stars shows why they will be the team to beat again this season. Despite losing openers Georgia Adams (retired hurt) and Danni Wyatt cheaply, they recovered to 231-7 off a reduced 45 overs, thanks to Maia Bouchier (79) and Georgia Elwiss (51) and then Emily Windsor closing out with a run-a-ball 31 having come in at 6. Of course they will lose Wyatt and Elwiss to England duty, but they’ve got the likes of Ella Chandler, who has shown some good early-season form for Hampshire, plus Paige Scholfield making her return from back surgery, to come in to the batting line-up. In the bowling department, they may miss Lauren Bell if she is selected for England, but they will still have Tara Norris, who has put on a yard of pace over the winter, and new mystery spinner Finty Trussler, alongside last year’s leading wicket-taker, Charlotte Taylor. No one could stop Vipers last year, and it will take a very good team to change that this year.

WHO WILL GET THE WOODEN SPOON?

Syd: This is a tough call, because from what we’ve seen at county, everyone has improved over the winter – the players, even the “non-pros”, are fitter than they’ve ever been, and they are savvier too. They are hitting the ball harder, and they are hitting the ball smarter; and I think we’ll see this in the results, so the table at the end of the season will look a bit more like last year’s North Group, where top and bottom were separated by just 15 points, than the South Group, where the equivalent gap was a whopping 27 points. If I have to chose one, I’ll plump for Thunder to take home the wooden spoon, but I think it will be much closer at the bottom than it will be at the top.

Raf: I reckon that Trevor Griffin has got his work cut out with Sunrisers. He may be the man who coached Western Storm to two KSL titles in four years, but his side looked to be the weakest of the bunch last year. Essex have again struggled in this season’s county matches, finishing bottom of the South East Group in the County T20s (admittedly it was a tough group to be drawn in). It’ll be interesting to see whether his young side can rise to the challenge this time around.

T20 WINNERS?

Raf: With no England players available for the T20s, and the possibility of some younger players also being included in this summer’s England squad, there’s a real chance for Northern Diamonds to take advantage. More than any other side, it feels like they have a core of experienced players who know how to go about their business in domestic cricket (waves at Katie Levick). Plus, if this season really is to be Jenny Gunn’s last hurrah (we wouldn’t want to speculate about that…) she’ll be keen for it to be a good one.

Syd: I think the South East Stars could come good in the T20s. With big hitters like Bryony Smith, Alice Capsey and Susie Rowe in the line-up there will be runs aplenty; plus look out for newcomer Emma Jones adding to the young talent in their bowling attack – a product of Felsted School (where Vipers wicket keeper Carla Rudd is Head of Girls’ Cricket), she is currently studying to be a vet at Cambridge University.

BREAKTHROUGH KID?

Syd: For years, England have been looking for a hard-hitting left-handed batter – could Sunrisers’ 17-year-old Grace Scrivens be the answer to their prayers? Having announced herself with a run-a-ball 72 against Western Storm last year, she comes into this season as Kent’s leading run-scorer in the County T20s, with 227 runs including 94 off 62 balls against Surrey. If she hasn’t played for England by the end of 2021, it might only be because exciting young batters seem to be like London buses right now – you wait ages for one, and then two come along at once…

Raf: The live streams in the inaugural RHF Trophy meant that Alice Capsey’s name suddenly became more widely known, and for good reason too. Maybe it’s because she’s only 16, but there is a fearlessness about her batting that I can’t help but admire. This year, she’s already finished the County T20 competition as Surrey’s leading run-scorer (134 runs) AND leading wicket-taker (8 wickets in total), plus scored 74 in the Stars’ warm-up against Vipers. I raved about her last year and I’ll likely be doing the exact same thing this season!

GOLDEN OLDIE?

Raf: Ex-England batter Susie Rowe seemed doubtful that she would even be selected by Stars a few weeks ago, but maybe she was just being modest. As we discussed in our Vodcast after seeing her top-score on a tricky pitch for Kent against Essex in the London Championship, her natural talent means she is still oodles above most other county players, despite a five-year absence from top-level cricket to focus on hockey. I love the fact that regionals (and The Hundred) are giving us an opportunity to see her bossing the middle order once again.

Syd: Is Sophie Luff a “Golden Oldie”? She is only 27; but having started young, making her Somerset debut at 15, she is very much a survivor from the amateur era. The best player of her generation (possibly ever?) never to have played for England, Luff has been one of the most consistent batters in the county game for the past decade; and although she was forced to play a supporting role to the Western Storm’s international stars during the KSL, she rarely disappointed when she did get her chance – most significantly holding her nerve in the 2017 final, making 30 not out off 24 balls to help the Storm over the line. In short, she always comes to the party – usually bringing a nice bottle of something too – and there’s no reason to think 2021 will be any exception. 

