Northampton Steelbacks women vs Gloucestershire women, at Geddington Sports field (Kettering) on Sunday 27 April 2025 (10h30)
Making top-score for Steelbacks, Michaela Kirk [88 (from 106 balls)] when added to 125*not out(126) from match 4: goes top of the competition’s batting leader board racing past 200 runs after just two rounds, with top batting average from one dismissal. Played one day later than originally scheduled, both teams were level-pegging until half-way during an evenly contested match in which most bowlers took at least one wicket. Five Gloucestershire bowlers each bagged two wickets as three other Steelbacks’ batters banked double-figures. All-rounder Alicia Presland 37(26) chalked-up top strike rate (142.) Match reached its climax when ’stand-out batter’ Melissa Story (professional Beeb cricket broadcaster) mis-timed a shot during Gloucestershire’s final over. *Thereafter, Gloucestershire’s challenge rapidly diminished, as two more wickets were taken by Amelia Kemp’s penultimate and final ball that secured Steelbacks’ back-to-back win. Separately, having bagged a ‘4-fer’ (with 4 wickets for 29 runs) and taken two wickets with her last two balls Amelia Kemp can expect vocal support when attempting a ‘hat-trick’ from her first delivery, next time she takes to the field. Weather was cloudy as elsewhere, 13C.
Steelbacks women wearing purple with light blue splash over dark blue; *Skipper Anisha Patel (50ov); *[Megan ‘Meg’ Aherne keeping wicket for Glos] with Michaela Kirk (Rep.SouthAfrica RSA) loaned from The Blaze and May Drinkell (Blaze Academy loan); *May Drinkell, was caught by Cant, from Alice Bird; *Next over, Amelia Kemp was bowled by Caitlin Belcher; *After 10 overs power-play 39/2; *Lenny Sims, went ‘leg before’, to Olivia ‘Liv’ Daniels; *Midway for drinks (25 overs) 105/3; *Scoring the only ’six,’ Bethany ‘Beth’ Ascott was ‘run-out’ by Alice Bird; *Gemma Marriott was bowled by Olivia ‘Liv’Daniels ; *Ella Phillips, was caught by Emily Geach, from Alice Hill;*Top-scorer Michaela Kirk went ‘leg before’, to Emily Geach; *Poppy Smart, went ‘leg before’, to Alice Hill; *Anisha Patel, was bowled by Caitlin Belcher;*Finally, with eleven balls remaining, Alicia Presland, was caught by Caitlin Belcher, from Emily Geach; Steelbacks women batting: Michaela Kirk88(106), Alicia Prestland37(26), Bethany ‘Beth’ Ascott30(38), Ella Phillips 5(33); Gloucester women bowling: Olivia ‘Liv’ Daniels 2/29, Emily Geach 2/58, Caitlin Belcher 2/40, Alice Hill 2/40, Alice Bird 1/40;
Gloucestershire women wearing yellow and black with yellow shoulder stripes; *Skipper Olivia ‘Liv’ Daniels *[Poppy Smart keeping wicket for Steelbacks] *Katie Dolman was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ with bails sent flying, by seamer Gemma Marriott; *After 10 overs power-play 52/1 (vs 39/2); *Alice Hill, was bowled for an eighth ball ‘duck’ from spinner Ella Phillips; *Next over, Prarthana Reddy was caught ‘off-side’ at full stretch, by keeper Poppy Smart, from seamer Alicia Presland;*Missing a ‘square-cut,’ Olivia ‘Liv’ Daniels went ‘leg before,’ to Anisha Patel’s straight-arm delivery; *Level-pegging by mid-way for drinks (25 overs) 101/4(vs 105/3); *Megan ‘Meg’ Ahearne was caught at ‘mid-on’ to the left-hander (maybe misreported elsewhere) by Bethan Robinson, from Lenny Sims; *Two balls later, Emily Geach, went ‘leg before’, to Lenny Sims coming ‘round-the-wicket’ to the left-hander, for a second-ball duck; *Charlotte Phillips mis-timed aerial, caught at ‘cover’ by May Drinkell, from Amelia Kemp; *Mis-timing a ’scoop,’ top-scorer Melissa Story was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ by Amelia Kemp; *Georgina Cant was caught at ‘short-third’ by Ella Phillips, from Amelia Kemp; *Alice Bird mis-timed, caught aerial at ‘extra-cover’ by Anisha Patel, for a golden duck from Amelia Kemp; *Victory handed to Steelbacks with 18 balls remaining; Gloucestershire women batting: Melissa Story53(97), Georgina Cant29(28) Prarthana Reddy24(40) Megan ‘Meg’ Ahearne24(50), Katie Dolman 20(27); Steelbacks women bowling: Amelia Kemp 4/29, Lenny Sims 2/32, Ella Phillips 1/11, Alicia Presland 1/13, Anisha Patel 1/40, Gemma Marriott 1/40;
*Match result: Northamptonshire Steelbacks women 233/10 (@4.8 runs-per-over from 48.1/50 overs); beat Gloucestershire women 199/10 (@4.2 r-p-o, from 47overs/target 234 from 50 overs); by 34 runs
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via NV Play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#c39cfaf83-ff45-4d8d-8ad8-682869d75201_m4aab9e99-d553-4614-8940-2b9ad533a076 & Also BBC Sport at url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225582#GlosW; & *SKY Sports @url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/northamptonshire-steelbacks-women-v-gloucestershire-women/scorecard/160dcb3b-a0ca-556d-8cc1-6e6daf01748a
*Steelbacks TV for match video, once uploaded (sponsored by Dafabet) @url: https://www.youtube.com/@northantsccc
*Upcoming League one fixtures @url: http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/03/04/metro-bank-league-one-fixtures-for-2025/
*Upcoming League two fixtures @url: http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/03/05/metro-bank-one-day-cup-league-two-fixtures-for-2025/
Footnote: As noted above, this match took place one day later than was first scheduled, hence ‘match 7’ was played after ‘match 8’
Latest match information and match starting times @URL: www.ecb.co.uk/
