Women’s 1st XI – History Makers
Sunday saw are Women’s 1st XI become the first ever Metro Bank One Day Cup -Women’s League Three Champions.
After finishing runners up in the group stages, the side qualified for finals day to take on the unbeaten Devon at Kibworth CC to determine the Division 1 Champions.
Having lost the toss, Berkshire were invited to bat first in challenging conditions on a damp, late September morning. Alex Avoth had returned to the side to accompany Shristi Patil at the top of the order and after a couple of early boundaries, Alex was dismissed thanks to a well executing yorker from the Devon left arm seamer to leave Berkshire 14/1 in the 3rd over. Poppy Camplin joined Shristi at the crease and the pair fought hard to get through a challenging spell and build a partnership before Shristi (24) departed in the 14th over with the score 47/2. Captain Izzy Storrar was in at 4 and was able to develop a partnership that was able to be more proactive either side of the drinks break. Poppy Camplin (34) then departed in the 30thover with Berkshire 110/3. This set a platform with wickets in hand for our middle order to then look to push the score up past the 200 run mark. This was exactly what we were able to do putting on 104 in the final 20 overs to post a total of 214/7 (50). Contributions at the back end of the innings came from Eliza Bristowe (20), Lily Bowlby (18) & Emma MacEwen (14*) with the captain Izzy (54) able to anchor the innings with her third consecutive half century.
About the batting innings, Head Coach, Tom Jackson said “To finish on a score of 214/7 was a total we were very pleased with having lost the toss in bowling friendly conditions. The batters battled really hard to set a platform and put runs on the board in a final. Devon’s bowlers have throughout the season made it challenging to score and for our young batting line up to deliver under these conditions was really pleasing to see. It was also great to see Izzy Storrar, who is still only 18, really step up with the bat over both in the final but also the last 3 games and lead from the front.”
Following the interval, the bowling innings couldn’t have got off to a better start. Leading the bowling attack, Freya Johnson (3/10) struck in the first over, pinning the Devon captain LBW. Partnering Freya again was Emma MacEwen (1/13) who went one better and in the 2nd over had the other opener caught behind 1st ball to leave Devon 2 wickets down without a run on the board. Devon’s Number 3 Ellie Bishop, averaging 80 with the bat in the competition, then became a crucial wicket. Fortunately, Freya was once again able to produce this time the delivery of the season and having pitched on middle & leg, it evaded the defences and clipped top of off stump. This left Devon 4/3 in the 3rd over. The openers continued to restrict the Devon batters and a 4th wicket in the powerplay thanks to a leaping catch from Izzy Storrar at Extra Cover. After the seamers had made use of the new ball, spin was introduced to the attack. The spin bowling pair of Shayna Chikhlia (4/7) and Naaz Asif Iqbal (2/42) accounted for the remaining 6 Devon wickets to dismiss Devon for 84 in the 26th over. This completed a 130-run win to secure the Metro Bank One Day Cup – Women’s League 3 – Division 1 Trophy.
Reflecting on the bowling innings, Tom said “Our two senior bowlers (who are still only in their early 20s) have once again led the way with the ball. Freya delivered an exceptional new ball spell before Shayna made full use of a turning wicket to deal with the lower order with real control. Our bowling attack has had a nice balance with high quality new ball bowlers that have taken wickets and restricted runs in the powerplay, seam options that offer a point of difference with pace or bounce as well as high quality spin options that have continued to put the opposition under pressure.”
Reflecting on the final while speaking with the ECB following the game, Captain Izzy Storrar said; “It was just a great day. We knew playing Devon would be tough. They were a dominating team throughout the league campaign, so we knew we just had to do what we do best and stick to the basics.”
Speaking about the season more broadly, Izzy said “We’ve got quite a young team, and it’s been great to the progress the people have made this year. We’ve really bonded over the season, so next year will definitely be exciting. […] Next year we’ll definitely look to push higher in the T20 competition, as well as really try to replicate our strong performances in the 50-over fixtures.”