Representative cricket returned to Clifton Park, York yesterday when Yorkshire Diamonds hosted table toppers Western Storm in a Women's Super League T20 match. On a breezy but at times sunny afternoon a decent crowd was in attendance when Storm captain Heather Knight won the toss and asked Diamonds to bat. I joined Messrs Thorpe, Parr, and Sykes at the Shipton Road End to watch Alyssa Healy and Lauren Winfield get the home team off to a decent start at about a run a ball until Healy went for 12 and Winfield was joined by Hollie Armitage. Scoring improved to almost 8 an over before Winfield was stumped for 12 off Odedra. There followed Diamonds' best part of the afternoon as Armitage and Rodrigues added 60 for the third wicket. Rodrigues fell to Shrubsole, after which farce descended with the five of the next six wickets wickets falling to run outs, which is probably some kind of record, Only Armitage escaped the ignominy of such a dismissal and she was eighth out for 59 when bowled by Freya Davies. The innings closed on 151 for 9, 13 of which were wides, respectable but not enough to worry the powerful Storm batting we surmised.
Storm's innings was opened by Rachel Priest and Smriti Mandhana and these two were not parted until six were needed for victory. Diamonds were powerless to slow the rate as the pair struck boundaries to all parts. The openers rode their luck at times for not being frightened to hit the ball in the air, shots went just over or fell narrowly short of fielders. Only Katie Levick exercised any kind of restraint but it was Alice Davidson-Richards who took the solitary wicket when Mandhana was caught by Healy with just six needed for victory. Would she do it in one, mused Mr Thorpe, yes was the prompt answer as the fifth ball of the 15th over went for six to give Storm a victory which extended their lead at the top of the table to 9 points over Southern Vipers. Meanwhile Lancashire Thunder were narrowing the gap at the bottom of the table to two points as they tied their match with the Vipers.
As I type rain is falling at the Home of Cricket and at Lord's but tomorrow's forecast suggests some hope of cricket. I am intending to travel to Harrogate where Stamford Bridge are the visitors, a team I have not seen for a few seasons. This assumes I can escape the Lower Ure Valley for somebody at Highways England appears to have found the key to the cupboard where white line paint is stored and Road Closed has been a familiar sight for the last two days. I was this morning assured by a gentleman in high vis that these signs will disappear for the weekend but return on Monday. He is planning an early start to Countryfile Live tomorrow which goes to show that quite often if not always there is somebody worse off than yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment