Tag: jewel bugs

A Collapse

A look at developments so far in the Hundred (women’s) match between Welsh Fire and Southern Brave, and a very large photo gallery.

Today the Hundred sees Welsh Fire taking on Southern Brave. The Women’s game is in progress as I type though it may well not be by the time I finish. This post looks at what has happened so far.

PRELIMINARIES

Welsh Fire came into this match looking to consolidate their position at the top of the group while Southern Brave were looking for their first win of this edition, in their fifth match. Fire won the toss and decided to bowl first.

A TALE OF WOE

The first ball of the match, bowled by Freya Davies, took the edge of Smriti Mandhana’s bat and went through to Sarah Bryce who took the catch. That set the stage for a procession to and from the Brave dug out. Danni Wyatt and skipper Georgia Adams added 28 together for the third wicket, but otherwise there was little hint of resistance. Adams’ 17 finished up being the top score of the innings. Wyatt managed 14, and Freya Kemp with 11 produced the only other double figure score of the innings. Highly unusually for a side batting first in this competition Brave actually failed even to bat for their 100 balls, being all out to the 92nd ball of their innings, for 84. The wickets were shared around, with only Georgia Elwiss of the six Fire bowlers used not getting at least one. West Indian ace Hayley Matthews had the best figures, with 3-16, while Davies and left arm spinner Jess Jonassen each had two wickets, Jonassen’s second being the tenth, that of fellow left arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman. Beth Langston had 1-8 from ten balls, and Georgia Davis was the only bowler to concede more than a run a ball, taking 1-22 from her 20.

THE FIRE REPLY

Sophia Dunkley became the second opener to record a golden duck, being bowled by Lauren Cheatle. However, although she struggled horribly to score Matthews followed her good bowling by lasting 16 balls, while Tammy Beaumont was going well at the other end. When Matthews was second out at 28, Bryce came in to join Beaumont and that pair are still together as I type. Beaumont is on 27, Bryce 6, and the score is 48-2 – 37 needed off 42 balls. While I have been preparing this for publication Tammy Beaumont has been dismissed, bowled by Cheatle for 34. The score is now 63-3, 22 needed of 28 balls to win.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My gallery is well varied, though there is a huge preponderance of caterpillars – there are two stretches of Bawsey Drain, separated by the width of Columbia Way, where the caterpillars can be found in spectacular abundance.

A peacock butterfly enjoying the Buddleia near Eastgate Bridge.
There are a few caterpillars near this ladybird…
…and this is the last image to feature caterpillars.

Superchargers v Invincibles

Today the Hundred features Oval Invincibles v Northern Superchargers. The halfway stage of the women’s match is almost at the halfway stage. This post looks at that match.

AUSSIES TO THE FORE FOR SUPERCHARGERS

The Superchargers are posting an impressive looking total. With three balls to go they are 143-4. This total has been dominated by two Australians. Phoebe Litchfield made an excellent 44, while Annabel Sutherland is still going well. The Sjuperchargers have ended with 146-4, Sutherland 63* (40), an innings that has included five fours and three sixes. Best bowler for the Invincibles has been Rachel Slater who has mysteriously not been given her full allocation of 20 balls – she has 2-11 from 15 balls. On Wednesday Ellyse Perry had a magnificent all round match with 66, 1-10 and a barely believable catch. Annabel Sutherland is a younger Australian all rounder, who like Perry bowls fast medium and is a fine fielder.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

A Humdinger in the Hundred

A look back at today’s Hundred (women’s) match between Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets, with special focus on the final ten balls. Also a photo gallery.

Today the Hundred has matches between Manchester Originals and Trent Rockets. The men’s match will be starting in a quarter of an hour. This post looks back at a the women’s match.

THE MANCHESTER ORIGINALS INNINGS

Manchester Originals have come in for considerable stick over the make up of their squad. They have an overload of opening batters – todays playing XI featured four regular openers (Emma Lamb and Eve Jones being the two to come in down the order). Today however Eve Jones went a long way to addressing such concerns with a fine innings from number 5. Originals skipper Sophie Ecclestone hit 13 off just five balls to give the total a late boost. Even so, a total of 137 didn’t look exactly mountainous.

THE FIRST 90 BALLS OF THE ROCKETS CHASE

The Rockets lost three wickets fairly early in the chase, but then Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ash Gardner settled into a stand that looked to be moving things in their favour. With ten balls to go in the chase Rockets needed 22 to win, with Sciver-Brunt and Gardner still in residence.

THE LAST 10 BALLS

Lauren Filer was given responsibility for bowling balls 91-95, and she did an excellent job. Even with her final ball going for four the equation was 13 needed off the last five balls. Filer had 2-26 in total from her 20 balls. Kathryn Bryce was given responsibility for bowling the last five balls of the match. Gardner hit the first two of these balls for four to reduce the ask to five runs off three balls, and that point it looked like Rockets had done the job. Gardner went for glory off the 98th ball but hit it too high and Beth Mooney was able to get round underneath it, which meant the ask was now five off two balls with a brand new batter to face the first of them. Heather Graham, the new batter, did the sensible thing and grabbed a single, bringing Sciver-Brunt with an undefeated half century to her name down on strike with the task of hitting a four to win the match. Sciver-Brunt whipped the final ball towards midwicket, but while the shot had power it lacked for placement, failing to located a big enough gap in the field and Rockets only managed two runs of the final ball, meaning that Originals had hung on to win by one run. Filer was named Player of the Match for her bowling, and deservedly so. Scorecard here.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

This may look a bit like a boiled sweet, but it is actually what is known depending on your source either as a ‘jewel bug’ or a ‘metallic shield bug’.
An ultra close-up of one of these bugs.