Match Reports: Kent Women vs. Oxfordshire Women
After two washed-out T20 double-headers, Kent Women finally got up & running for 2023 with two victories over Oxfordshire at Polo Farm, Canterbury.
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11:00: Kent Women (142/2) def. Oxfordshire Women (71/9) by 71 runs
Put in to bat first by the visitors, Kent Women amassed a daunting total of 142/2 & then successfully defended it in the first match of the day.
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All four Kent batters made scores of 20 or more, with Jemima Spence & Grace Scrivens putting on an opening stand of 48. After Spence was bowled for 22 by Katie Waugh, Scotland international ‘keeper-batter Sarah Bryce made her first score of the season for Kent, taking the innings by the reigns & hitting an impressive 54 not out from only 35 deliveries.
Scrivens was also dismissed by Waugh, caught by Chloe Westbury & going for 30, but it was Bryce & her new batting partner Alexa Stonehouse that batted together for six & a half overs to see Kent up to their total of 142/2 – Waugh ending with two for 14 with 13 dot balls.
To say Oxfordshire’s reply got off to a rocky start would be an understatement. Kent’s Emerging Player of the Year for 2022, Alice Grant, bowled opener Carla Wood for no score in the fourth ball of the innings, before Kalea Moore took the wicket of Chloe Westbury with the first ball of the second over, leaving Oxfordshire 1/2.
Moore then struck again at the end of the powerplay. With Oxfordshire now 18/2, the off-spinner took two wickets in two balls – Ellie Ingram & Genny Porter were both dismissed to leave the visitors 18/4 after six.
Bryce & Darcey Carter then combined to send Emilia Bartram back to the pavilion, stumped for 7 off 14, & by the ten-over mark of the run chase, Oxfordshire were 25/7 – Eleaner Bath was bowled by a returning Moore & Numa Shah was another victim of a stumping by Bryce, this time from the bowling of Megan Belt.
Abi Currie was out in the next over, bowled by Carter, & it was then up to the number nine & ten, Waugh & Laura Jacob, to oversee a potential recover from 25/8. They batted together for seven & a half overs, putting on 37 runs together, but it was never going to trouble Kent’s first innings score & after Waugh was run out for 19, Oxfordshire finished their 20 overs 71/9. Kalea Moore finished with innings bowling figures of 4-1-10-4.
15:00: Kent Women (88/2) def. Oxfordshire Women (87/6) by 8 wickets
Oxfordshire again won the Toss at Polo Farm, & decided to bat first in the second match of the day.
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Second time around, the visitors faired much better with the willow. Despite Carla Wood being run out in the third over, Oxfordshire only lost one wicket in the powerplay, & it was the end of the seventh over where they lost another wicket, Emilia Bartram bowled by Ryana MacDonald-Gay for 10.
At 40/2, opener Genny Porter & Isobel Kirby looked to rebuild. they would add 16 more to the score before Kalea Moore had Porter pinned in front for 25, & an impressive middle-order bowling performance from Alice Grant accounted for the wickets of both Kirby & Numa Shah – both bowled by the right-hander. Grant would finish the inning with bowling figures of two for 4 from her two overs.
Set 88 to win after limiting the away side to 87/6 from 20 overs, Horses supporters were treated to a fantastic innings of 53 from 32 deliveries from all-rounder Phoebe Franklin. Despite Megan Sturge getting out for no score in the fourth over, Franklin added a half century of runs to the total before getting out in the 11th.
Macdonald-Gay & Moore helped Kent over the line to an eight-wicket victory in the 12th over.
Elsewhere, Middlesex beat Surrey twice, meaning a second-placed finish in the group for Kent.
They will now play Surrey in the semi-final of the regional tournament, this Sunday, 14 May at Mill Hill Cricket Club. Middlesex finished top of the group, & play Oxfordshire in the other semi-final.
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