Women's One-Day Cup Report: Nottinghamshire Women v Warwickshire Women
A bright day broke to a cloudy atmosphere at the Lady Bay Sports Ground as Warwickshire Women faced Nottinghamshire Women away.
Last years match between the two sides ended in an uneasy tie so both teams were looking for the victory this time around and another tight finish this year saw Notts edge out the Bears by just four runs.
What started off to be a sunny day for the Bears soon changed when Nottinghamshire managed to get 207-9 and the clouds came over. Being put into bat by Captain Marie Kelly, who won the toss and chose to bowl, openers Sonia Odedra (Notthinghamshire Captain) and Sarah Bryce (sister of Warwickshire’s Kathryn Bryce) made it to nine overs without a wicket before Odedra was caught behind by Amy Jones for two.
Liz Russell (10-0-35-2) and Georgia Davis (10-1-43-4) proved to be the consistent bowlers once again for Warwickshire as together they took six of the inning’s nine wickets, with Kathryn Bryce (7-0-25-2).
It was sister versus sister in the demise of Sarah Bryce as an easy catch was sent to Kathryn at mid-off to see the end of her. Another wicket came in the form of Lucy Highman, sending it soaring straight into the hands of Laura Crofts (5-0-26-1), stopping the 54 run-partnership with S Bryce they had amassed.
After a rain delay stopped play at 181-7, a stumping on the final ball of the innings saw Nottinghamshire finish with 207-9, a total that didn’t seem too far out of reach for Warwickshire.
At the change of the innings, Warwickshire were confident that they could rise to the challenge and score their first win. It definitely seemed that way with openers Bethan Ellis and Jones putting on a 43-run partnership before the first wicket fell. But some excellent fielding from the Outlaws put the pressure on the Women to get the runs.
England’s player Jones finished with 89 from 117 balls (including 11 four’s) controlling the innings with the help of Jo Gardner who earned 59 from 68 (including 8 four’s and 1 six), smashing a four for her fifty, followed nicely with a six the next ball.
Coming down to the final two overs, 12 runs scored in the 47th meant the Bears needed 19 from 12 deliveries to win, eventually leading to ten from the last six balls thanks to Gardner and Davis. A run and a run-out on the first delivery, followed by a run on the second brought up the 200 mark for Warwickshire with two wickets remaining.
But another fell and Nottinghamshire had pushed the Bears to eight required from three balls and it was just a little too out of reach for Warwickshire to win, mostly down to brilliant bowling by Katie Gordon (10-1-16-2), Sophie Munro (8-0-52-3) and former Bear Jenny Gunn (9-1-34-1).
Warwickshire Women face Hampshire, and then Surrey, in a Bank Holiday double at home on Portland Road.