Derbyshire Falcons women vs Leicestershire Foxes women – (match 36, league two) at Duffield Cricket Club, Belper (Derbys) on BH Monday 25 August 2025 (10h40, delayed start )
Local East Midlands derby played as a dead -rubber with insufficient points for semi-finals qualification. Falcons women leaving it a little late to open their account, with one match remaining. Given perfect batting conditions on a used pitch, Foxes women posted their season’s best score, with maiden centuries from Francesca Sweet [138runs (from 117 balls), and Hannah Brown [103*not out(from113 balls).] Best Falcons women bowler was seamer Pagan Hardwick 2/43. Yorks Women’s Academy loan Ellie Nightingale – pictured [78(from73)] scored her maiden ‘fifty’ when Falcons women’s replied, with bowler Lucy Weston taking a 3-fer (3 wickets/conceding 21 runs) for victorious Foxes women. Match concluded during the 42nd over when Falcons ran out of wickets. Weather: cleared into bright sunshine 20C.
Foxes women wearing red-with-green-splash with dark-green pads & helmets; *skipper Rebecca ‘Becki’ Brooker; *[Megan Pittman keeping wicket for Falcons] *with Ellen Watson (Scotland international), *withD’Nica Roff (Blaze academy loan) without Lucy Higham;*Rebecca ‘Becki’ Brooker was caught from an outside-edge by diving keeper Megan Pittman, from Rhiannon Knowling-Davies’ seam; *After ten overs power-play: 56/1; *Lucy Weston was caught at ‘mid-wicket’ by Ella Porter, from left-armed seamer Caitlin McDonald; *By mid-way(25 ov.) 168/2; *Francesca Sweet was stumped by keeper Megan Pittman, from seamer Pagan Hardwick; *Ellen Watson was caught aerial at ‘deep-mid-wicket’ by Rhiannon Knowling-Davies, from Pagan Hardwick; Foxes women batting: Francesca Sweet138(117), Hannah Brown103*not out(113), Lucy Weston31(33), Sophie Bennett14*not out(19); Falcons women bowling: Pagan Hardwick 2/43, Caitlin McDonald 1/59, Rhiannon Knowling-Davies 1/68;
Falcons women wearing dark-blue with light-blue leg stripes with blue helmets and numbers; *skipper Adrianna Darlow *[Sophie Bennett keeping wicket for Foxes] *with Scotland international Ella Porter, *Lara Shaw (Blaze academy loan) *also with Ellie Nightingale (Yorkshire Women’s Academy loan); *Jessica ‘Jess’ Couser was bowled ‘middle-and-off’ from Emma Thatcher’s fourth ball; *Mis-timing across-the-line, Lara Shaw was bowled by Ellie Phillips; *After ten overs power-play: 43/2 (vs 56/1); *Ella Porter was caught behind by keeper Sophie Bennett, from seamer Holly Whitfield; *Natasha ‘Tash’ Allen played-on from inside-edge, from Holly Whitfield; *By mid-way(25 ov.) 126/4 (vs 168/2); *Next ball, mis-timing a ‘sweep’ Megan Pittman was bowled by D’Nica Roff; *Mis-timing a ‘sweep’ Ellie Nightingale went ‘leg-before’ to D’Nica Roff; *Rhiannon Knowling-Davies went ‘leg-before’ ‘off-stump’ to Lucy Weston; *Mis-timing a ‘pull,’ Harriett Parkin was caught-and-bowled by Lucy Weston on-the-turn; *Caitlin McDonald went plumb ‘leg-before’ to Lucy Weston; *Finally, mis-timing a ‘drive,’ Pagan Hardwick was stumped by Sophie Bennett, from April Herathge; Falcons women batting: Ellie Nightingale78(73), Natasha‘Tash’Allen23(33), Rhiannon Knowling-Davies20(29), Adrianna Darlow16*not out (30), Lara Shaw12(18), Harriett Parkin11(15); Foxes women bowling: Lucy Weston 3/21, Holly Whitfield 2/28, D’Nica Roff 2/52, Emma Thatcher 1/24, Ellie Phillips 1/27, April Herathge 1/42;
Match result: Leicestershire Foxes women 335/4 (@ 6.7 runs-per-over from 50/50 overs) beat Derbyshire Falcons women 209 ‘All out’ (@ 5.0 r-p-o from 41.2/50 overs, target 336 from 50/50ov) by 126 runs with 52 balls remaining
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via nv play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#mb170792d-594d-4278-92ce-738f0321b2bd & https://cricket.derbyshireccc.com/fixtures/womens-squad/2025-season/royal-london-cup/falcons-women-vs-leicestershire-foxes-odc-2025/?tab=m_scorecard
*BBC Sport @url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225611 & SKY Sports@url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/derbyshire-falcons-women-v-leicestershire-foxes-women/scorecard/907cdf9e-a198-5d0e-8ebd-885359ad23fc
*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/