OVERALL MVP?

Syd: For me, there is only one candidate: Lightning and Scotland’s Ms Bryce. After her performances last year, which saw her top our player rankings, Bryce has spent her first winter as a professional cricketer training at Loughborough, and although she will miss some of the domestic season due to her international commitments, she looks set to be a dominant force again for Lightning again this summer. [Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done here! Ed.]

Raf: Of course the England players will be the stars of the first few rounds, but an MVP is someone who won’t disappear mid-season, yet still has experience of high-pressure cricket. It’s a bit left field but I’m going to go for Thunder captain Alex Hartley – she’s been there and got the England t-shirt, and now she has the chance to share some of her acquired wisdom with a young Thunder team which will heavily rely on her to show them the ropes. She’ll certainly be Thunder’s MVP!

FULL SQUADS:

Southern Vipers: Georgia Adams (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Ella Chandler, Charlie Dean, Ariana Dowse, Georgia Elwiss, Gemma Lane, Cassidy McCarthy, Ella McCaughan, Alice Monaghan, Tara Norris, Carla Rudd, Paige Scholfield, Charlotte Taylor, Finty Trussler, Emily Windsor, Danni Wyatt.

South East Stars: Tash Farrant (captain), Bryony Smith (vice-captain), Chloe Brewer, Alice Capsey, Kira Chathli, Aylish Cranstone, Alice Davidson-Richards, Freya Davies, Sophia Dunkley, Eva Gray, Dani Gregory, Grace Gibbs, Emma Jones, Hannah Jones, Phoebe Franklin, Kalea Moore, Rhianna Southby, Susie Rowe, Kirstie White.

Western Storm: Sophie Luff (captain), Fi Morris, Georgia Hennessy, Danielle Gibson, Nat Wraith, Alex Griffiths, Heather Knight, Anya Shrubsole, Katie George, Nicole Harvey, Lauren Parfitt, Lauren Filer, Mollie Robbins, Emma Corney, Steph Hutchins, Emily Edgcombe, Niamh Holland, Bethan Gammon.

Thunder: Alex Hartley (captain), Georgie Boyce, Nat Brown, Alice Clarke, Piepa Cleary, Danielle Collins, Kate Cross, Rebecca Duckworth, Alice Dyson, Sophie Ecclestone, Liberty Heap, Laura Jackson, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Laura Marshall, Daisy Mullan, Ellie Threlkeld, Sophia Turner.

Lightning: Kathryn Bryce (captain), Sarah Bryce, Lucy Higham, Bethan Ellis, Abigail Freeborn, Leah Kellogg, Grace Ballinger, Alicia Presland, Nancy Harman, Shachi Pai, Sophie Munro, Teresa Graves, Kirstie Gordon, Tammy Beaumont, Yvonne Graves, Sonia Odedra, Michaela Kirk, Beth Harmer.

Northern Diamonds: Hollie Armitage, Katherine Brunt, Ami Campbell, Leah Dobson, Helen Fenby, Phoebe Graham, Jenny Gunn, Bess Heath, Rachel Hopkins, Sterre Kalis, Beth Langston, Katie Levick, Alex Macdonald, Natalie Sciver, Rachel Slater, Linsey Smith, Ella Telford, Lauren Winfield-Hill.

Sunrisers: Amara Carr (captain), Naomi Dattani (vice-captain), Kelly Castle, Kate Coppack, Jo Gardner, Gayatri Gole, Cordelia Griffith, Lissy Macleod, Katie Midwood, Sonali Patel, Mia Rogers, Grace Scrivens, Katherine Speed, Emily Thorpe, Mady Villiers, Katie Wolfe, Emily Woodhouse, Fran Wilson.

Central Sparks: Eve Jones (captain), Amy Jones, Sarah Glenn, Emily Arlott, Issy Wong, Marie Kelly, Gwenan Davies, Anisha Patel, Poppy Davies, Chloe Hill, Calre Boycott, Liz Russell, Thea Brookes, Georgia Davis, Milly Home, Hannah Baker, Grace Potts, Steph Butler, Ria Fackrell.

The points were shared between Surrey and Hampshire in the latest round of T20 Cup action at Totton & Eling CC in Southampton, with Surrey winning the first match by 4 runs, and Hampshire the second by a DLS adjusted 11 runs.

On a day that was warmer than recent weekends, but which still couldn’t truthfully be described as “warm”, Surrey got off to a racing start batting first in the opening game. Thanks to Alice Capsey (17 off 17) and Amy Gordon (33 off 32) they pillaged 44 runs from the first 5 overs; but the loss of Capsey – caught behind, hanging her bat out to a ball from Gemma Lane which lifted outside off stump – was the beginning of a very long end for Surrey. Having gone at a run rate of nearly 9 in the first 5, they managed considerably less than half that thereafter, finishing on 104 all out off the final ball, with Hampshire’s new secret weapon – mystery spinner Finty Trussler – taking 3 wickets in the last over to top the bowling figures with 3-15.

It was a total which was going to take a fine performance in the field from Surrey to defend; but that’s exactly what they produced – typified by Amy Gordon who took 3 catches in the outfield, including a stunning one-hander over her left shoulder to dismiss Abbie Whybrow in the penultimate over. Despite an innings of 46 not out from Charlie Dean, and a last-ball maximum from Sophie Mitchelmore, Hampshire finished 4 short for the loss of 7 wickets.

With Hampshire batting first in the second game, they chose to bump Mitchelmore up the order, and she didn’t disappoint, making 43* off 42 balls, as Hampshire posted 120-5.

Surrey’s reply was interrupted by rain, eventually leaving them with the task of reaching a DLS adjusted 102 from 16 overs. But with Trussler again in the wickets, taking 3-16, they fell well short, finishing on 90-9 to leave honours even on the day.

Hampshire rebounded from a brace of defeats to Middlesex on the opening day of the county season with two wins against Sussex at the Aldridge Academy in Brighton, thanks to 7 wickets from 17-year-old newcomer Finty Trussler, and 50 runs from the bat of opener Ella Chandler.

Afterwards, Hampshire skipper Charlie Dean told CRICKETher:

“It was a tough start last weekend, but it is good to bounce back with a couple of really good wins.”

“It was a touch pitch to play on, and I think that showed from the scores that were set, but we managed to adapt to it slightly better and ended up on top.”

“Ella was brilliant – it’s good that she can bat through, and she’s really using that role at the top of the order.”

“Finty debuted against Middlesex last weekend – she’s a really exciting leg-spinner, and I think that showed with her figures.”

Having won the toss and elected to bat in the opening game, Chandler and Maia Bouchier got Hampshire off to a racing start. Vipers pro Tara Norris appears to have put on a yard of pace over the winter, but Chandler and Bouchier turned it to their advantage to hit her opening over for 9; and by the end of the powerplay Hampshire had reached 43-2, going at over 7 an over.

Hampshire couldn’t quite keep up that scoring rate, losing wickets periodically through the middle overs; but with Chandler playing the anchor role, batting through to the 18th over for 41 off 50 balls, they finished up on a respectable 114-8.

In reply, Sussex lost Georgia Adams early, bowled by Gemma Lane; but this brought Sarah Taylor to the crease. Taylor reached a characteristically effortless 28 off 24 balls, and looked to be threatening to take the game away from Hampshire, until she was bowled by Charlie Dean with one that kept low.

This opened things up for Trussler to come on and rip through the lower order, taking 4-12 from her 4 overs, including a magnificent low running catch at deep mid on from Western Storm pro Fi Morris to dismiss Millie Taylor – one of no less than four Taylors involved in the match – Millie, twin sister Mary, Southern Viper Charlotte and former England wicket keeper Sarah.

Sussex were eventually bowled out for just 67 from 18 overs, Hampshire winning by a massive 47 runs.

After winning her second toss of the day, Charlie Dean invited Sussex to keep batting, and they made a slightly better fist of things the second time around, reaching 90-5 – Sarah Taylor making 29* off 28, and Georgia Adams 29 off 44, as Trussler picked up another 3 wickets for 13 runs.

In the chase, Ella Chandler was soon into her stride again, but her innings was cut short after she was hit on the helmet by a bouncer that didn’t bounce from Tara Norris, leading her to sensibly retire not out for 9, due to the possibility of concussion.

This left it to Charlie Dean and Fi Morris to scamper home, which they did with 5 overs to spare, for the loss of just 1 wicket – Dean finishing 26* and Morris 47* off 41, to give Hampshire their second win of the day.

