League XI impress but fall to defeat by MCC

MCC 217-8 dec (55; Evelyn Jones 119ret, Charlotte Williams 38, Niki Chaudhuri 26, Laura MacLeod 2-6, Alexa Harrison 2-55)
Cheshire Women’s League XI 185 (46.2; Lauren Smith 33, MacLeod 27, Phoebe Cottam 25, Natalie Lyons 24*, Jones 4-16, Hannah Pettigrew 3-31)

A League victory over the MCC remains elusive, as the MCC made it five wins, two draws and one cancellation in the eight years this match has been played. England senior hopeful Evelyn Jones played a huge part with both bat and ball in snuffing out a spirited performance from a Cheshire team that showed three changes from the original selection.

The 11 players that made up the team, plus the fielding reserve, were once again a great credit to our League, and victory looked very possible when the League side started the final hour at 130-3. However, scoring at the required rate proved very difficult on a pitch displaying increasingly low bounce.

Jones was into her stride right from the start as she dominated the MCC opening stand by scoring 47 of the 58 runs. Charlotte Williams supported her well with 38 as a further 84 was added for the second wicket, and Jones reached lunch on 119. Her runs had been scored off only 95 deliveries with 16 fours and one six, putting away almost every bad ball she received, and she seldom gave the League XI a sniff of her wicket.

Natalie Lyons and Lauren Smith took the wickets during the morning session, and both also did the best job in restricting her scoring. Lyons took 1-26 in eight overs, all bowled just before the interval with Jones in full flow; and Lauren Smith had figures of 1-16 from 9.5 overs before Jones laid in to her last seven deliveries and added 21 more.

After lunch, with Jones having been retired by her captain, it was a very different game. Several League XI bowlers markedly improved their figures after taking a battering earlier in the day, and two wickets fell to both Laura MacLeod and Alexa Harrison during this phase of the game.

MacLeod and Emma Barlow took the score to 38 before the first wicket fell, but Lauren Smith played some fine strokes and Phoebe Cottam also kept the momentum going right up to the start of the final hour.

All of the top six got a start but ultimately fell for scores of between 13 and 33, and whilst the low bounce made life difficult throughout, it was still slightly disappointing that none of these promising beginnings resulted in a larger score. Lauren Smith made 33, MacLeod 27, Cottam 25, Alison Smith 17, Barlow 16 and Becky Baldock 13.

A wicket to Sarah Sutcliffe off the fifth ball of the first over of the final hour heralded the MCC taking charge of the match, as regular wickets fell thereafter. Jones was introduced to the attack and completed her superb day with four wickets, while the final two were taken by Hannah Pettigrew, the last with the League XI just 16 deliveries away from securing the draw.

Lyons completed a good day for her personally as she looked increasingly composed in reaching 24 not out, but she ultimately ran out of partners.

The League also thanks Ashton-on-Mersey for undertaking the significant task of hosting the match and providing lunch and tea to the players and officials.

‘Reasons to be cheerful’ for the League XI include:

• Their run rate of 3.99 per over was better than the 3.95 runs per over managed by the MCC
• The MCC managed just 32 runs and lost five wickets in the 19 overs between lunch and the declaration
• The seven wickets taken by the League XI (the eighth was Jones as Retired Out) is the second highest number of wickets they have taken in the history of this fixture
• The League XI’s score of 185 narrowly failed to beat the highest score they have managed in this fixture. As the record of 190 included 141 from Laura MacLeod this was certainly the best team batting performance
• The League XI bowlers did not bowl a wide until the 52nd over

League XI: Laura MacLeod (Wistaston Village, captain), Alison Smith (Wistaston Village), Phoebe Cottam (Oakmere, wicketkeeper), Natalie Lyons (Oakmere), Becky Baldock (Ashton-on-Mersey), Sammi Short (Chester Boughton Hall), Alexa Harrison (Oxton), Emma Barlow (Appleton), Lauren Smith (Didsbury), Emma Royle (Stockport Trinity), Carys White (Stockport Trinity, second wicketkeeper). Fielding reserve: Hannah Maybury (Ashton-on-Mersey). Scorers: Gill Short & David Kay. Coach: James Hendry. Umpires: Alistair Davies & John Bone.