Report: Bears Women vs Essex Women, Vitality Blast
Charis Pavely starred as Bears Women continued their impressive Women’s Vitality Blast charge with a tense two-wicket win over Essex at Edgbaston.
Georgia Davis’s side recorded their fourth win in five games after chasing down Essex’s 150 for three. Cordelia Griffith (47 not out, 36 balls) and Madeline Penna (41 not out, 42 balls) pulled the visitors round from 56 for three but never escaped the shackles of a disciplined attack.
Bears then slipped to 43 for four in reply but recovered to reach 154 for eight with one ball to spare as Charis Pavely struck a dynamic unbeaten 68 from 40 balls with five fours and three sixes.
Essex chose to bat and started solidly as openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens added 44 in 35 balls before Scrivens fell just before the end of the powerplay when she skied a slog at Phoebe Graham to mid-wicket.
Laura Harris took that catch and accepted another four balls later when Alice Macleod drove Hannah Baker to extra cover. Those two blows for Essex were quickly followed by a big self-inflicted one. Winfield-Hill, on 30 from 23 balls, was called for a quick single by Griffith, hesitated and was run out by bowler Davis.
The loss of three wickets for 12 runs in 11 balls required some shoring up, and Griffith and Penna stemmed the collapse before seeking to accelerate. Each hit six fours in an unbroken stand of 94 from 75 balls to assure a competitive, if less than imposing total.
MacGregor, leading wicket-taker in the competition, inflicted brisk damage on the Bears’ reply with two wickets in her second over. Davina Perrin chipped a low full toss to mid on, and Meg Austin top-edged a leg-side scoop to the wicketkeeper.
Essex’s bowlers continued to exploit the Bears’ top-order carelessness as Nat Wraith swung Eva Gray to deep mid-wicket and Sterre Kalis missed an attempted cut at Abtaha Maqsood’s first ball and was bowled.
That left the Bears 43 for four, which could have been worse had an early big hit to long on from Pavely off Sophia Smale not passed through the hands of Penna for six. Pavely survived to add 43 in 28 balls with Issy Wong (33, 25), who batted responsibly to rebuild the innings but then misjudged a second run and was beaten by Joanne Gardner’s throw.
Harris swept Gray to short fine leg, but Pavely pulled MacGregor into the Hollies Stand for six to leave the Bears needing 35 from five overs. Successive fours took her to a 31-ball half-century, and another handsome six, off Jodi Grewcock, put the equation firmly into the home side’s hands with just three needed from the last over.
Scrivens started it with a dot ball and a wicket – Davis caught at mid on – but two singles followed to level the scores with two balls left and Baker struck the next to the mid-wicket boundary to seal victory.
Bears all-rounder Charis Pavely said, “It was one of those situations where it either comes off or it doesn’t and luckily it did for me today. It’s a case of having the confidence to go for it in those conditions. Sometimes you come off and sometimes you don’t but it was nice to play that role today.
“I just try to let the ball hit the middle of the bat. It wasn’t the intention to go out there and swing at everything but suddenly the runs just started accumulating and it went in my favour.
“Ideally, you would want to win it in 18 or 19 overs, not the last over, but we paced the chase really well from the position we were in and the girls who came in at the end were great, knowing their plans and how they rotated the strike really well.
“We have a really good team atmosphere at the moment. We all back each other so much and that is what is contributing to the great environment we are creating in the changing room.
Bears v Pears. The ultimate fan experience.
Digbeth Dining Club. Pravha Band. The best atmosphere in the Blast. One big rivalry. Bears v Pears returns on Friday 26 June.
Just imagine; a packed out stadium, the best summer night out – and YOU. Buy tickets in advance and save, while group offers are available for bookings of 5+.
