Ashford managed to pull off their fifth league win in a row, after it seemed they might have let the game get away from them. On the warmest league day of the season so far, hats off to the Ickenham side, seven of whom had already played a 30 over game in the morning, but were still able to push the league leaders all the way.

Ashford teenager Rhianna Southby stepped up to open the batting for the first time, and was soon playing some powerful shots all round the wicket. She and Gill Bonham were playing well together, and had put on 55 when Bonham was unlucky to be adjudged lbw. Southby continued to attack the Ickenham bowling, finding the boundary seven times before she was caught for 48. Ashford Skipper Katie Butler had kept the score ticking along, but was out in the 30th over, which brought Hannah Merchant in to join Jenny Tippell at the crease. Knowing that their side had plenty of wickets in hand, the pair took the attack to the bowlers, and added 71 off the last ten overs. Tippell led the way with an unbeaten 40 from only 35 balls, with Merchant not far behind on 31.

Chasing 178, Ickenham started slowly, scoring only 22 off the first ten overs, but Ashford didn’t managed to take a wicket until Katie Brown came on as first change. The Ickenham Captain Jo Windsor then began to take charge, with some strong hitting, and their run rate began to rise. It was not Ashford’s day in the field – the Ickenham bats were not afraid to take the ariel route, but the ball invariably dropped into gaps or just cleared the fielder’s outstretched hands. The home side had added another 65 before Ashford got their second wicket, Brown again making the breakthrough. Jenny Tippell then came back for a second spell, and picked up two more, including the dangerous Windsor, and with ten overs to go, Ickenham still needed 61 more runs. The batsmen continued to attack, and with regular boundaries keeping the run rate up, the target became 35 from the last five overs. Sarah Taylor then bowled a decisive over, conceding only two runs and the pressure was firmly back on the batsmen. Hannah Merchant had two overs left to complete, and did so in devastating fashion, taking three wickets for only six runs, and taking Ashford home to a victory that at times had looked far from certain.

Probably not Ashford’s most commanding performance, but the team stuck together and found a way to win when things weren’t going their way. They now have a break from league action before they travel to Spencer in two weeks time.

Alison McCreedy

Match details

Match date

Sun 07 Jun 2015

Kickoff

13:00

Competition

Wostrack

Team overview