Tag: Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy

A Low Scoring Thriller in the Making

A look at developments in today’s Rachael heyhoe-Flint Trophy match between Diamonds and Blaze and a large photo gallery.

After a busy morning (a visit to the library, a visit to the bank to make a payment to the West Norfolk Autism Group and a visit to Well King’s Lynn on Loke Road for my spring Covid vaccination) I am enjoying the afternoon listening to commentary on the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy match between Diamonds and Blaze. This post looks at developments in that game so far.

THE DIAMONDS INNINGS

The Diamonds started appallingly and it took a late flourish from number nine Abigail Glen, who followed the maiden 50 she scored last time out with a robust 38 today, to boost their score even as high as 188, a total which on the face of it should not be defensible in a 50 overs per side match.

THE BLAZE REPLY

The Blaze started reasonably well, but it was the Diamonds spinners, Erin Burns of Australia and the vastly experienced Katie Levick, possibly the best female bowler in terms of documented domestic success to not have appeared at international level, who put the skids under the Blaze. Levick’s figures are barely credible for a professional limited overs match in the 2020s – she has bowled her full allocation and ended with 10-2-13-1. Burns has two wickets, Abigail Glen one, Jessica Woolston one, and Diamonds skipper Hollie Armitage has pulled of a direct hit run out. Blaze at 117-6 after 38 overs, needing 72 off the last 12 to win are definitely in some trouble. While I have been preparing this for publication three further overs have elapsed and Blaze are on to 135-6, needing 54 off nine overs to win.

PHOTOGRAPHS

With the arrival of the month of May some nice properly springlike weather has already arrived, so I have had plentiful opportunities to take photographs…

This pic and the three that follow were taken while performing an errand of mercy – in between taking the pictures I was ushering the wasp towards a window I had opened to enable it to escape into the outside where it belongs.
My first Holly Blue of the year (two pics)

Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy Action

A look at developments in today’s Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy match between Northern Diamonds and Western Storm. Also a photo gallery.

The Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, aka the RHFT, is the English women’s domestic 50 over competition. The first round took place on Saturday, and the second round is happening today. There is live radio commentary to which I am listening of Northern Diamonds v Western Storm. This post looks at developments in that game to date.

THE NORTHERN DIAMONDS INNINGS

Northern Diamonds looked deep in trouble at 89-5, and not exactly comfortably at 177-7. However Hollie Armitage was batting superbly and she now found a really good partner in Abigail Glen. Armitage completed a fine century with successive boundaries in the 47th over of the innings, but was then out two balls later, and when Lizzie Scott was bowled first ball that was 247-9. At this point Glen, who had played the support role while Armitage was batting so well changed gear. By the start of the final over she had reached 39*, 11 short of a 50, but was at the wrong end. Diamonds number 11, the experienced Katie Levick, did not let Glen down, taking a single off the first ball of the over. Glen hit 4,4,2 and 4 in the course of the final five balls of the innings to end on 53* in a final total of 275-9. There were three wickets a piece for left arm spinner Sophia Smale, medium pacer Danielle Gibson and Australian leg spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, though Smale was trifle erratic, reflected in the fact that her 10 overs went for 63.

THE STORM RESPONSE SO FAR

Storm have started fairly impressively, being up with the required rate, but have bene checked by a couple of quick wickets for Phoebe Turner, one of two Turners currently bowling in tandem, the other being Sophia Turner. After 16 overs Storm are 85-2, needing 191 from the last 34, and the match looks very evenly poised.

PHOTOGRAPHS

The weather was poor yesterday and has been incredibly volatile today – there has been everything from bright sun to hail, but I have been able to get some decent photos…

The Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy Final

An account of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy final which took place yesterday between Blaze and Vipers. Also a large photo gallery.

Yesterday saw the final of the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, between Vipers, in their fourth final out of four (2 won, one lost going into yesterday) and the newly formed Blaze (a move from Loughborough to Nottingham and a name change). Vipers won the toss, and with cloud cover around which was expected to dissipate later in the day they decided to out Blaze into bat. Blaze skipper Kirstie Gordon claimed in response that she would have chosen to bat first anyway but my own suspicion is that not even she actually believed that, never mind anyone else.

THE BLAZE INNINGS

Batting was as difficult in the early stages as had been expected, and only the efforts of veteran opener Tammy Beaumont who fought her way to 76 before getting out trying to up the scoring rate at the death prevented Blaze fron sinking without trace. As it was only two other batters, both lower order players, topped 20 for the Blaze (extras, assisted by some indiscipline on the part of the Vipers bowlers, also did so). A late flurry took Blaze to exactly 200 from their rain-reduced 48 overs. Left arm spinner Linsey Smith was the pcik of the bowlers with 3-30 from her 10 overs.

