It’s not often you find hypocaust complaining ‘There’s too much women’s cricket today!’ – but he was right. (x.com/_hypocaust)
As the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy resumed in England with four matches, the England side continued their ODI series against the White Ferns at Worcester.
Meanwhile the remarkable test between India and South Africa completed its third day in Chennai.
Test Match
All manner of records have been set inside the first three days: a massive Indian total of 603-9 declared included a partnership of 292, Shafali Verma (205) and Smrite Mandhana (149). The fifth wicket was productive too, Harmanpreet Kaur (69) and Rishi Ghosh (86*) adding 143.
The Boks were bowled out for 266, a decent enough total, if only it weren’t for that mammoth target they’d been set. Second time round they fared far better.
Kaur invited them to bat again, as cricket custom so politely terms it, but this time the Boks put up stiffer resistance.
Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus added 190 for the second wicket, Luus completing a century (109), while the skipper made sure she was still there at the end to add to her 93*. They finished on they 232-2, still 105 runs behind.
Tour match:
New Zealand 141 (41.5 overs) (A. Kerr 43)
England 142-2 (24.3 overs) (Bouchier 100*/88)
Result: England won by 8 wickets
Worcester
In brief:
John Lewis made two changes, reintroducing Alice Capsey and Kate Cross in favour of Lauren Bell and Sarah Glenn. So the triple-spinner approach proved short-lived. Both the openers, Cross and Lauren Filer, took an early wicket, and after they had reached a half-decent 114-3, the Kiwis suffered a record loss of wickets, 7-22, as if it was a game of tip and run.
The writing was already on the wall as the White Ferns conceded six maidens in the first fifteen overs.
Sophie Ecclestone managed a double-wicket maiden in her 9-3-25-5, quite astonishing figures, even for the pride of Cheshire. Bowling is very simple: you pitch the ball THERE; the batter places her bat THERE, and the ball deviates enough to remove a bail, find an edge or give the keeper another stumping chance..
Maia Bouchier commanded the reply in record fashion. She reached her hundred with only 142 runs of the board, an astonishing share of the spoils. Her partner, Nat Sciver-Brunt, reined herself in as the team’s target and Bouchier’s ton came dangerously close. The pair managed to keep the deserving batter on strike, and she swung the four she needed against a dispirited attack.
As a measure of the Kiwi toils, Lauren Down, Jess Kerr, Issy Gaze and Molly Penfold lasted a combined 14 deliveries and scored nought between them.
One of the ongoing mysteries about Kiwi cricket is why Maoris and Pasifikers took a vow never to play the game. Their taste is for rugby, which has helped the nation dominate the world in that sport. So the NZ management is limited to the talent that is left over,, but only after other sports have taken their portions.
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
The 50-over series continued after a break for the harmless fun of 20-over knockabout.
The results:
Central Sparks 239-8 (George 52, Perrin 50) Northern Diamonds 242-6 (Heath 58*, Marlow 55) Result: Diamonds won by 4 wickets
Scarborough
The Blaze 318-8 (S> Bryce 81, Claridge 71) SE Stars: 185
Result: The Blaze won by 133 runs
Beckenham
Southern Vipers 157-3 (Elwiss 65*) Western Storm 156
Result: Vipers won by seven wickets
Southampton
Sunrisers 253 (47.3 overs) (J. Gardner 63, Scrivens 51) Lancashire Thunder (Munro 5-25)
Result: (reduced to 44 overs) Sunrisers won by 40 runs (DLS method at work; target 255)
Chelmsford
Rain stopped play in all four of the RHFT matches, but all reached a verdict.
Scarborough
The game at the characterful North Marine Road ground was tight. Katie George and Davina Perrin ensured the sort of score that gives a bowler hope.
Katie Levick allowed her fellow bowlers to take half of Sparks wickets, but as usual was Diamonds’ main spearhead with 4-38.
Beckenham
The Blaze use a devious method of winning games: they don’t invite leading Aussies to enter the country in disguise to help the cause. Instead, they employ Scots to do the damage.
Every ball Kathryn Bryce bowled at Beckenham was treated like a grenade by Stars’ batters. Sister Sarah top-scored with 81 and added three catches and a stumping. Then skipper Kirstie Gordon took 1-21 off 5 to master-mind a one-sided victory.
Stars were right off the boil. Bryony Smith once again failed to post a score to her liking, and the absence of Georgia Redmayne, Sophia Dunkley, Paige Scholfield and Alice Capsey left a top five (an out-of-form Smith, Tash Farrant, Kalea Moore, Aylish Crastone and Emma Jones) looking like the most fragile Stars have offered for a long while.
Their bowlers would be grateful if you could explain to them why their form so easily deserts them. All of them bowled too many loose deliveries, and attempted corrections tended to finish at the other extreme.
Needless to say, Blaze’s star bowler was an Australian, Heather Graham, with 6-39. She has played one ODI and four T20s for her nation.
Southampton
Vipers are duty-bound to win every match they play. It was Georgia Elwiss who answered the call with an undefeated half-century.
Storm’s top order batted consistently but not heavily. From the fall of Fran Wilson’s wicket (122-4) it was the oft repeated tale; the remaining batters registered: 2, 8, 0, 10*, 0 and 2. Even though Vipers have been stuck in third gear for much of the season, a target of 157 was hard to miss.
By the time Ella McCaughan was out for 49, she’d helped the total to 112, and Elwiss was still there at the end.
Chelmsford
Sunrisers continued their wonderful advance by defeating Thunder in the last game to finish. Jo Gardner and Grace Scrivens got them off to a sound start, both completing half-centuries. These helped to pass the 250 mark, but that was not an assurance if victory.
Jodi Grewcock suffered a miserable dismissal. Her partner Cordelia Griffith hit a fierce straight drive straight back at Fi Morris. She deflected the ball on to the stumps, and Julia Jarvis was in perfect position by the stumps to avoid the ball and give the correct decision.
Emma Lamb and Seren Smale kept the hosts waiting till the twelfth over for a wicket, but none of the top order could better Lamb’s 48. Tightish bowling meant that the scoring-rate became an increasing concern for the later batters. That helps explain Sophie Munro’s remarkable return of 6.2-0-25-5 by the close. Her figures are somewhat distorted. Her final over (the 44th) read: W, W, 1, 0, W, 1. You can sure that more than one of the shots attempted are not to be found in any coaching manual you have on your shelves. Munro is really enjoying her switch to the Sunrisers.
Oddments
It would be fascinating to know why so many bowlers insist on bowling round the wicket, and not only to left-handers. You can amuse yourself by counting the number of balls that slide down the wrong side of the stumps. Is it obstinate coaches or even more obstinate bowlers who insist that is the sensible approach? But the catch of the day used these means. One of Munro’s five wickets came from an unsuccessful heave by Naomi Dattani to a ball sliding well past the leg- stump. Amara Carr pulled off a marvellous catch standing up behind the stumps. So thick was the contact that the unsighted umpire had no hesitation in raising a finger.
Commentators come in two grades: those who are too ready to make allowances for players’ shortcomings. ‘A little wayward’, as the bowler delivers her third wide of the over’; or ‘she ’s lost her radar for the moment.’
One of the late lamented Brian Johnston’s favourite phrases was ‘a little bit’. ‘That ball was a little bit wide’, as the keeper dives full-length to collect. That phrase was much in evidence today.
The other type are the well-informed who give it as they see it; no need to underplay shortcomings. Praise will be just as readily offered when deserved.
I know which style I prefer.
