Report: Essex Women vs Bears Women, Vitality Blast
Sterre Kalis blitzed a 23-ball half-century, but it wasn’t enough as the Bears lost by 19 runs under the Duckworth Lewis Stern method to Essex in Chelmsford in the Vitality Blast women’s competition.
Essex batted first with Lissy Macleod (44), Grace Scrivens (36) and an explosive 27 from Maddie Penna lifting the hosts to 154-4 in a game reduced to 14 overs-a-side by rain.
Kalis plundered 52 in 23 balls in reply, but her pyrotechnics came too late as Esmae MacGregor (3-32) and Sophia Smale (2-13) helped restrict the visitors to 139-8.
Scrivens survived a huge lbw shout first ball from Issy Wong, replays suggesting the England Lions’ captain from last winter was lucky to escape the dreaded umpire’s finger.
The Essex skipper made good use of the reprieve, driving and sweeping forcefully to clock up eight boundaries in quick time. At the other end Lauren Winfield-Hill’s sumptuous straight drive helped raise the 50-partnership in 31 balls.
Charis Pavely ended the fun, luring Scrivens down the pitch to be stumped by Abbey Freeborn. The batter hadn’t reached the pavilion before a cloudburst drove the players from the field.
When play resumed 80 minutes later, Winfield-Hill perished caught at square leg off Millie Taylor, but Penna caught the mood, launching the night’s first six over the mid-wicket stand and adding four fours in a brutal 12-ball effort.
Even when she fell to Katie George’s boundary catch, Macleod smote five fours as 57 came off the last four overs.
Davina Perrin, fresh from her 87 against Durham on Sunday, set the tone for the chase, pulling the first ball for four, and plundering three more boundaries from the next over bowled by Scriven.
One shot too many saw her hole out at mid-on off Kate Coppack, but Essex missed out on a second scalp in the powerplay when Wong, promoted up the order, was reprieved on 11, a skier dropped at mid-off by Scrivens. The drop didn’t prove expensive with the England all-rounder caught soon afterwards from the bowling of the in-form MacGregor, who scattered the stumps of the dangerous Laura Harris later in the same over.
Sterre Kalis played the knock of the night, twice clearing the ropes as she raced to 50 with five fours and two sixes, but by the time she became one of two late wickets for Sophia Smale from the game’s penultimate ball, the cause was lost.
Warwickshire opener Davina Perrin said: “It was a big ask to get that score. They put on a decent total, batted really well and ran well between the wickets.
“From our perspective if you’d said we’d get 139 from 14 overs, we’d have been happy with that score. We showed a lot of intent and Sterre’s 50 was top class.
“As disappointing as it is when you lose, we’re going to regroup. There’s so many games to come.
“It’s going all right. I’ve got to keep backing my strengths, recognising bowlers are going to come at you harder and being more tactical in the way they are going about things.
I’m up for the game of cat and mouse 100 percent. Cricket is a very technical and tactical game anyway, but you have to play the game that is in front of you everyday”.
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.
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