Women's cricket - the next generation

 Posted by Tony Hutton

Spent two days this week watching Women's cricket, both games being played at the Leeds University sports complex at Weetwood, Leeds. On Wednesday we saw Leeds/Bradford University women taking on Loughborough University women. The home side had an easy victory over Sheffield last week but today was a very different story. Loughborough, who once scored over 500 in a limited overs match against Leeds University on this ground, have been top dogs in women's university cricket for many years.

This time they made it look very easy by bowling out Leeds/Bradford for just 76 in 33 overs and then knocking of the runs very rapidly to win by nine wickets in no time at all. So not much of a contest. However on the following day a much more competitive 50 overs a side game took place, at the same venue, between the Northern Diamonds, preparing themselves for the forthcoming One Hundred competition, and the England Women's Cricket Academy, who included some of the brightest young prospects in the Women's game.

Shame about the dark outfits for both teams, not to mention the black sight screens.

Not much advance publicity, we only found out by talking to the groundsman earlier in the week, yet surprise, surprise the game was being shown on live streaming throughout the day. Hollie Armitage captained the Diamonds and opened the batting with Leah Dobson. Armitage was the first to go when she was lbw for 19 to a bowler with a wonderful cricketing name Emily Arlott from Worcestershire. Dobson and wicketkeeper Bess Heath pushed the score on rapidly to 67-1 after twelve overs and it looked as though a big score was on the cards, despite losing Heath for a rapid 30.

Live streaming of the match was available throughout the day.

However after Dobson and Ami Campbell had taken it to 94-2 after seventeen overs, wickets began to fall at regular intervals. All rounder Charlie Dean from Hampshire took a couple of wickets with her off breaks and the experienced Naomi Dattani, who has captained Middlesex, took 3-29. Hannah Baker, another from Worcestershire, also chipped in with a couple of wickets and despite top score of 31 from Beth Langston the Diamonds only managed a somewhat below par 176 when they were all out in the 44th over.

Morning sunshine at Weetwood before the rains came in the afternoon.

The young Academy side got off to the worst possible start when opener Maia Bouchier, from Hampshire, was bowled by Langston for a duck. Skipper Grace Scrivens, from Kent and Emma Lamb, from Surrey, then held things together with a fifty partnership. The weather which had provided warm sunshine during the morning session had clouded over and the first rain break brought a revised target of 175 in 45 overs. Then a period of heavier rain which took the players off for a full hour reduced it even further to 140 in 29 overs. 

At this stage the Diamonds looked set for a much bigger score.

Emma Lamb made a fairly rapid 38 but the match winner turned out to be Charlie Dean, despite wickets falling at the other end. Phoebe Graham picked up two quick wickets for the Diamonds, but Dean batted aggressively and went to 40 not out from 42 balls to win the match for the Academy by three wickets with just five balls of the final over remaining.

A good day's cricket, despite the rain, and very interesting to see so many of the young hopefuls. No doubt we will be hearing a good deal more about many of them in the years to come.