11.00 – Welcome to the Battle of the Vipers! We are at Brighton to watch Hampshire take on Sussex in two T20 matches. EXCITING NEWS that Sarah Taylor will be keeping wicket today for Sussex as part of her domestic comeback. Her first competitive cricket since 2019. Her quality endures!

11.02 – Ella Chandler and Maia Bouchier are opening the batting after Hampshire won the toss – Chandler fresh from helping her club side Aldershot to a big win against Hursley Park yesterday. Chandler edges Tara Norris’s first ball over the head of first slip – it’s all happening here! They take 9 off it – 9-0 after the first over.

11.10 – WICKET! After a couple of lovely shots, Bouchier miscues a pull shot and is caught at deep square leg. Good low catch from Cassidy McCarthy. New pro Tara Norris looks to have gained a bit of pace over the summer! Hampshire 17-1.

11.22 – WICKET! Chiara Green turns one into Charlie Dean and bowls her. 42-2 in the 6th.

11.39 – WICKET! Sarah Taylor is in the action and whips off the bails to have Fi Morris stumped off a wide – her trademark! At the halfway stage, Hampshire are 61-3 – Chandler 30*.

11.57 – WICKET! Sussex finally break the Chandler-Ariana Dowse partnership – Dowse falls LBW to Mary Taylor. The pair added 32 for that wicket – 88-4 in the 16th.

12.01 – WICKET! Some scrambling going on here – Abbie Whybrow has been dropped twice and had to dive to get home on the first occasion after ball-watching, but she is hanging on out there… Finally Tara Norris hangs onto a c&b and Whybrow goes. Hampshire 97-5 with 3 overs to come.

12.06 – WICKET! Mary Taylor picks up her second – Alice Monaghan clean bowled for a duck.

12.11 – WICKET! Chandler has been holding it together for Hampshire, but falls 9 runs short of her half-century – run out by a direct hit from cover. She’s looked in very good touch today so Charlotte Edwards (who is here watching) will be pleased!

12.18 – Hampshire finish on 114-8. Innings tailed off a bit towards the end, and Sarah Taylor picked up another stumping in the final over. Sussex probably favourites here.

12.35 – WICKET! That’s a big one. Last year’s star of the RHF Georgia Adams is bowled by Gemma Lane and trudges off for just 1. Sussex 1-1… and that brings Sarah Taylor to the crease. Looking forward to this!

12.48 – Alice Monaghan making Sarah Taylor duck and dive a bit in her opening over! Sussex 14-1 after 5 overs.

13.02 – WICKET! That is HUGE for Hampshire. Just as Taylor looked to be getting into her stride, Charlie Dean comes on and fools her with some uneven bounce – she is bowled for 28. Sussex are 42-2 in the 9th and behind the rate – could that be the tipping point?

13.08 – WICKET! Ella Mac never quite got going today and Fi Morris finally puts her out of her misery – she goes caught behind for 10 off 25 balls.

13.16 – WICKET! Dean gets her second – Norris tries to reverse her but is caught at short third man. Great running catch from Finty Trussler (who we’ve never seen before but what a brilliant name!)

13.22 – WICKET! Trussler chimes in with the ball now. Chiara Green mistimed a drive to Fi Morris at long on – well held by Morris. Sussex 57-5 after 14 overs. This game is definitely heading in Hampshire’s direction.

13.27 – WICKET! Monaghan beats Emily Spooner for pace, and she is bowled. Identical twins Taylor and Taylor now at the crease. Pity the poor scorer because no one can tell them apart!

13.32 – WICKETS! Trussler takes two in two! One of the Taylors (don’t ask me which) falls caught behind and then Cassidy McCarthy skies one. Sussex 64-8 after 15 overs.

13.35 – WICKET. Poor running from Sussex – Beth Harvey is run out for 1.

13.38 – Hat trick ball for Trussler! Taylor gets an edge but it flies over the keeper’s head.

13.39 – HAMPSHIRE WIN (by a lot). Fi Morris takes a brilliant catch in the deep and Sussex are bowled out for 67 in 18 overs. Finty Trussler finishes with excellent figures of 4-12.

———

14.40 – Play underway here in the second T20 at Brighton. Sussex batting first this time. They’ve been allowed to start a bit earlier than 3pm as both sides have agreed, as it’s “only” a friendly.

14.57 – Sussex 18-0 at the end of a very sedate powerplay.

15.05 – WICKET! Ella Mac swings and misses and is bowled by Fi Morris. Sussex 36-1 off 8 overs.

15.12 – After 10 overs, Sussex are 47-1 – have picked up the pace somewhat. Gads 25*.

