Home earlier than expected

posted by John Winn

It is I suppose a truism in cricket that when batting first you never know how good your score is until your opponents set about chasing it. Such might have been the case for Middlesex Women in their Game against Yorkshire Women at windswept Harrogate this afternoon. 176 all out, albeit with ten overs unused might not have seemed too bad for the visitors who had come north on the back of a successful run. What was said when they went into the statutory huddle remains a secret but something on the lines of  'Come on girls, team effort, strong unit, work hard, etc, etc' and one doubts if anybody said 'We are in for a hiding here but at least we will be on the way home in good time'. Alas that is what came to pass.

I had followed the morning's play on twitter via @Georgia.cricket which led me to a blog run by Georgia Isaac (georgiacricket.wordpress.com) which gave an excellent preview of the game. Despite the loss of an early wicket Middlesex made good progress and when I arrived had reached 128 for 4 off 30 overs, which suggested 200 might be a reasonable target. Not so, for a clatter of wickets saw them subside to be all out in the 40th over. I had watched the last ten overs from  a relatively sheltered spot near the main gate with Tony and Jennifer but during the interval the wind strengthened and the Yorkshire innings was watched from the car.

 

Mixed skies over St George's Road

 

From the outset Yorkshire's openers, Beth Mooney and Lauren Winfield were in no trouble and scored at almost  five an over. 53 for 0 in the 12th, 100 up in the 20th, 150 in the 27th tells the story and the predicted time of the finish got rapidly nearer. With victory a whisker away the Australian Mooney perished for 69 when caught on the boundary leaving it just about possible for England player Winfield to get her century before the win arrived. Mooney's dismissal brought young Maddy Walsh to the crease but with the batters having crossed  the coup d'état was left to Winfield. Needing a six she managed only a four to finish on 99 not out in securing a nine wicket win by quarter past four. I was home earlier than expected, so I guess will be Middlesex and their supporters.

 

Lauren Winfield 99 not out