Ashford beat Stoke Molesey by 2 wickets

Stoke Molesey 115 (Alexandra Travers 39, Elize Brown 5-1-20-4)
Ashford 117-8 (Angharad Purser 22, Amy Page 6-1-19-3)

Following on their league success last week, Ashford also got their development league season off to a winning start, against Stoke Molesey. Ashford got off to a near perfect start, Sarah Taylor taking a wicket in her first over, the ball finding the safe hands of Gill Bonham at cover. Stoke then recovered well, Alexandra Travers and Amy Page both striking the ball well, and keeping the scoreboard ticking over at better than 4 runs an over. Ashford were then able to put the brakes on scoring, with six tight overs from Ali McCreedy, and the retirement of both Stoke bats within a few overs of each other brought new players to the crease. Although they had wickets in hand, Stoke, and especially their supporters, felt there were not enough runs on the board, and they started to take some chances. Elize Brown then changed the course of the game, with a devastating spell which tore the heart out of the Stoke batting. She started with a fine catch off her own bowling, then was responsible for a cool piece of fielding to pick up a run out. Three more wickets followed in quick succession for her, two bowled, and Rhianna Southby sharp behind the wicket to stump the third. At the other end, Katie Brown was not being left out of things, with two well deserved wickets of her own, Southby taking a catch this time, and Stoke had lost 7 wickets for only 9 runs. With the two retired Stoke bats returning to the crease for the final over, Ashford brought Jenny Tippell into the attack, and she needed only five deliveries to take both remaining wickets, Southby once again in the action with another stumping.

Chasing 116 off their 30 overs, Ashford got off to a sound start, Hannah Merchant ant Rhianna Southby putting on 23 for the first wicket. When another wicket followed in the same over, it was down to Ashford Skipper Angharad Purser to get things back on track, which she did with a fine attacking 22 from only 26 deliveries. Mel Newcombe was supporting her well, and can consider herself very unlucky to fall to a superb, running, one handed catch by Charlotte Elworthy. At 76-6 there was still work to do, and Elize Brown took charge, with the bat this time. Running well with Sarah Taylor, they got the score moving, and when Taylor was out, Becky Halls joined Brown to see their side home, the pair scoring the last 23 runs off only 26 balls.

Two wins in their first two outings, with the whole side involved in both, will make Ashford very pleased with their start to the 2015 season. They will be aware, however, that there’s a long way to go, and the hard work which has brought them this far will be continued as they train each week, constantly looking for improvement.

Alison McCreedy