Leeds & Broomfield v Ashford Ladies

Ashford were back in winning form on their latest visit to Kent, with a comprehensive victory over Leeds & Broomfield. Batting first, Becky Halls and Gill Bonham got them off to a flying start, with eleven from the first over. They kept the pressure on the Leeds bowlers, running well between the wickets, and both finding the boundary. Bonham was out for 27, and when another wicket fell almost immediately, Ashford could have been in trouble, but Jenny Tippell settled in at the crease and started to attack the bowling. Halls was still going strong, and reached a well deserved fifty before she lost her wicket. Tippell played some beautiful shots all round the wicket, notching up ten 4s on her way to an unbeaten 70 off only 66 balls. Support from Angharad Purser and Beth Evans helped to take the Ashford total up to 200, and secure them valuable batting bonus points.

Ashford’s opening bowlers Jenny Tippell and Hannah Merchant gave their side a wonderful start, keeping things so tight that the Leeds innings was into the sixth over before the first runs were scored off the bat. It was Yolandi Maynier who picked up the first wicket, though, Beth Evans holding on to a good catch. Tippell struck next, bowling Johnson, the Leeds opener, who was looking good on 45. All the Ashford bowlers were working hard to keep the scoring down, well supported by their fielders, making Leeds fall further behind the required rate. Sarah Taylor and Katie Brown were kept particularly busy, both of them saving plenty of runs, while Katie Butler kept things very tidy behind the stumps. Ali McCreedy took the next two wickets, the second a fine catch by Angharad Purser. Merchant was finally rewarded for some excellent bowling , and Purser took the wicket which took her side within one of bowling Leeds out. Overs were running out for the batting side, who were way off their target, but also for Ashford, desperate to pick up the extra bonus points for bowling their opposition out. Two catches went down in the final overs – Ashford will be hoping they don’t prove costly with the top three teams in the league so close together.

Alison McCreedy