15.18 – WICKET! Fi Morris gets another and it’s Adams this time, who is given out LBW. Got in a muddle with that one and didn’t seem to move her feet. 54-2 after 12.

15.20 – New batter Tara Norris is batting in short sleeves. It’s about minus 5 degrees. Brave, or stupid? 😁

15.24 – WICKET! Norris can go and put a jumper on now. Slashed wildly outside off stump and caught behind. Finty Trussler has another!

15.34 – Syd says that if this over was a spy novel it would be called “Taylor Taylor Taylor Spy”. (Charlotte bowling to Sarah and Mary.) Sussex 75-3 after 17.

15.46 – WICKETS! Mary Taylor stumped and Chiara Green bowled in the last over – two more scalps in the bag for Trussler, who has picked up 7 wickets in total today. Sarah Taylor stranded on 29*, while Sussex finish on 90-5, which Hampshire should really be able to chase… if the weather holds!

16.03 – Hampshire’s chase begins with an early WICKET – Bouchier holes out to deep square leg in the first over. 6-1.

16.15 – Ella Chandler has retired hurt. She was hit on the side of her helmet and the concern is obviously a possible concussion. Essential to take these things seriously so she is quite rightly coming off.

16.31 – Hampshire 40-1 after 7. Charlie Dean and Fi Morris making good progress.

16.48 – Hampshire 72-1 after 12. Dean 20* off 24 and Morris 34* off 34. They really are making short work of this.

16.59 – HAMPSHIRE WIN BY 9 WICKETS. Dean 26*, Morris 47*. A good day for Hampshire who finish 2 from 2 – both easy wins.

An aggressive 65-ball 63 from Susie Rowe made the difference, as Kent beat Essex in the opening round of the 2021 London Championship by 46 runs.

Rowe, who staged a comeback in competitive cricket last summer representing South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, was by far the top-scorer from both sides on a pitch that was so green it looked like it wouldn’t know what a mower was if it ran it over.

“It didn’t come on that well,” Rowe said after the match. “There wasn’t much pace in it. You had to really wait for it and watch it. It meant you had to be quite aggressive and quite bold to get runs.”

“It was a tricky one but we got a score that we were able to defend. Essex got off to a good start but we were able to pull it back and come away with a decent victory.”

Essex had finished the 2020 mini-season winless, but came back fighting to turn their match against reigning 50-over County Champions Kent into a real contest – bowling the Horses out for 203.

Essex’s line-up were buoyed by the addition of Sunrisers’ Jo Gardner and Lissy Macleod, more usually found sporting Warwickshire and Berkshire shirts respectively.

However, both were keen to get some 50-over cricket under their belts before the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy begins later this month, and both made crucial interventions for Essex.

With the ball, Jo Gardner (3-37) took out the middle stump of Kent openers Megan Sturge and Sarah Bryce in successive overs, after Kent had reached 65 without loss.

Macleod, after bagging a couple of wickets with her off-spin, then led the charge at the top of the batting order, as Essex raced to 58-0 in their first 15 overs.

But 17-year-old Kalea Moore made the crucial breakthrough, trapping Macleod LBW for 28, while two run outs in quick succession dented Essex’s progress to the target still further.

It was the second spell from England left-armer Kirstie Gordon which really tore the heart out of their chase, though. Gordon – playing in just her third match for Kent after being handed her county cap in the T20 Cup last weekend – struck immediately to see off both Hayley Brown and Katherine Speed LBW, finishing with 4-23 as Essex were bowled out for 157 in 40 overs.

“It was a very green pitch, so we always knew that if we got a wicket there was a chance to get into them and take a cluster of wickets, and that’s exactly what Kirstie did,” said Rowe. “It was needed because at that stage the game could have gone either way.”

This year’s South East Stars squad is yet to be announced, but after today’s performance it would seem to be a no-brainer that Rowe’s name should be firmly on the team sheet when Stars play their opening fixture of the trophy against Sunrisers on 29 May.

11.00 – We’ve arrived at Chigwell for the opening encounter of the 2021 London Championship – Essex v Kent. Essex are sporting their new kit (Top Secret ™️) and a few new faces including Sunrisers Lissy Macleod and Jo Gardner. A good way for them to get some 50-over practice in ahead of this year’s RHF! Trevor Griffin is obviously setting some store by this game as he has braved the cold to be here and watch in person.

11.20 – HYGIENE BREAK! Essex won the toss and chose to bat. Kent are opening with Sarah Bryce, who looks in beautiful touch, and Megan Sturge. They’ve put on 24-0 in the opening 6 overs (Bryce 17*). The weather can’t quite make up its mind so we are alternately freezing and too hot!

