Northamptonshire Steelbacks women vs Sussex Sharks women (match 35, League two) – at Horton House Cricket Club, Horton (Northamptonshire) on Sunday 17 August 2025 (10h30)
Steelbacks women received a boost to their semi-final qualification chances, staging a dramatic turn-around that saw both teams lost all their wickets, playing on a pitch that ‘turned.’ POTM bowler Ella Phillips – pictured made the vital breakthrough, taking a match-winning ‘4-fer’ (taking 4 wickets/conceding 25 runs.) Photo: Ella Phillips – (right), pictured with ‘All-Rounder’ Amelia Kemp. Earlier, Sharks women looked set for a convincing win, when spinner Ava Lee took a ’5-fer’ (taking 5 wickets/conceding 18 runs.) Sharks women openers (Izzy Collis and Mollie Adams) making a promising start until irrevocable batting collapse switched match-advantage to the hosts. Astonishingly, eight Sharks women batters departed for thirteen runs, with four collecting ‘ducks.’ That bought about a premature end as Steelbacks women discovered they’d collected valuable qualifying points, albeit winning with a lower net-run-rate. Weather: bright sunshine around 20C.
Northamptonshire Steelbacks women wearing purple with light-blue splash over dark blue with dark helmets; skipper Anisha Patel (50ov.) *[Mollie Adams keeping wicket for Sharks] *debutante Anna Lewis,*with Chloe Hill (formerly of Rapids), *with Michaela Kirk *(Blaze loan); *Amelia Kemp was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ with bails sent flying by seamer Anna Buckle; *After ten overs power-play: 60/1; *Playing across-the-line, Michaela Kirk was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ with bails sent flying by Anna Buckle; *May Drinkell was bowled was bowled ‘top-of-middle’ with bails sent flying by spinner Ava Lee; *Chloe Hill went plumb ‘leg-before’ to Ava Lee; *Katherine Speed ‘hit-wicket,’ dislodging ‘middle-and-off’ bail, from Ava Lee; *Mis-timing a ‘swipe,’ Bella Howarth was caught behind by keeper Mollie Adams, from Ava Lee; *By mid-way (25 ov) 108/9; *Gemma Marriott was bowled by Ava Lee; *Alicia Presland was caught aerial ‘in-the-covers’ by Ava Lee, from Anna Lewis; *Ella Phillips was caught aerial at ‘backward point’ by Anna Lewis, from Tia Stanley; *Mis-timing a cut, Anisha Patel was bowled ‘through-the-gate’ by Talitha ‘Tia’ Stanley; Steelbacks (women) batting: Chloe Hill28(43), Gemma Marriott22(48), Anisha Patel17(44), Michaela Kirk15(13), Ella Phillips15(50), Amelia Kemp14(22), Alicia Presland12(13); Sharks (women) bowling: Ava Lee 5/18, Talitha ‘Tia’ Stanley 2/32, Anna Buckle 2/38, Anna Lewis 1/20;
Sussex Sharks women wearing wearing pink over black with black chevron *skipper Chiara Green *[Chloe Hill keeping wicket for Steelbacks]; *with Nancy Harman and Ava Lee (Hants loans) *with Indigo Gentry (Surrey Women’s Academy loan & Intern for Sussex Cricket Commercial dept.), without Mary Taylor (Hants) or Millie Taylor (Warwicks/Bears) playing in the Women’s ‘Hundred’; *After ten overs power-play: 49/0 (vs 60/1); *Mis-timing a ‘drive,’ Mollie Adams was caught at ‘extra-cover’ by Bella Howarth, from Gemma Marriott; *Next over, playing forward defence, Phoebe Wilkinson went plumb ‘leg-before’ to Amelia Kemp, for a third-ball ‘duck; *Nancy Harman was ‘run-out’ from ‘square’ by Alicia Presland’s direct-hit to the non-striker’s end, from Ella Phillips; *Four balls later Izzy Collis was caught at ‘short-mid-wicket’ by Michaela Kirk, from Anisha Patel; *Mis-timing a ‘drive,’ Chiara Green, was caught at ‘mid-off’ by Gemma Marriott, from Ella Phillips; *Rachel King was ‘run-out’ from ‘short-mid-wicket’ by Alicia Presland’s direct-hit to the non-striker’s end; *Next ball, Ava Lee was bowled beneath her bat by Ella Phillips for a sixth-ball ‘duck’; *Next over, Indigo Gentry went plumb ‘leg-before’ to Anisha Patel, for a ninth-ball ‘duck’; *Three balls later, Talitha ‘Tia’ Stanley went ‘leg-before’ to Ella Phillips; *By mid-way (25 ov) 108/9 (vs 109/6); *Finally, Anna Lewis was caught at ‘square’ by Alicia Presland from Ella Phillips, for a fourth-ball ‘duck; Sharks women batting: Mollie Adams40(35), Izzy Collis38(55), Nancy Harman10(23); Steelbacks women bowling: Ella Phillips 4/25, Anisha Patel 2/19, Amelia Kemp 1/15, Gemma Marriott 1/18;
Match result: Northamptonshire Steelbacks women 171 ‘All out’ (@3.8 runs-per-over from 43.5/50overs) beat Sussex Sharks women 114 ‘All out’ (@ 4.3 r-p-o from 26.1/50overs, target 172 from 50/50 ov.) by 57 runs with 143 balls remaining
*Scorecard with video highlights, courtesy of ECB via nv play at url: https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/?tab=m_summary#m1ac47231-f07c-4c82-a81a-d9b1d4f209d5
*BBC Sport @url: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/scorecard/e-225609#SUS & SKY Sports@url: https://www.skysports.com/cricket/northamptonshire-steelbacks-women-v-sussex-sharks-women/scorecard/72c995c0-ed79-588a-ac49-b5772131c6d1
*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/
Footnote: Fixture originally scheduled for Northampton County Ground on 16 August
