Hampshire Hawks women vs Essex women – (match 1, league one ‘double-header’) – at Southampton, The Utilita Bowl (Hants) on Friday 30 May 2025 (15h00)
Hawks women won the first match of the inaugural ‘Vitality Blast T20’ against Essex, before a record crowd for watching women’s cricket at the Utilita bowl; of 4378 (excluding women’s The Hundred or internationals.) Second record was set when Hawks lost their first wicket during the fifteenth over, chalking-up a 158-run partnership between Maia Bouchier [92 runs (from 53 balls)]; and Ella McCaughan with career-best [68 runs (from 39 balls).] Their record partnership was said to be ‘highest …when compared to the Charlotte Edwards T20 era.’ Essex women gave a ‘strong reply’ narrowing Hawks winning margin down to 25 runs. Debutantes Lauren Winfield-Hill and Australian Madeline ‘Maddie’ Penna (who scored four ’sixes’) were said to ‘chase hard.’ Best bowler was Bex Tyson who took 3 wickets (conceding 40 runs) for Hawks women. Lead commentator was Kevan ‘Kev’ James, also with Maia Bouchier post-match interview (for BBC Radio Solent) – please see below. Weather was mainly sunny, improved by cloud dispersal 18C.
Hawks women wearing full-backed and half-fronted striped yellow tops and yellow batting pads over navy blue; *skipper Georgia Adams *[Amara Carr keeping wicket for Essex]; *with Daisy Gibb, Freya Kemp, Ava Lee, Mary Taylor & Bex Tyson; *without Lauren Bell & Linsey Smith (England call-up); *also without Charli Knott ‘for visa issues’ (Australia ‘A’); *After 6 overs ‘power-play’ 78/0; & 107/0 by ‘mid-way’ 107/0 (after 10 overs); *Ella McCaughan, who’d earlier scored ‘fifty,’ was bowled by Esmae MacGregor; *Mis-timing a sweep, Maia Bouchier was bowled ‘leg-stump’, by Grace Scrivens; *Georgia Adams ‘reverse-scooped’ to ‘backward-square,’ caught by Kate Coppack, from Esmae MacGregor; *Rhianna Southby was ‘not out;’ Hawks women batting: Maia Bouchier92(53), Ella McCaughan68(39), Georgia Adams22(13), Freya Kemp20*not out(13); Essex women bowling: Esmae MacGregor 2/42, Grace Scrivens 1/33;
Essex women wearing full-fronted red, full-backed mauve over sleeveless navy blue; *skipper Grace Scrivens (‘England ‘A’); *[Rhianna Southby keeping wicket for Hampshire]; *with debutante international player Madeline ‘Maddie’ Penna (Australia); *with Cordelia Griffith & Esmae MacGregor, *without Jodi Grewcock, Flo Miller or Abtaha Maqsood; *Grace Scrivens was caught aerial at ‘long-on’ to the left-hander by Bex Tyson, from Freya Davies; *After 6 overs ‘power-play’ 61/1 (vs 78/0); *Lissy MacLeod was mis-timed to ‘long-on,’ caught by Maia Bouchier, from left-arm spinner Bex Tyson; *Level-pegging by mid-way (10 overs) 108/1 (vs 107/0); *Cordelia Griffith was caught on the’ deep mid-wicket’ boundary by Freya Kemp, from spinner Ava Lee; *Debutante Lauren Winfield-Hill was caught at ‘square’ by diving Mary Taylor, from Daisy Gibb; *Jo Gardner was caught aerial at ’long-off’ by Ella McCaughan, from Bex Tyson; *Three balls later after lofting for ‘six,’ Maddie Penna was caught at ’deep square’ by Abi Norgrove, from Bex Tyson;
*Amara Carr was ‘run-out’ by Daisy Gibb’s throw to the striker’s end, from Freya Davies final ‘death’ over; *Final ball was inconsequentially dropped leaving Eva Gray and Sophia Smale ‘not out’, but handing victory to Hawks; Essex women batting: Lauren Winfield-Hill69(42), Madeline ‘Maddie’ Penna38(17), Cordelia Griffith24(18), Jo Gardner16(11), Grace Scrivens15(11), Lissy MacLeod13(12); Hawks women bowling: Bex Tyson 3/40, Daisy Gibb 1/18, Ava Lee 1/24, Freya Davies 1/37;
*Match result: Hawks (Women) 215/3 (@10.7 runs-per-over, from 20/20 overs) beat Essex (Women) 190/7 (@9.5 r-p-o /target 216 from 20/20 overs) by 25 runs
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via nv play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#m9e551b89-d46d-408a-ac5d-a312e4258827
*BBC Sport @url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225290 *’Maia Bouchier hits 92 in Hampshire women’s first T20 win’ interview courtesy of BBC Sounds (Kev James) [04m32s] @url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0lfjnxc *SKY Sports@url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/hampshire-hawks-women-v-essex-women/scorecard/1af6b000-ed6f-525e-a8c9-2dd65be4fd62
*Full match free-to-air, courtesy of Hampshire Cricket (nv play) via YouTube [03h13m49s] @url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jtjwodoGTA *Edited highlights Positives to take, courtesy of Essex Cricket (nv play) via YouTube [09m54s]@url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9OHLDPzkME Alternatively, edited highlights courtesy of Hampshire Cricket via YouTube [09m54s]@url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOXylUQZoQI
*Upcoming League one fixtures @url http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/11/27/vitality-blast-fixtures-for-season-2025/
*Upcoming League two fixtures @url http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/11/27/vitality-cup-league-two-fixtures-for-season-2025/
Footnote: Actual match photo
