With this weekend seeing the start of the ECB Women’s County T20 Championship 16 Sunrisers players, both senior and academy, were in action. Here is a roundup of who played, and how they got on.
Middlesex v Hampshire
Six Sunrisers took to the field for Middlesex - Amara Carr, Naomi Dattani, Cordelia Griffith, Gayatri Gole, Sonali Patel and Katie Wolfe.
In a successful day for Middlesex, winning both of their matches against Hampshire, contributions came from all Sunrisers involved. In the first game Dattani and Griffith put on an opening partnership of 144, Dattani making 60 and Griffith 73. In the field there were two wickets from Dattani, one a piece from Patel and Gole, as well as Carr taking a catch and a stumping.
The second game saw Middlesex fielding first, Sunrisers again in the wickets. Gole taking two wickets with one each for Dattani, Patel and Wolfe. Having been set a target of 94 to win, Dattani & Griffith again started off strong, reaching 43 before the first wicket fell. Despite regular middle order wickets, Gole remained at the crease and her 17* saw Middlesex take the win by 3 wickets.
Essex v Sussex
Another six Sunrisers were in the action with Essex, senior players Kelly Castle and Katie Midwood, and from the Academy, Scarlett Hughes, Esmae MacGregor, Katherine Speed and Jasmine Westley.
Essex unfortunately lost both their matches, though the first match saw a senior debut for Sunrisers Academy player, Jasmine Westley. Essex batted first in the opening match, Speed top scoring with 17. In the field Hughes took a catch behind the stumps and Midwood returned with an economy of 2.75 from her 4 overs, Sussex eventually making it over the line with 3 balls to spare.
In the second match, Essex batted first, this time Castle their top scorer with 19. Set only 68 to win Sussex achieved this in 8 over, MacGregor taking the only wicket to fall.
Warwickshire v Cricket Wales
Jo Gardner represented Sunrisers in Warwickshire, who won both of their matches v Cricket Wales. The opening match saw Gardner take a catch, a run out and a wicket, returning with figures of 8/1 from her 3 overs. This helped Warwickshire restrict Cricket Wales to 97 in their 20 overs, trying to chase down Warwickshire’s 121.
In the second match, Cricket Wales set Warwickshire a target of 105. Gardner finishing on 26* as Warwickshire reached their goal in the 13th over.
Kent v Surrey
Grace Scrivens produced the standout performance of the weekend, in Kent’s matches against Surrey. In the first match, her unbeaten knock of 94* put her team in a commanding position, Surrey needing to reach 196 in their 20 overs, falling 50 runs short.
In the second match, Scrivens took and early catch, helping to restrict Surrey to 152. Scrivens then posted another 30 runs, helping Kent to get over the line with 5 wickets still in hand.
Berkshire v Worcestershire
Mia Rogers was in action behind the stumps for Berkshire. Her 30 on the first match helped Berkshire to a first innings total of 102, which Worcestershire managed to chase down in the 14th over. The second match saw Worcestershire batting first, setting Berkshire a total of 156 to take the win. Rogers contributing 14 in the Berkshire total of 149, falling a few runs short.
Cambridgeshire v Buckinghamshire
Academy player Isabelle Routledge captained Cambridgeshire in their two victories over Buckinghamshire. The first match saw Routledge take a wicket, helping to restrict Buckinghamshire to 107 after their 20 overs. In reply, Routledge’s 45* helped Cambridgeshire reach their target in the final over.
Well done to all Sunrisers over the weekend #RiseUp