Week 16 Results

SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE CRICKET

MCC 157-7 (40; Jennie Kitzinger 43, Beth Nicholson 35, Laura Jackson 2-17)
CWCL XI 155 (40; Dawn Prestidge 81*, Kate Coppack 20, Jude Wilmot 5-25, Abi Bates 2-17)

In an agonising finish, the League XI fell just short of the total posted by the MCC earlier in the day. Dawn Prestidge played a magnificent captain’s innings, but was stranded at the non-striker’s end as the last two wickets fell during a superbly composed final over from MCC veteran Jude Wilmot, who duly completed her five-wicket haul.

There have been more than a few impressive displays by the League’s representative team in the eight years in which we have welcomed the MCC to Cheshire. However, while two of these matches have been drawn, the League has never previously come within 20 runs of the victory target.

Here the draw was not an option, with the format switched to win/lose cricket, and the match shortened to 40 overs per side to allow the ground to dry out.

In a superb bowling effort, the League XI’s bowlers kept the scoring rate blow three per over for the first 27 overs. The scoring rate only accelerated when Jennie Kitzinger (43 from 42 balls) and Bev Nicholson (35 not out from 29 deliveries) got together. Laura Jackson (2-17 from eight overs) and Kate Coppack (1-6 from five) were the pick of the attack, and there were also wickets for Katie Haszeldine, Sami Fowler and Hannah Snape. The bowlers were backed up by some tremendous fielding, with the catches taken by Snape and Haszeldine genuine contenders for the game’s champagne moment.

Batting at number four, Kate Coppack’s run-a-ball 20 gave the League’s reply vital impetus, but the best batting came during a sixth wicket stand of 50 between Prestidge and Raffaella Rodighiero, with the pair hitting some fine boundaries, even with many deliveries barely bouncing above ankle height.

Prestidge eventually finished unbeaten on 81 from 79 deliveries, with 13 fours, but in addition to Wilmot’s haul, Abi Bates claimed two wickets and Nicholson and Kitzinger one each as the MCC ultimately prevailed.

So, the match ended with the MCC once again victorious, but the League’s matchday squad of 12 – most of them aged 20 or under after three players withdrew due to injury in the days leading up to the match – were once again a tremendous credit to the League.

League XI: Dawn Prestidge (Oakmere, captain), Alexa Harrison, Megan Cureton (both Oxton), Hannah Bratt, Katie Haszeldine, Christine Lawson (all Wistaston Village), Kate Coppack, Hannah Snape (both Chester Boughton Hall), Sami Fowler, Laura Jackson (both Appleton), Raffaella Rodighiero (Oakmere) Fielding reserve: Molli Coleman (Chester Boughton Hall) Scorers: John Rishton (Ashton-on-Mersey), Caroline Sheridan (Didsbury).

CHESHIRE WOMEN’S LEAGUE

Division One / Two Cross Divisional - August 6:

Didsbury (25pts) w/o Ashton-on-Mersey (minus 10pts)

Division One – August 6:
Appleton 149-2 (Laura Jackson 70*, Emma Barlow 49) (12pts)
Chester Boughton Hall dnb (9pts)

• For the second successive week, Appleton’s match was abandoned at halfway. After Kate Coppack had bowled her eight overs for only 12 runs, Appleton were struggling on just 32 from the first 20 overs, but Emma Barlow and Laura Jackson duly completed their partnership of 123 and led their side to a total that could have been competitive. Alas we will never know what the outcome would have been of what should have been a crucial match

Stockport Trinity 125-9 (40; Jennie Kitzinger 51, Carys White 29, Natalie Lyons 3-17) (5pts)
Oakmere 126-2 (25.5; Dawn Prestidge 54, Phoebe Cottam 31*) (24pts)

• The rain did not start in Stockport until 5.30, and Oakmere were able to complete their victory and greatly improve their title chances. Natalie Lyons produced an excellent spell to limit Trinity to little more than three per over, before Dawn Prestidge and Phoebe Cottam led a comfortable run chase. The abandonment at Appleton means that Appleton cannot overtake Oakmere by winning their matches in hand, although Oakmere and Appleton are still to meet on the final day of the season. It also means that Chester cannot overtake Oakmere by winning their match in hand, as the sides would be level on points and Oakmere would keep top spot based on having a higher number of wins.

Division Two – August 6:

Oxton v Leigh – RESULT NOT SUBMITTED

Division Three – August 6:

Stockport Georgians 156-4 (20; Zoe Jones 33ret, Natalie Bell 32ret, Beth Garnett 32ret, Nicole Baker-Tunney 30ret) (25pts)
Lymm Oughtrington Park 46-7 (20; Jones 2-2) (1pt)
(All Stockport Georgians wickets were Retired Out, so Lymm do not receive bonus points for these)

• Stockport Georgians are the division three champions for 2017, and they wrapped things up in some style, scoring at almost eight per over and depriving the Lymm attack of the chance to take any wickets at all. They can now make it a double by winning the final of the Development Knockout Cup in two weeks’ time.

Hawarden Park 127-2 (20; Rachel Warrenger 59*) (25pts)
Woodley 95-5 (20; Fiona Reeve 18, Katy Martin 2-16) (6pts)

• Rachel Warrenger carried her bat to lead her Hawarden side to victory, a win that possibly gives them the advantage over today’s opponents in the race for third place, although the sides will meet again in Stockport this coming Sunday.

T20 DIVISIONAL COMPETITION

Western Division – August 1:

Chester Boughton Hall Deemons v Oakmere Kats – Match cancelled

• The Chester ground was unfit for play here for what would have been the decisive match in the division. The teams have decided not to re-arrange, which sends Chester through to a final against Eastern Division champions Stockport Trinity, and means that Chester will be involved in two matches on Finals Day, which is to be staged on their own gr