Somerset (women) vs Durham Cricket (women) – match 39 – League One – at The Cooper Associates County Ground Taunton on Wednesday 30 July 2025
Suzie Bates -pictured [163 (from 140 balls)] batting ‘masterclass’ made league-one top-score of-the-season to date, with 18 fours and three sixes. ‘Bonuses’ from other batters took Durham Cricket women past 300. Somerset women’s best bowler was Chloe Skelton (3-fer taking 3 wickets/conceding 62 runs.) Commentators remained hopeful that Somerset women would ‘hold their nerve’ as they did when narrowly beating the same team on 4 May (at Chester-le-Street on match 13.) For background, both skippers had held top-score with identical centuries: (Hollie Armitage 111 & Sophie Luff 111*not out.) Highlight of Somerset’s inning was Jess Hazell’s maiden professional ‘A’ list ‘fifty.’ Three Durham Cricket women bowlers each took three wickets (Mady Villiers, Phoebe Turner and Katie Levick.) Somerset women were bowled-out by a comfortable margin, Durham Cricket women winning by 105 runs. Commentators were Claire B Jenkins (women’s cricket commentator, senior lecturer, former player for Derbyshire & Somerset women) with Charlie Taylor (BBC Sound – radio Somerset); guest player Emma Corney (Somerset) and visitor from Univ. Centre Somerset (UCS Bridgwater & Taunton College.)
Durham Cricket women wearing diamond-patterned blue over black with yellow numbering and dark pads; *skipper Hollie Armitage, [Rebecca ‘Bex’ Odgers keeping wicket for Somerset] *international player Suzie Bates NZ; *Scotland international Katherine Fraser; *Emma Marlow was caught at ‘point’ by Fran Wilson, from Mollie Robbins; *Level-pegging after ten overs ‘power-play’ 50/1; *Hollie Armitage was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ by Chloe Skelton’s spin; *Mis-timing a ‘swipe’ Mady Villiers was stumped by Jess Hazell, from Olivia ‘Liv’ Barnes’ spin; *Emily Windsor was bowled beneath-her-bat by Chloe Skelton’s full-length ball; *By mid-way (25 ov) 108/4; *Bess Heath was bowled with ‘middle-and-leg’ bail sent flying, by Laura Jackson; *Phoebe Turner was caught at ‘deep-mid-wicket’ by Alex Griffiths, from Ellie Anderson; *Centurion Suzie Bates was caught at ‘backward-square’ by Ellie Anderson, from Laura Jackson; *Katherine Fraser was caught aerial at ‘mid-off’, by Mollie Robbins, from Ellie Anderson; *Sophia Turner was caught ‘in-the-covers’ by Sophie Luff, from Chloe Skelton; Durham Cricket women batting: Bates 163(140), Bess Heath31(32), Phoebe Turner25(31); Hollie Armitage 21(35), Katherine Fraser20(17), Emma Marlow16(19), Sophia Turner13(8); Somerset women bowling: Chloe Skelton 3/62 , Laura Jackson 2/58, Ellie Anderson 2/75, Olivia ‘Liv’ Barnes’ 1/32, Mollie Robbins 1/59;
Somerset women wearing black with white logos and plum helmets *skipper Sophie Luff *[Bess Heath keeping wicket for Durham Cricket] *without international player Amanda-Jade Wellington, Australia ‘A’; *Niamh Holland, ‘top-edged’ to keeper Bess Heath, from Phoebe Turner; *Level-pegging after ten overs ‘power-play’: 49/1 (vs 50/1);*Sophie Luff went ’leg-before’ to Mady Villiers; *’Big wicket’ when Bex Odgers was bowled ‘through-the-gate’ by Phoebe Turner; *Fran Wilson was caught at ‘backward-point’ by Katherine Fraser, from Phoebe Turner; *Alex Griffiths feathered-an-underside-edge to keeper Bess Heath, from Katherine Fraser; *By mid-way (25 ov) 117/5 (vs 108/4); *Coming down the wicket, Laura Jackson was stumped ‘outside-off’ by Bess Heath from Katie Levick; *Mis-timing ‘slog-sweep,’ Jess Hazell was caught at ‘deep-mid-wicket’ by Mady Villiers, from Katie Levick; *Mis-timing ‘slog-sweep’ Chloe Skelton, was caught for a ‘carbon-copy’ dismissal at ‘deep-mid-wicket’ by Mady Villiers, from Katie Levick; *Ellie Anderson was stumped by keeper Bess Heath, from Mady Villiers; *Mollie Robbins was stumped by keeper Bess Heath from a ‘wide,’ *Olivia ‘Liv’ Barnes was bowled by Mady Villiers, for a ‘golden duck’; Somerset women batting: Jess Hazell50(55), Bex Odgers47(55), Laura Jackson 29(41), Sophie Luff19(39), Chloe Skelton15(17), Niamh Holland10(12); Durham Cricket women bowling: Mady Villiers 3/30, Phoebe Turner 3/45, Katie Levick 3/57, Katherine Fraser 1/40;
Match result: Durham Cricket (women) 315/9 (@6.3 runs-per-over from 50/50 overs); beat Somerset (women) 210 ‘All out’ (@5.1 runs-per-over from 40.2/50 overs/target 316 from 50/50 ov.) by 105 runs with 48 balls remaining
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via nv play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#md53755cf-722a-443e-a037-a23da4512d7a
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225555 & SKY Sports@url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/somerset-women-v-durham-women/scorecard/91759146-4909-5200-b277-5a4b9f0cce70
*Full match free-to-air, courtesy of Somerset Cricket (nv play) via YouTube [08h40m09s] @url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYQqE8U70-U
*Upcoming League one fixtures @url http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/05/22/metro-bank-league-one-fixtures-and-results-up-to-may-2025/
*Upcoming League two fixtures @url hhttp://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/05/25/metro-bank-league-two-fixtures-and-results-up-to-may-2025/
