At Brighton (Hove, The 1st Central County Ground) on July 9
In perfect conditions, 479 runs were scored and 19 wickets fell. For Vipers, Georgia Elwiss (pictured) made top score (115) setting a new tournament record.
Together, Elwiss and Emily Windsor staged a match-winning 160-run fifth-wicket partnership in just over twenty overs. Whilst Georgia Elwiss crafted her century, Emily Windsor caught her up with faster strike rate. After the match Emily Windsor told reporters that her 90 was ‘probably the best innings’ she’d ever played, after witnessing a ‘tough’ start for Vipers, (their top-order scoring from just 40% of Stars’ power play deliveries). Windsor added that it was a ‘pleasure’ to bat with Elwiss: show-casing the depth of Vipers’ batting and bowling in the 50-overs game.
Commentators were Kevan ‘Kev’ James (BBC), Melissa Story (BBC Radio Solent & BBC 5Live Sports Extra, for women’s cricket); with guest Phil Green, Manager of Hursley – Melissa’s home women’s team. Also via ESPN-cric-info social media. Weather alternated between clear blue sky with scorching heat (28C) with occasional passing dark clouds yielding just a handful of raindrops.
Vipers’ Innings *Quickly lost skipper Georgia Adams (2) who lobbed a dolly at the scoreboard and was caught by Grace Gibbs off Alexa Stonehouse. *Followed by Maia Bouchier (0) who went for a fifth ball duck – ‘leg before’ to Freya Davies. After ten overs power play, Vipers were 35/2. *By the 100-ball benchmark (16.4 overs) Vipers were still below-par on 63/3. *By Midway (25 overs) Vipers scoring had picked-up on 96/4. *Elwiss approached her ‘fifty’ during the twenty-eight over (50 runs from 67 balls); and Emily Windsor recently arrived at the crease. Match paused whilst drinks were taken. *Remarkably, Emily Windsor took-off with added confidence following her brief seven-day loan to Lightning, and breezed past her ‘fifty’ from (51 runs from 58 balls) during the thirty-seventh over.
*A dramatic turnaround was achieved as Elwiss’ strike-rate improved during second ten overs of her partnership with Windsor, racing past her century by hitting Alice Davidson-Richards for ’six.’ Later, Davidson-Richards bagged both Elwiss’ and Windsor’s wickets. *Firstly Georgia Elwiss (115 runs from 115 balls) was caught by Grace Gibbs from Davidson-Richards. Secondly Emily Windsor (90 from 79) was clean bowled by Davidson-Richards. Bowler-turned-batter Freya Kemp played a short-lived cameo (40 runs from 20 balls); Vipers closing comfortably beyond the 300 mark. (306/9.) Grace Gibbs was Stars’ best fielder, bagging three catches, but elsewhere Stars at least three catches were dropped that could have changed the course of the game. Stars best bowler was Freya Davies (pace) who took three wickets (3/37.)
Stars Innings *With an equally slow start facing 32 ‘dot’ balls, Vipers’ pace attack Tara Norris and Charlotte Taylor’s accurate straight arm bowling contained Stars openers (Bryony Smith and Alice Davidson-Richards) to seven without loss after the first three overs. *In between, Alice Davidson-Richards went aerial from Taylor’s fifth ball, dropped by Ella McCaughan. *Next over, both batters quickly doubled Stars’ score. *Davidson-Richards scored a second ’six.’ Stars ‘team 50’ came during the eighth over (52/0.) *Stars nudged ahead after ten overs power play (60/0 vs 35/2.) *Skipper Bryony Smith (39 runs from 37 balls) was first to go, caught behind by Vipers’ keeper Carla Rudd, deceived by teenager Freya Kemp’s change-of-pace. *Failing to find any boundary gaps for the next two overs Stars resorted to scampering singles:- a pattern that continued as more wickets fell.
*After 100 balls, Stars chalked up 100/1, (vs Vipers 63/3); Georgia Elwiss and Charlotte Taylor bowling tightly to inhibit progress. *Alice Davidson-Richards was caught-and-bowled by Charlotte Taylor during the twentieth over. Alice Capsey (6) was out from a mis-timed hook that was easily caught well within the boundary by Freya Kemp. *At mid-way, Stars looked to be ahead on 124/3 (vs 96/4) as the match was paused for drinks. *Skipper Adams returned to bowl the next over, trapping Kira Chatli (34) ’leg before;’ pairing herself with Tara Norris (pace) who was brought back into the attack. Taking her first wicket, Tara Norris trapped Kirstie White (7) ’leg before.’ *Four Stars batters were dismissed ‘leg before.’ *Batting down the order, Aylish Cranstone (12) was caught inside the boundary by Paige Scholfield. *Another two wickets fell within four balls, at which point match advantage tipped Vipers’ way. *Paige Scholfield (3/29) signed-off with three wickets, her last two balls removing Stars tail-enders Eva Gray (0) who was ‘clean-bowled.’ *Also Danielle Gregory (4) who was ’leg before,’ to conclude the match leaving Stars 133 runs short.
Summary
Both teams faced a peppering of power play ‘dot’ balls (Vipers bowled 32 dots, vs Stars 41/60); but Stars bowled more ‘wides.’ Georgia Elwiss and Emily Windsor both hit personal-best scores banking more than 200 runs for Vipers.’ That exceeded Stars total. Vipers’ batters often found gaps between boundary fielders. Under guidance from former England international Anya Shrubsole, Vipers’ bowling was described by Windsor as ‘clinical.’ Skipper Adams’ bowling tactics paired faster and slower bowlers with rotation between each end. After the match, local radio commentators took to the field to interview Emily Windsor who said she’d ‘held her nerve’ to score a career-best 90; after returning from a week’s loan to Lightning (please see interview link below.) Defending their Rachael Heyhoe Flint ‘RHF’ title for a third consecutive year, Vipers were said by commentators to have ’Put away two good sides,’ and now top the table after the first two rounds of RHF.
Result: Southern Vipers Women 306/9 (50 overs) beat South East Stars Women 173/10 (38.4/50 overs) by 133 runs – Vipers awarded 5 points.
Southern Vipers 306/0 (50 overs, 6.12 runs-per-over): Georgia Elwiss 115 (115), Emily Windsor 90(79), Freya Kemp 40(23) Paige Scholfield 17(33), Ella McCaughan 15(24); Stars bowling: Freya Davies 3/37, Alice Davidson-Richards 3/87, Alexa Stonehouse 1/21, Danielle Gregory 1/30. Fow 1-9, 2-10, 3-35, 4-74, 5-234, 6-269, 7-280, 8-281, 9-301.
SE Stars 173/10 (38.4/50 overs, 4.47 runs-per-over): Alice Davidson-Richards 42(47), Bryony Smith 39(27) Kira Chathli 34(51), Grace Gibbs 13(24), Aylish Cranstone 12(12); Vipers bowling: Paige Scholfield 3/29, Tara Norris 2/28, Nancy Harman 1/8, Georgia Elwiss 1/14, Freya Kemp 1/16, Georgia Adams 1/37, Charlotte Taylor 1/40, Fow 1-61, 2-110, 3-124, 4-126, 5-139, 6-155, 7-164, 8-165, 9-173, 10-173.
Scorecard and statistics at URL: https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/rachael-heyhoe-flint-trophy-2022-1297659/southern-vipers-vs-south-east-stars-1297934/full-scorecard
Match highlights on Sussex Cricket TV via youtube with recorded live stream from 19:20 (6h25m52s) at URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSfBXd6a1XE
Post match interview with Emily Windsor at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdTe54DaW-Q
