A squad of fourteen has been selected for tomorrow’s final home Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy game of the season, where we face Central Sparks at The Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford.
There is one addition to the squad that beat Western Storm on Tuesday, with Lissy Macleod coming in as cover for Cordelia Griffith, who faces a fitness test after sustaining an injury in the field at Radlett that stopped her from batting.
The bowlers were excellent against Storm, as they blew the visitor’s top order away and put pressure on them from the start. Kate Coppack (3 for 26) and Eva Gray (1 for 18) were superb with the new ball, before Kelly Castle continued to threaten.
It was then down to the triple spin threat of Jodi Grewcock (3 for 24), Mady Villiers (2 for 29), and Grace Scrivens (1 for 19) to restrict the Storm lower order and keep them down to 143 on a good batting surface.
Ariana Dowse got off to a flying start on her debut, Amara Carr looked composed when she came in, and Jo Gardner guided us home brilliantly after an exciting knock from Villiers. Overall, it was a superb team performance, with everyone playing their part in a thoroughly deserved victory.
Central Sparks head into the game off the back of a three wicket defeat to The Blaze, but remain second in the table with three games to go. Bethan Ellis and Katie George both scored half-centuries, with wickets shared between George and their spinners. The reverse fixture was washed out without a ball being bowled in July, whilst Sparks came out on top by 23 runs in the opening Charlotte Edwards Cup game of the campaign.
The game starts at 10.30am at The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford. Tickets are available to buy on the gate, at £10 for adults and £5 for children, whilst entry is free for Essex, Middlesex, and Northamptonshire members, as well as Junior Sunnies members. We wish a safe journey to those who are making the journey to join us, or you can tune into the Live Stream on our YouTube channel and in the Match Centre on the day.
Sunrisers have named the following squad:
Grace Scrivens (captain)
Amara Carr
Kelly Castle
Kate Coppack
Ariana Dowse
Jo Gardner
Eva Gray
Jodi Grewcock
Cordelia Griffith
Esmae MacGregor
Lissy Macleod
Flo Miller
Amu Surenkumar
Mady Villiers
Around the ground
Come and visit the Sunrisers shop, located in the Sunrisers gazebo next to the Pavilion, and take advantage of our big end of season Nike clothing discount sale. You can also pick up some free signature cards and matchday activity booklets from us there.
All supporters will be able to purchase food and drink from inside the Pavilion.
During the interval, some young Essex stars will be presented with their awards from the summer. Congratulations to all four youngsters who will receive recognition for their strong personal seasons!
Our players will be happy to sign anything and take photos with supporters after the game. Please wait patiently in front of the pavilion for them to re-emerge after the conclusion.
Up next
We finish the season with a midweek trip to Loughborough, to face The Blaze, on Wednesday 13 September, before making the long journey north to take on Northern Diamonds at Durham on Saturday 16 September.