THE VIPERS RESPONSE

The Vipers lost two very early wickets, before two Georgias, Adams and Elwiss, put on 96 together for the third wicket. Then young leg spinner Josie Groves claimed both set batters and Charlie Dean to reduce Vipers to 109-5. That brought Freya Kemp in to join Emily Windsor with 92 still required. Windsor and Kemp batted superbly, first averting the danger of a collapse, and then as the got settled in mounting an assault on a target that had never got remotely challenging in terms of required run rate. Windsor completed a fine half century, and then, living up to her billing

as ‘the finisher’ she made the winning hit, her ninth boundary in a final score of 57*. Kemp, busy but never flustered at the crease, had scored 32* (35) at the other end. Vipers were home by five wickets with 7.4 overs to spare, a comfortable victory, and yet another trophy as coach for Charlotte Edwards, whose second cricketing career is showing signs of outshining even her amazing playing career. This was Edwards’ third domestic trophy of 2023 alone, since she had coached Vipers to success and in the competition that bears her own name and had also been coach of the team that won The Hundred. The “keepers must be top line batters” brigade would do well to note that this trophy was lifted a team whose keeper, Rhianna Southby, was not required to bat, and who was officially scheduled to come in at number nine (she was impeccable behind the stumps for the record).

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…

Western Storm v South Eastern Stars

A look back at a remarkable match in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy on Monday, plus a bumper photo gallery.

This post is an account of a Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy match that took place on Monday. Coverage was via youtube, which was one reason I didn’t blog on Monday. The Rachael-Heyhoe Flint Trophy is a 50 overs per side competition.

SOUTH EASTERN STARS MAKE A TERRIBLE START

Western Storm won the toss and put their opponents in, questionable on a pitch that was already a little worn having previously been used for the men’s County Championship match between Gloucestershire and Sussex (drawn, Sussex skipper Cheteshwar Pujara finally accepting this result with four overs left to be played and Gloucestershire having six second innings wickets standing). At first all went well for Storm, with two batters (Kira Chathli and Alice Capsey) collecting ducks very early on, and a third also going cheaply. At that point 16 year old Jemima Spence joined Stars skipper Bryony Smith. Although the youngster never achieved any degree of fluency her long innings supporting first Smith who made a good 50 before holing out down the ground and then Paige Scholfield played a crucial part in swinging the match back towards the Stars.

THE RECOVERY

By the time Spence was fifth out Scholfield was already firmly established at the crease and playing some lovely strokes. A sixth wicket followed fairly quickly, but then Tash Farrant, a left arm medium pacer who is also a useful batter down the order joined Scholfield in the stand that virtually settled the outcome of the match. Farrant scored at better than a ball, but was nevertheless overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of Scholfield. Farrant scored 45, in a seventh wicket stand that yielded 127. Eight further runs accrued after Farrant’s dismissal, giving Stars a final total of 296-7, with Scholfield 134* off 109 balls. The best bowlers for Storm were the opening pair of Lauren Filer and Dani Gibson who each took three wickets, but even they suffered some damage from the Scholfield blitz. The young Irish all rounder Orla Prendergast had a particular nightmare with the ball.

STORM IN A SPIN

Western Storm got into the 30s without losing a wicket, but then two off spinners, Bryony Smith and Alice Capsey, the latter looking to avenge her first ball duck, came into the attack. Not only could the Storm batters not get them away, they lost wickets with ridiculous frequency. Smith took three wickets, a fine follow up to her 50 with the bat, but it was Capsey who was the real destroyer. She had never previously had a five wicket haul in a list A match, but this was her day with the ball, and by the time she claimed the last two wickets in the space of four balls she had 6-28. Western Storm had managed a beggarly 89 all out, beaten by 207 runs. Prendergast and Alex Griffiths each got into the 20s, but neither scored with any speed – note that Spence’s slow scoring occurred with first Smith and then Scholfield going great guns at the other end, so Stars had never had both batters scoring slowly at the same time.

PHOTOGRAPHS

I have a huge photo gallery (in fact I have so many photos taken since Monday morning that I have held some back for my next post)…

Southern Vipers Great Recovery

A look at Southern Vipers batting performance against South Eastern Stars in their Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy clash today.

There are four games happening in the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy today. At Hove in the one I decided to focus on Southern Vipers are taking on the South Eastern Stars. I look back on the Vipers innings.

EARLY WICKETS FOR THE STARS

The Stars won the toss and put the Vipers in. The top three in the Vipers top order were back in the pavilion early, and a promising stand between Georgia Elwiss and Paige Scholfield came to an end when Danielle Gregory struck with her first ball of the match to make it 74-4. At this point, with even a total of 200 looking a long way off, Emily Windsor, with a highest score in the competition of 47* joined Elwiss at the crease.

A GREAT PARTNERSHIP

Initially in the Elwiss/ Windsor partnership Elwiss, the set batter and also much the more experienced of the pair (although Windsor played her first county game in 2013, so for all that she is only 25, she can hardly be described as a novice) was doing most of the scoring, while Windsor played a more watchful role. Then came an over of Alice Capsey’s off spin, from which Windsor took 15 to really get her innings going. At one stage it looked like both Windsor and Elwiss were booked for centuries, but it was not to be – Windsor was bowled for a magnificent 90 off 79 balls. That brought Freya Kemp in join Elwiss, and she proceeded to finish the job that Windsor had started so superbly. Elwiss completed a ton off 108 balls, and celebrated with the first six of the day, while Kemp scored a blistering rate. Both fell in the closing overs, Kemp for 40 off jus 23 balls, but even that didn’t completely stop the scoring – wicket keeper Carla Rudd contributed a perky 8* off four balls. The final total at the end of Vipers’ 50 overs was 306-9. We wait to see how Stars respond to a daunting task.

PHOTOGRAPHS

My usual sign off…