Girls’ U18 side reach national finals

August 20, 2022

SUFFOLK Girls’ Under-18 side are through to the national finals for the first time!

The team, coached by Rob Southall, will play Devon in the semi-final of the Royal London One-Day Cup at Grantham CC in Lincolnshire on Wednesday.

The winners will then meet either North East Warriors or Essex, who play in the other semi-final, in Thursday’s final, with the two losing sides contesting the third and fourth place play-off.

Suffolk won all six of their group games – defeating Cambridgeshire, Cricket East (Huntingdonshire & Bedfordshire) and Norfolk twice each to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Immy Sidhu struck 116 against Norfolk and Issy made 93 in the same game as the sisters compiled a double-century partnership. Immy averaged 99 and Issy 77 across the six group games.

Suffolk then travelled to Bildworth Colliery CC to face Nottinghamshire last Monday and defeated the first-class county by three wickets.

Evelyn Whitmore returned figures of 7-0-39-5 and Poppy Sidhu – the third of the Sidhu triplets in the team – recorded 4.3-1-22-2 as Notts were dismissed for 178 with three balls of their allotted 40 overs unused.

Issy Sidhu (45 off 55 balls), Immy Sidhu, who struck an undefeated 58 off 71 deliveries, and Evie Booker with 25 off 29 balls, steered Suffolk towards their target, which they achieved with 3.4 overs to spare.

Ten of the 14 members of the under-18 squad are in the Suffolk Ladies’ squad, which bodes well for the future of women’s cricket in the county.

A total of 34 counties across the country entered this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup competition.

Coach Southall said: “We have managed to bowl teams out, with the wickets being shared around, and scored consistently to win games.

“This group have been together for about four years, so they have grown up together.

“They are really looking forward to the national finals which are across two days and it is a nice reward for all the hard work they have put in this season.

“The girls are going to miss getting their GCSE results which are due out next Thursday so that they can play cricket for Suffolk.”

The Suffolk Girls Under-18 squad, pictured above, is Lucy Amos, Evie Booker, Amelie Clarke, Tamsin Holmes, Sophie Hughes, Olivia Hyndman (wkt), Imogen Sidhu, Isobel Sidhu, Poppy Sidhu (capt), Sophie Singer, Petra Tweedy and Evelyn Whitmore.

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