11.51 – WICKET! Essex make their first breakthrough. New pro Jo Gardner, in her second over of the day, clean bowls Megan Sturge with a straight one. Kent 57-1 after 15 overs.

12.01 – WICKET! That’s the big one. Sarah Bryce departs for 33 and Jo Gardner picks up her second. The ball hit top of middle stump – perfect! Kent 61-2 and ex-England batter Susie Rowe walks to the crease. PS It’s cold.

12.05 – There is a live stream of the Vipers warm-up match on the Isle of Wight available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1WvEPKnOQ

Personally we don’t think they should be able to use the term “warm-up” when it’s 3 degrees outside.

12.35 – At the halfway stage, Kent have just brought up 3 figures – 102-2 after 25 overs. Susie Rowe is adding some much-needed impetus – she’s on 26 off 25 balls and has already played the shot of the day, a beautiful cut behind square for four. Kent look to be on top at the moment.

12.47 – WICKET! Maxine Blythin feather edges Kelly Castle behind the stumps. Kent 117-3 in the 29th.

13.01 – WICKET! Scarlett Hughes stumps Kalea Moore and Kent lose their fourth. 131-4 in the 32nd.

13.10 – FIFTY FOR SUSIE ROWE! Rowe brings up her half-century in the 35th over with a boundary – she’s got there off just 51 balls, at a crucial time for Kent. Kirstie Gordon is at the other end now, and crunches a boundary to wrap up the over. Kent 150-4 after 35.

13.25 – WICKET! Rowe skies one to Beth Harmer at point. Harmer has been on fire in the field today – this time, the ball hangs in the air ominously but she takes it successfully. Important to get rid of Rowe, who looked pretty set on 63. Kent now 165-5 with 11 overs remaining of the innings.

13.30 – WICKET! Kent 167-6. Gordon falls cutting lavishly and is caught at backward point. Lissy Macleod has her second victim of the day. Kent falling apart a bit here!

13.35 – WICKET! Megan Belt drives straight to the extra cover fielder and Kent are 168-6.

13.53 – Kent are pushing on here – 194-7 after 46 overs. Essex are getting a bit sloppy in the field – Macleod has just had two relatively straightforward catches put down off her bowling. It looks like Kent will get to 200, which is always an important signifier in this format and (we THINK!) will mean they get maximum batting bonus points.

13.55 – WICKET! Jelfs goes, belting it to deep midwicket. She did well with a handy run-a-ball 19 there. Kent 194-8.

14.00 – WICKET! Kent’s 9th wicket falls with the score on 197. Esmae MacGregor takes out the middle stump!

14.03 – WICKET! Underdogs Essex have bowled Kent out for 203 in the 48th over. That’s a bit of a turn up! MacGregor finishes with 3-for.

15.05 – Play has resumed here at Chigwell! Essex going along nicely – 23-0 after 7 overs, with Macleod and Harmer opening up. We’ve just recorded our weekly vodcast and it will be going up on the site tomorrow, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

15.10 – THE SUN IS SHINING. THIS IS NOT A DRILL ☀️

15.40 – WICKET(S)! After a good start, Essex have now lost 2 wickets in the space of 2 overs – Macleod LBW to Kalea Moore, and now Jessica Bird disastrously run out trying to scamper a single, but sent back by partner Harmer. Essex 65-2 after 17 overs.

15.54 – WICKET! Oh no – disaster for Essex as ANOTHER player falls to a run out. Beth Harmer pushed the ball out to extra cover, then went for the single but Kelly Castle was having none of it and sent her straight back. Out by a fair way. Kent 85-3.

16:10 – After 25 overs, Essex are 103-3 – ever so slightly ahead of the rate – the game is finely poised.

16:20 – WICKET! Kelly Castle comes down the track to Megan Belt, misses, and is stumped by Sarah Bryce for 27. 108-4 now, after 28.

16:23 – WICKET! Kirstie Gordon comes back and takes a wicket LBW with the first ball of her new spell – gave the appeal 120% and the umpire just couldn’t turn it down. 108-5.

16:27 – WICKET! Rinse and repeat – Gordon has another LBW as Katherine Speed tries to play around her pads and is trapped right in front. 109-6.

16:31 – WICKET! Would you Adam’n’Eve it? Gordon’s got another – Jo Gardner bowled by one that kept low; and Essex are sinking towards defeat.

