Sussex Sharks women vs Middlesex women – (match 39, league two) at The 1st Central County Ground, Hove on BH Monday 25 August 2025 (10h30)
Middx women retain their unbeaten record and were said to ‘smother’ any chance of Sharks women’s qualification hopes beyond the group stage. Having gone to great lengths to explore how Sharks were ‘on the hunt’ for a semi-final place, it dawned on disgruntled commentators that Middx women were assured to finish their group stage in pole position, for the semi-finals. Match was dominated by Middx women’s opening partnership of 181 runs between top-scorer Issy Routledge (pictured) [95 runs (from 114 balls)] partnered by Artemis Downer [81 (from 114).] Once both openers departed for impressive scores, skipper Saskia Horley [52*not out(from 29)] steered Middx past 300 before passing her ‘fifty’ milestone during her team’s final over. Sharks’ best all-round performer was Ava Lee taking 2/53; also making Sharks’ top-score 24(36). Teenaged swing-bowler Layla Judge took Sharks final two wickets to seal Middx women’s win. Best Middx bowler was Anaya Patel who took a 3-fer (3wickets/conceding 27 runs.) Post-match, skipper Saskia Horley told the writer she ‘felt confident’ for Middx women to win their season’s second trophy. Commentators were Andrew Raeburn (for Sussex cricket) with Toby Reynolds (Sports Gazette’s cricket editor.) Weather: cloudless sky, fresh breeze 22C.
Middlesex women wearing navy-blue with underarm splash and navy pads, *skipper Saskia Horley (Scotland international); *[Rachel King keeping wicket for Sharks] *with Ariana Dowse (Essex Loan) & Mia Rogers (Durham loan) without Anisha Dissanayake, Gayatri Gole, Sarah Pearson, Pippa Sproul or Finty Trussler; *After ten overs power-play: 49/0; & *By mid-way(25 ov.) 118/0; *Commentators flagged potential controversy over a ‘run-out on 175/0;’ *Breakthrough came soon afterwards when Artemis Downer was caught by Chiara Green, from Anna Lewis; *Issy Routledge was bowled by Ava Lee; *Mia Rogers was caught by Chiara Green, from Anna Lewis; *Riva Pindoria was bowled by Talitha ’Tia’ Stanley;*Olivia Kibler was ‘run-out’ by Ava Lee’s throw to Rachel King, keeper receiving at the striker’s-end; Middlesex women batting: Issy Routledge 95(114), Artemis Downer81(114), Saskia Horley 52*not out(29), Mia Rogers35(28), Sonali Patel10*not out(6), Riva Pindoria10(11); Sharks women bowling: Ava Lee 2/53, was caught by ‘Tia’ Stanley 1/50, Anna Lewis 1/50;
Sharks women wearing wearing pink over black with black chevron *skipper Chiara Green *[Olivia Kibler keeping wicket for Middx]; *Daisy Mullan (Lancs loan) *with Nancy Harman and Ava Lee (Hants loans) *with Indigo Gentry (Surrey Women’s Academy loan & Intern for Sussex Cricket Commercial dept.), without Mollie Adams, Lottie Curling or Eve O’Neill (collectively as absentees’ away with National Academies training at Loughborough); *Phoebe Wilkinson was bowled by Lauren Turner; *After ten overs power-play: 42/1 (vs 49/9); *Making an undignified departure after mis-timing a ‘cut,’ Izzy Collis was caught behind by keeper Mia Rogers, from Layla Judge’s short delivery; *Daisy Mullan lobbed a ‘dolly,’ caught at ‘mid-off’ by Lauren Turner, from Hannah Davis; *Driving down-the-wicket, Nancy Harman was caught-and-bowled by Hannah Davis; *Chiara Green was caught from a thick-edge by keeper Olivia Kibler, from Anaya Patel; *Rachel King was caught from a thin-edge by keeper Olivia Kibler, from Anaya Patel;*By mid-way(25 ov.) 82/6 vs 118/0; *Mis-timing reverse paddle, Talitha ’Tia’ Stanley went ’leg before’ (in-line with off-stump) to Anaya Patel; *Ava Lee was caught at ‘extra-cover’ by Saskia Horley, from Issy Routledge; *Anna Buckle was bowled with her middle-stump knocked back by Layla Judge’s in-swing; *Indigo Gentry went plumb ‘leg before’ to Layla Judge’s in-swing; Sharks women batting: Ava Lee24(36), Indigo Gentry23(44), Daisy Mullan20(41), Nancy Harman18(27), Izzy Collis14(30); Middlesex women bowling: Anaya Patel 3/27, Layla Judge 3/29, Hannah Davis 2/20, Issy Routledge 1/13, Lauren Turner 1/25;
Match result: Middlesex women 320/5 (@5.9 runs-per-over from 50/50overs) beat Sussex Sharks women 141 ‘All out’ (@4.6 r-p-o from 40.5/50overs, target 321 from 50/50 ov.) by 179 runs with 77 balls remaining
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via nv play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_bbb#m41048386-5d44-4029-bba1-5c8854f7354e
*BBC Sport @url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225614 & SKY Sports@url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/sussex-sharks-women-v-middlesex-women/scorecard/db5edbfc-0275-598d-8bde-b7ab1351e17b
*Full match free-to-air, courtesy of Sussex Cricket (nv play) via YouTube [06h31m18s] @url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oTVDusQArc
*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 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/05/25/metro-bank-league-two-fixtures-and-results-up-to-may-2025/
