Chester land T20 double on Finals Day

Chester Boughton Hall hosted the triple-header Finals Day this year, and took home the trophies in both finals that they were contesting. Many of the Chester players produced fine performances, but the star of the show was surely acting captain Kate Coppack.

Match 1 – Development Knockout Cup Final:

Stockport Georgians 77-9 (20; Liv Bell 22, Zara Matthews 2-6, Ellen Gallimore 2-13, Tasneem Akram 2-17)
Didsbury 2nd XI 80-3 (15.1; Laura Griffiths 27*)

• Georgians may have won division three this year, but Didsbury’s seconds gained some revenge by triumphing in the knockout competition that is exclusively for teams in that division. Tasneem Akram struck twice early on, and Georgians were struggling on 11-3. Liv Bell led a recovery of sorts, but with Zara Matthews and others bowling well, the final total set the Manchester side less than four per over. Beth Garnett produced an excellent spell in the second innings, but Laura Griffiths led the way as the target was reached with almost five overs to spare.

Match 2 – Senior Knockout Cup Final:

Chester Boughton Hall Deemons 101-8 (20; Kate Coppack 25ret, Nadia Wheeler 21, Leesa Mellon 2-7, Millie Frost 2-8)
Didsbury Swordettes 68-9 (20; Hannah Jones 34*, Kate Coppack 4-7, Dawn Prestidge 3-15, Ali Cutler 2-7)

• Didsbury’s first team could not make it a double celebration for the club as an impressive display comfortably saw the Deemons to their seventh Knockout win in the 11 years the competition has been played. While Kate Coppack was the only one to reach the retirement score, all of their top six scored rapidly, and the scoring rate only dropped in the final overs when Leesa Mellon and Millie Frost got amongst the wickets. Dawn Prestidge took three very early wickets in the reply, and there was the curious sight of Hannah Jones retiring on 25 when her team had managed only 31 runs in total. Coppack then took four wickets for just seven runs, upstaging what were some fine figures by all of her team-mates.

Match 3 – T20 Divisional Competition Final:

Chester Boughton Hall Deemons 107-7 (20; Dawn Prestidge 26ret, Kate Coppack 26ret, Ali Cutler 26*, Kate Harvey 3-13, Emma Royle 2-12)
Stockport Trinity Fire 91-9 (20; Jennie Kitzinger 26*, Nadia Wheeler 4-18, Dawn Prestidge 2-22)

• Chester then went on to record their fifth T20 Divisional title in the last match of the day. Dawn Prestidge and Ali Cutler kept the run rate around six per over in the initial stages of the first innings. When the pair retired, wickets did fall regularly, with Kate Harvey and Emma Royle returning excellent figures. However, Kate Coppack blasted 26 in just 14 balls to keep the board moving. Trinity ensured it was a competitive contest, especially when they scored 38 between the 7th and 11th overs of their reply. However, the Chester attack proved just too strong – while Nadia Wheeler was the main wicket taker on this occasion, Coppack again did a superb job, conceding just eight runs in her four overs.