Continuing their strongest ever start to a league season, Ashford recorded a comprehensive victory over old rivals Finchley. Sadly neither side was able to field a full team, but Ashford’s ten players didn’t let that worry them, and they got their innings off to a steady start. Once again, Becky Halls played the anchor role for her team, and when Katie Butler joined her they began to increase the run rate, despite a very slow outfield. The pair had added fifty together when Butler was out, and the score was 88-3 when 14 year old Rhianna Southby joined her Skipper in the 24th over. She attacked the bowling right from the off, soon beginning to find the boundary, and her speed between the wickets turned twos into threes, putting the fielders under even more pressure. Halls reached a well deserved fifty, her second in successive games, before falling just four overs from the end, but the star of the show was Southby, showing great maturity on her way to a fine 52 not out, off only 37 balls, not only her first league fifty for Ashford, but her first ever in senior cricket.

Finchley had the worst of starts to their innings, when Becky Halls clung onto a chance in the slips off the bowling of Jenny Tippell, in just the third over. Within no time, they were reduced to 7-3, and although, as always, Tippell bowled beautifully, it was another Ashford 14 year old, Katie Brown, who did the damage. Improving her league best figures for the second time already this season, she conceded only three runs off her five overs, and her two wickets included an international captain, for the Finchley Skipper Charvi Bhatt also leads the UAE. Ashford’s wicket keeper Katie Butler added to her fine catch to dismiss Bhatt with a sharp stumping, before Elize Brown took two wickets in her spell, and also picked up a run out with a cool piece of fielding. By this time, Finchley were way behind the required rate, and had lost most of their established players. Ali McCreedy and Sarah Taylor chipped in with a wicket each, and it was left to Tippell to finish off the match in her second spell, giving Ashford victory by a massive 153 runs, just one short of the club’s record winning margin.

Their third straight win takes Ashford to the top of Wostrack Division, but by the slimmest of margins from local rivals Shepperton. Exciting times for the club, now also reaping the reward for giving their best young players a chance in the senior team.

Alison McCreedy

Match details

Match date

Sun 17 May 2015

Kickoff

13:00

Competition

Wostrack

Team overview