Match Report: Kent Women vs. Middlesex Women
Kent Women left The Nevill Ground, Tunbridge victorious once again this week after defeating Middlesex in their third match of the Women’s London Championship.
There were some exceptional fielding displays, particularly from youngster Ryana MacDonald-Gay, accompanied by tight bowling and commendable batting shows in typical ‘Horses’ fashion.
Kent’s stand-in skipper Megan Belt headed back out to the The Nevill Ground’s main wicket two days after victory against Sussex. The toss went a different way this time, and Middlesex elected to bat on a good batting wicket.
Sydney Gorham opened the bowling for Kent from the Pavilion End – with just one leg-bye coming from the tight over, Alexa Stonehouse then prepared to run in from the Railway End.
With the Middlesex opening partnership building Kent needed a wicket. The bowlers, switching up lines and lengths, continued search until Gorham struck – Miles smashed one down the throat of Darcey Carter to bring around the first wicket. With the wicket taken, on came Kalea Moore, Kent’s highest wicket taker in the Vitality Women’s T20 tournament, from the Pavilion End.
She was accompanied by Megan Belt, who had a brilliant bowl at The Nevill two days ago, at the Railway End, and Kent looked for more scalps with spin at both ends.
Running back in, after doing some fielding on the boundary, Kalea Moore delivered her seventh ball of the day, hitting the pads of Porter she dismissed her for just five runs.
Just before drinks, Susie Rowe was brought into the game at mid-wicket when Middlesex skipper Naomi Dattani picked her out from Belt’s bowling. An important wicket for the Horses – the Middlesex batters were beginning to look comfortable out at the crease.
With Kent still looking for the wicket of Middlesex opening Cordelia Griffith, Ryana MacDonald-Gay at square leg fizzed a throw into the Horses’ loan ‘keeper, Mia Rogers. She knocked the bails off with quick hands and Griffith went for 38.
Moore and Belt gave away little runs as they took control of the middle period with each of their 10 overs, after their consistent spells Darcey Carter and Hannah Jelfs came into the attack.
Continuing on from The Railway End like she did on Tuesday, Hannah Jelfs clean bowled Iqraa Hussain on the last ball of her first over with a back of a length delivery. As Hussain departed the pitch, the Horses had Middlesex 95/5.
With the wicket down, Kalea Moore was put under the lid and fielding at short-leg, putting pressure on and hoping for a catch off the new batter.
Two overs after Jelfs’ wicket came another one off Darcey Carter’s bowling. Sonali Patel finding the hands of Jemima Spence, in her second women’s game, at mid-on.
Skipper, Megan Belt, immediately had everyone in tight on the ring, ready to stop the single, as there were two new batters at the crease. The bowlers kept bowling good areas and the Middlesex batters kept picking out the Horses’ close fielders.
Entering the last 10 overs of the first innings, the Horses were all over Middlesex, there was little to no runs as nothing got past the sharp inner ring. Frustration was evident for the Middlesex batters as Kent smothered them with consistent line and length.
Sticking with spin for the death overs, Kent’s captain brought on Grace Scrivens. Breaking up the wicketless period, Scrivens fired in a quicker and flatter ball that made contact with the stumps Kate Coppack was meant to be guarding, dismissing her for 12.
With scoreboard pressure rising for Middlesex, they tried taking a quick single, however the arm of Ryana MacDonald-Gay caught them unstuck again. The quick throw into the gloves of Rogers had the bails on the floor in no time and the visitors’ eighth batter, Bhavika Gajipra, headed back to the pavilion.
Another wicket fell as Wolfe hit out to Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who was yet again busy in the field, from Grace Scrivens’ bowling. As the Middlesex no.11 arrived at the crease with eight balls to go, the Horses were searching for the last wicket. Despite dangerous deliveries from Scrivens and MacDonald-Gay the Middlesex tail kept their wickets and closed on 138/9.
Megan Sturge and Jemima Spence headed out to the middle after the innings break. An over later and the scoreboard read 4/0, the required run rate now was at 2.75 an over.
Even with tight Middlesex bowling challenging the edge of the batter’s bats, the Horses’ openers made a good start. Reaching the first sanitisation break at six overs, Sturge and Spence had built up the score to 21/0. The opening partnership was looking strong and they both looked settled at the crease.
With Middlesex looking to break through the partnership they brought on spin from the Railway End but the Kent batters held onto their wickets looking positive.
The partnership between Sturge and Spence was strong and both looked comfortable in the middle, they ran well between the wickets and hit powerful shots in the direction of the white rope.
The 50 run partnership came up in the 17th over with a leg glance from Sturge which raced off to the boundary. Simultaneously Kent’s 50 mark came up.
After an outstanding and long opening partnership of 70, between the two young cricketers, Jemima Spence was bowled by Emily Thorpe whilst trying to sweep the ball away. She departed the field, after giving the Horses a good foundation, for 25 meaning left-handed Grace Scrivens headed out to bat.
14 year-old Spence & 16 year-old Sturge’s partnership may well be a Club Record, male or female, for a youngest opening pair to pass 50 for the county.
Thorpe dismissed Megan Sturge an over later for 31, similarly to Spence, Sturge lost her wicket bowled trying to hit the leg-side boundary. Walking off the field she was replaced by Susie Rowe. With two new batters at the crease The Horses’ score was at 76/2.
Rowe was immediately off the mark and the pair ran through to end of the over.
As the two batters settled in they kept rotating the strike well and the required runs kept going down.
When Scrivens started to get going she smashed 11 runs in one over, including two fours timed exceptionally well, meaning the Horses only required 44 to win with 23 overs still to go.
Scrivens and Rowe took The Horses over the 100 threshold in the 29th over – the required runs kept ticking down as the pair both punished inconsistent bowling from Middlesex bowlers and carried the Horses over the line for their third win of the Women’s London Championship.
By Ella Lockhart
The Horses can now win the Women’s London Championship with a victory over Surrey at Chipstead on Sunday 20 June.
Kent Women remain unbeaten in 2021, having won all nine completed official matches that they have contested this calendar year.
