Ashford lost to Bells Yew Green by 5 wickets

Women’s Cricket Southern League, Wostrack Division, 5th July 2015

Ashford 162-4 (Becky Halls 57, Rhianna Southby 50, Hannah Lautch 7-2-31-2)
Bells Yew Green 165-5 (Becky Steptowe 51*, Katie Brown 8-0-28-2)

Ashford lost their first match in 2015, bringing to an end their record run of eleven wins, being outplayed by their visitors from Bells Yew Green. Ashford batted first on a warm and breezy day, and with the outfield dry and fast it looked like being a high scoring game. The opening pair of Rhianna Southby and Becky Halls found scoring difficult, however, and the score was only 20 after the first ten overs. Southby was playing her usual attacking game, but the field was well placed, and the fielding sound, denying her runs. The scoring rate began to rise slowly as Southby, particularly, began to find the boundary, and she moved quickly to her second fifty of the season before she gave a return catch to the bowler. Halls continued to play securely at the other end, but for the second match running it was the arrival of Angharad Purser at the crease which injected some much needed pace into the innings, hitting an unbeaten 15 from only fourteen balls. Halls fell in the 39th over for 57, her fourth fifty of the year, allowing Hannah Merchant to make her presence felt, cracking a four off her first ball, and, with Purser, taking the Ashford total up to 162.

Ashford’s bowling attack was missing a key member in Elize Brown, but they still felt they had a chance of defending a possibly below par score. Jenny Tippell beat the bat frequently in her first couple of overs without any luck, and Hannah Merchant looked equally dangerous from the other end. The first drama of the innings, however, was unfortunate – Sophie Bowen was struck on the foot by a full ball from Merchant, and although she bravely tried to bat on, she had to retire hurt. Having started slowly, the Bells Yew Green bats steadily increased the pace, keeping in touch with the required rate, and they got full value for their shots, steering them powerfully past the field and through the gaps, an aspect Ashford had struggled with. Tippell finally got rewarded for her efforts, taking the first wicket with the score on 49, but another fifty had been added before the second wicket fell, Becky Halls taking a good catch at slip off Merchant’s bowling. Katie Brown continued her excellent form this season, picking up two wickets in her eight accurate overs, but by this time Bells Yew Green were homing in on their target, guided by Becky Steptowe, who played with confidence, striking the ball with ease. Rhianna Southby was called into the Ashford attack, and picked up her first league wicket, a good catch by Katie Butler behind the stumps, but it was not enough to stop Bells Yew Green, who got home with three overs to spare, Steptowe unbeaten on 51.

Ashford didn’t really do much wrong in the field, but were just outplayed by a good side. They will reflect on what the outcome might have been had they put an extra 30 runs on the board, and will be working to put this right before the next match on Sunday, when promotion challengers Ansty visit Short Lane.