A rather gloomy morning in the Lower Ure Valley yesterday, replicating conditions at Headingley where the lights were in use from the start of play, saw me Harrogate bound for the game at St George's Road between Yorkshire Women and their Middlesex counterparts. This was the second match of the weekend for both teams with Middlesex having gone down to Lancashire at St Anne's on Sunday while Yorkshire had had a comfortable win over Berkshire.
As I drove through the gates the Yorkshire players were just congratulating themselves on the fall of the third Middlesex wicket, 57 for 3 in an innings built almost entirely round an knock of 80 from former England player, Beth Morgan. Apart from 18 from skipper Naomi Dattani no other batsman reached double figures, with 23 extras boosting the final total to 142. Wickets were shared between the Yorkshire bowlers with Katie Levick the pick of the bunch with 3 for 19 off her 10 overs.
Middlesex's innings had been played in poor light with an interruption for drizzle but after the interval conditions improved and by the time play finished shortly after five the small crowd were able to enjoy some sunshine. Yorkshire began their reply in a confident mood with Hannah Buck and former Middlesex player Anna Nicholls adding 24 at close to a run a ball and the innings settled into a pattern of a partnership followed by two wickets falling in close order. Impressive among the visitors' bowlers were New Zealander Holly Huddleston and spinner Sophia Dunkley.
The innings was anchored by the patient Rebecca Newark but when she was out for 22 it was 96 for 6 and both David Thorpe and I thought it might go either way. Fear not, an excellent partnership between Stephanie Butler and Maddy Walsh, added 37 and even the recall of Huddleston and Dunkley failed to disturb them until Butler was out with just nine were needed for victory. Number 9, Charlotte North faced six balls without scoring but with Dattani forced to recall her opening bowler Ria Raval, who did not have the happiest of afternoons, Yorkshire got home by three wickets with more than ten overs to spare. The final over illustrated a problem both teams had faced through out the game, namely a plethora of wides and it was perhaps fitting that the winning runs should come from such a delivery. That run cemented extras' place as Yorkshire's top scorer, 24 in all with 19 coming from wides and meant that 16% of the afternoon's runs had come without help from the batsmen.
Two good wins for Yorkshire but Middlesex badly let down by a lack of depth in both batting and bowling. Commiserations to spinner Dunkley who had the remarkable figures of 4 for 7 off her 10 overs. Both teams return to action on Sunday May 14th with Middlesex at home to Berkshire and Yorkshire back at St George's Road where Lancashire will be the visitors. 11:00 start in both cases.
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