16:50 – WICKET! Cath Dalton has been leading some resistance for Essex, but she is bowled for 18 by Kalea Moore. 137-8 after 36 overs.

17:00 – WICKET! Play of the day – Hannah Jelfs takes a brilliant diving catch at midwicket to give Kirstie Gordon a 4th wicket. 151-9.

17:05 – And that… as the Americans say… is the ball game – Essex bowled out for 157; so Kent win by 46 runs.

Central Spark Milly Home was the star as Worcestershire beat Berkshire twice on the opening day of the county season at Falkland CC.

On a breezy day in West Berkshire, Home, whose ability to swing a stick has already earned her age group international honours with England on the lacrosse field, hit an aggregate 132 runs across two T20s, to lead the Rapids to a pear* of victories.

Speaking to CRICKETher afterwards, Home reflected:

“We got two wins, which is what we wanted. The first game we batted second, the second game we batted first, so it’s nice to know we can set and chase.”

“Because of COVID this winter we haven’t been able to train together, so we’ve had one-to-ones with the coaches. We’ve been working on hitting the ball straight with a lot of power – being forceful, using your feet, and backing yourself. I got lots of hitting in, so it was really nice to come to the middle and feel ready for the season.”

“I’m on loan from Warwickshire, so it was nice to open the batting – that gave me a bit of freedom to be able to bat for the 20 overs, and it was a good wicket, so it was nice to get a few runs.”

In the first match, Berkshire set off with some real intent, as Emily Cunningham – on her first day out of quarantine following her flight back from New Zealand – hit a quick 12 off 8 balls, using the pace of Emily Arlott to find the boundary twice in the first over. Mia Rogers (30 off 37) and Ash Muttitt (17 off 21) built on that start; but Berkshire were undone by a spell of 4-15 in just 3 overs from loopy offspinner Flora Bertwhistle, eventually limping to 102-7.

In reply, Milly Home (44) and Georgie Macey (nee Adcock) (33)** set off at a rate of knots, putting on 87 for the first wicket to take Worcestershire within touching distance; and although a mini-collapse followed, with Amanda ‘Steamer’ Potgieter taking 3-6 in two overs, the final result was never really in doubt by that stage.

Batting first in the second game, Worcestershire lost Macey for a first baller, LBW to Freya Johnson; but from then on it was all about Home, who carried her bat for a smashing 88* off 63 balls, supported at the other end by captain Chloe Hill (34). A slightly frantic run-a-ball 16 from Clare Boycott at the death helped set Berkshire an imposing 156 to chase.

Given the first result, it felt like a long shot; but perhaps freed by that knowledge, Ashley Muttitt and Amanda Potgieter, who came together in the 3rd over, kept up with the rate for the bulk of the innings, only falling behind when Worcestershire eventually brought on England Academy fast bowler Arlott towards the end. Muttitt and Potgieter both passed 50 – Muttitt making 51* (her highest ever score in a competitive county match) and Potgieter 61*, as Berkshire finished on 149-2 – just 7 runs short.

—–
* Sic!
** At the time of writing, the scorecard on Play Cricket has Home and Macey the wrong way around in the first game.

The ECB have confirmed to CRICKETher that the contracted England players will miss the first competitive matches of the 2021 season, the County T20 Cup, due to concerns about the lack of Covid-secure measures in the county game.

The Cup begins this Sunday 25 April, and will run for four weekends in April and May. England players including Tammy Beaumont had previously expressed a strong wish to participate, with many having represented their counties for years.

However, an ECB spokesperson told CRICKETher:

“County T20 cricket is classed as Recreational Cricket and therefore is covered by less stringent COVID-19 guidelines, which in turn creates a higher risk due to the lack of daily monitoring, testing and general adherence to protocols.

The risk of playing recreational cricket is that you have more people coming together from a multitude of different environments – without those elite sport protocols in place – and therefore more complex ‘contacts’ with the public.

Regional warm-up fixtures are played with elite protocols in place so England players are able to play in them.”

The ECB are naturally keen to avoid the risk of any of their players coming into contact with anyone who tests positive for COVID, as this would mean the player would have to be placed in “hard isolation”, and render them unable to train for 10 days.

Interestingly, Kirstie Gordon participated in Kent’s warm-up matches against Surrey last weekend, suggesting that she is not expected to train with the England squad ahead of the India series, and may be facing the imminent loss of her central contract.

The withdrawal of England players from the county game also raises questions about its future status in the domestic structure. In a press conference earlier this month, Heather Knight admitted that regional cricket would remain the priority for her and her side, despite her own sentimental commitment to Berkshire, who she has represented since 2010.

