Ashford Ladies Surrey Trust v Stoke Molesey

Hannah Merchant got Ashford off to the best possible start, with a wicket in each of her three overs. Stoke began to rebuild, and Amy Page got them back into the game with some attacking play, before retiring on 37. Ashford slowed down the scoring rate, and started to pick up wickets, with Jenny Tippell and Angharad Purser both striking. Several run outs added to the wickets, with good throws from Nicky Sawyer, Katie Brown and Gill Bonham. Ali McCreedy picked up another, with a caught and bowled, and when the ninth wicket fell, Page returned to the crease to face the final ball. The batsmen completed a run, and confusion in the middle combined with various shouts of encouragement from their supporters on the boundary, led to them attempting a second, despite the ball already being in Sarah Taylor’s hand. She made no mistake with the throw, and Stoke were all out for 109.

Ashford lost a wicket with only five on the board, but Jenny Tippell was scoring freely, finding the boundary with ease. She was stopped in her tracks when a well struck pull went straight to the fielder at fine leg, who clung on to a good catch. Katie Butler kept the scoreboard ticking over as a couple more wickets fell at the other end, but was then herself bowled. Hannah Merchant and Ali McCreedy kept Ashford’s hopes up for a few more overs, but they both fell with the target still 46 runs away. Sarah Taylor replaced McCreedy, but she was only able to stand and watch the carnage at the other end. Sutherland’s first ball accounted for Merchant, then Yolandi Maynier smashed the next one for four. She was out lbw to the next delivery, and Katie Brown became the third victim in the over as the next ball hit her stumps, to end the Ashford innings.

A disappointing result, which dashes Ashford’s hopes of ending the season by winning the league.

Alison McCreedy