Birmingham Bears Women vs Yorkshire Vikings Women
The Birmingham Bears were playing at Harrogate Cricket Club, starting their T20 campaign against the Yorkshire Vikings. The Bears won the toss and elected to bowl first with a damp outfield and a cloudy sky. This proved effective as wickets for Kelly, Hennessy, Grundy and Patel as well as three run outs saw the home side restricted to just 97-8 off their 20 overs. In response, the Bears got off to an unsettled start losing two wickets in the PowerPlay overs. However, Georgia Hennessy (39) and Anna Lanning (42*) steadied the ship and eased Warwickshire to a 7 wicket victory with three overs to spare.
Man of the match: Anna Lanning
Birmingham Bears Women vs Berkshire Women
The second match of the day at Harrogate CC saw The Bears take on Berkshire, who won the toss and elected to bat. Berkshire got off to a good start but regularly lost wickets along the way; New Zealand overseas Rachel Priest top scored (31), with only one other Berkshire batswoman getting into double figures. An even better performance with the ball by the Bears, in particular from their three spin bowlers, meant Berkshire struggled with the bat and only managed to reach 80-9. Once again another team effort in the field with wickets for Patel, Davis, Grundy and Green as well as two run outs. Out to bat, the Bears got off to a steady start at 26-1 after the PowerPlay. Georgia Hennessy top scored with 31 and kept the scoreboard ticking over despite tight bowling from the Berkshire attack. The Bears looked like they may be leaving it too late to get the runs but Rebecca Grundy and Laura Crofts upped the tempo and scored the runs in the last over of the game. This weekend’s wins for the Bears mean the women remain unbeaten across both formats and currently sit at the top of both the T20 and 50 over league tables.
Man of the match: Georgia Hennessy