“The county stuff has a slightly different role in the full fixture list now,” Knight said. “The main domestic cricket that we play, and the best standard that’s going to prepare us for England, is going to be the Rachael Heyhoe Flint stuff, so that’s going to be the priority. In terms of playing for Berkshire, as a sentimental thing potentially, but the reality is I’ve got to pick and choose the cricket that’s going to help me best perform for England.”

Having watched a game of The Hundred for the first time this weekend, we have a confession to make: it really was a lot more like cricket than we expected.

To be fair, our friends at the ECB had repeatedly told us this (waves at Beth Barrett-Wild) but we’d been sceptical, partly because all the initial marketing had beaten into our heads that it WASN’T like cricket – it was completely new and different – that’s what all the Facebook ads and Instagram posts were telling us… and we believed them!

The fact that The Hundred is actually “just cricket” is both a blessing and a problem for the ECB.

It is a blessing, because I now think that “normal” fans will come around to it as a game pretty fast; but it is a problem because the rest of the world – the “mums and kids” who “don’t like cricket” – will also realise quite quickly that it is just cricket… and… well… they don’t really like cricket!

To help get over this, the ECB have a huge entertainment push on the cards – they are planning to make the game a spectacle around the field, even if it isn’t quite so entertaining on it.

Which brings us to Katy Perry, and the real reason why the Aussies paid what I believe the kids call “serious coin” to have her at The MCG last year for the T20 World Cup Final. Put simply, Katy Perry was an insurance policy – and one that, like many insurance policies, they didn’t actually need in the end.

Perry’s presence was insurance against Australia NOT making the final. The main concert was scheduled for AFTER the game, so that local fans, 99% of whom were of course Australian, would come (and crucially STAY) in the event of (say) an India v South Africa final.

But the point is, in order to do this, they needed KATY FREAKIN’ PERRY – one of the biggest stars in the world! Getting Ella Henderson* would just not have cut it; and the tournament organisers knew it.

(* No, I’ve no idea who Ella Henderson is either – I just googled who is currently top of the pops!)

Now back to The Hundred, which of course won’t have Katy Perry… or even Ella Henderson. And here’s the bad news: I’m just not convinced that even pulling out all the stops short of that – the juggles, the acrobats, the guys with bats on stilts – is going to make much difference to only thing that really matters – the cricket on the field.

But here’s the good news: the cricket on the field will be good. It will be the best players in the world, and they’ll be playing CRICKET. And the ads can scream all they want that The Hundred “Not Just Cricket”; but they will be wrong – it is “just” cricket; and as far as I’m concerned, that’s just fine.

Congratulations to Wisden’s 5 Cricketers of the Year for 2021: Zak Crawley, Darren Stevens, Jason Holder, Dom Sibley and Mohammad Rizwan. All five fulfilled the criteria of having had an outstanding impact on the English summer, and not having been chosen before; and all five awards were very much deserved.

It is notable however that the selection this year reverts to the traditional all-male list, after a run of 3 consecutive years where at least one woman was chosen, which we had hoped had set something of a precedent for always including a woman going forwards.

There are at least two women who could have been chosen.

One was Stafanie Taylor – a bona fide “all time great”, who faced-down coronavirus fears, at a time when England was seen as the basket-case of the world, to lead her West Indies side on a tour of England without which the women’s international summer would have been lost.

The other was Georgia Adams, who played one of the great innings in domestic women’s cricket history with her 150 versus Western Storm, scored three other 50s besides, and led her side from the front to victory in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final at Edgbaston.

Of course, the award is not based on number or stats or votes, still less what I think! It is 100% in the gift of the editor of Wisden, Lawrence Booth – a writer for whom we have enormous respect, and who has done a lot to improve the profile of women’s cricket in Wisden during his term of office.

Yet it is unarguable that both Adams and Taylor had a huge impact on the women’s game last summer, so the question is: is the women’s game on a par with the men’s… or not?

Perhaps the RHF Trophy is worth less than the Bob Willis? Maybe a women’s international T20 series is worth less than a men’s Test series. And yes – both were much shorter; but this is a structural issue – it is hardly Georgia Adams’ fault that she “only” played 7 One Day matches; nor Stafanie Taylor’s that the Windies played just 5 T20s.

Wisden were in a position this year to really challenge the narrative that the women’s game is intrinsically worth less than the men’s.

They didn’t.

And that’s a pity.