The Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup – effectively the Women’s
County Championship, as there is no multi-day women’s cricket – takes a brief
respite from 20th May, after eight rounds of games, to accommodate the T20
Blast fixtures. There is then a brief resumption for two rounds at the end of
July, before the competition comes to a climax in September with the final four
rounds, the semi-finals, and the Final. Blessed by great weather
throughout April and May, no games have been lost and the majority of the
England contracted players have played, when not ruled out by injury. It has
been a great start to the tournament, with plenty of tight games (including two
ties) and some great individual performances. There have already been 14 hundreds
(a record number in 50 over domestic women’s cricket) and four five-fors.
This is how the table currently looks
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the underperformance
of Surrey. With a team stacked full of England-capped batters (Wyatt-Hodge, Smith,
Capsey, Dunkley, Scholfield and Davidson-Richards) you would have expected them
to have blown away their opposition through sheer weight of runs, particularly
playing their home games at Beckenham – a true batter’s paradise. In fact they
have played four 50 over games there and won only won. They did also tie against
The Blaze, with each team putting 346/9 on the board. They have scored plenty
of runs, but defending decent-looking scores has been their big issue.
At the top of the table a young Hampshire side have probably exceeded even their
own expectations losing just one game to The Blaze, after tieing their first
against Warwickshire. Their strength has been in their consistent bowling
attack, bowling four teams out for less than 209, with leading wicket-taker
left arm spinner Linsey Smith to the fore. Batting-wise young Ella McCaughan
hit a magnificent 133* at Southport to beat Lancashire and has two other 50s
under her belt. Maia Bouchier also has three 50s to her name, but has not gone
on to the big score that both she and England probably wanted. Overseas import,
Australian Charli Knott, has also scored three fifties and taken eight
wickets.
Tight on Hampshire’s heels are Lancashire, who have finally got the results
people have expected of them in past seasons, and the majority of their wins have
been without the injured Sophie Ecclestone in their ranks. Their success has
been based around the consistent opening partnership of Emma Lamb and Eve
Jones. Together they have had three opening stands of over 100 and two more of
over 50. They are both right up there as leading run scorers this season, and
Lamb, who has also taken wickets with her off-spin, has earned a recall to the
England squad for the West Indies series.
The Blaze (Notts to you and me) overcame Somerset, right behind them in the
league, in the last game of this bloc of fixtures to keep up their challenge.
They were many people’s pre-season favourites. They have lost both their
encounters with Lancashire, but have won the rest of their games. The Blaze
have had some good team performances led by stand-in skipper Kathryn Bryce,
performing with both bat and ball; two hundreds from Tammy Beaumont; and
Georgia Elwiss chipping in with useful runs when they have been needed most.
As for Somerset they have been led from the front by skipper Sophie Luff, who
has hit a century and three scores over 50. Aussie Amanda Jade Wellington has
also frequently shown her worth, both with the ball, and as a closer with the
bat. She has hit 178 runs at a superb strike rate of over 145. Perhaps
inexperience has let one or two games slip from their grasp particularly down
at Taunton.
At the other end of the table Durham got their season off to a perfect start
with a crunching nine wicket win over Essex, during which Phoebe Turner took
4-33. With 17 wickets she is currently the league’s top wicket-taker. In the return
fixture the result was equally emphatic with a six wicket win. But that, and a
tight victory over Warwickshire, are their only wins. Perhaps it is no surprise
that both of those defeated teams are the others propping up the table. Runs have
proved hard to come by for Durham with a lot depending on Suzie Bates, Hollie
Armitage and Mady Villiers at the top of the order.
Almost the opposite is true of Warwickshire whose blushes have been saved by
their lower middle order in several of their games. Emily Arlott, Charis Pavely
and Georgia Davis have all scored over 50 batting at 7 and below. In fact
Arlott went on to post 130 against Essex. Arlott has also been consistently in
the wickets, which has resulted in her too getting a call-up to the latest
England squad, as new England Head Coach Charlotte Edwards is true to her word
that form matters.
And firmly rooted to the bottom of the table are last year’s 50 over champions
Essex (when they were called Sunrisers). They have managed just the one win,
over Lancashire. Grace Scrivens scored back-to-back hundreds against The Blaze
and Hampshire, but both were in a losing cause. They have got into winning
positions in a few games, but have failed to get over the line. Their season
looks done with just six games to come.
With the England internationals presumably available and encouraged to play
again in all the remaining matches in the competition, you would expect Surrey
to perform better in the second half of the season and join Hampshire, Lancashire
and The Blaze in the semi-finals come September.
Martin Davies
20/V/25
