Women lose in a last-ball thriller
August 13, 2024SUFFOLK Women came close to beating Middlesex in a thriller to finish the 2024 season, writes Jack Oastler.
The first-class county needed two from the last ball, and Louise Poulter found the boundary to secure a five-wicket win and leave Suffolk empty-handed in Sunday’s T20 Group 3 clash at Haverhill CC.
The home side built their innings around Sophie Singer (42), with handy contributions from Immy (14) and Izzy (14) Sidhu. Amelie Clarke and Poppy Sidhu then added a quickfire 31 together to reach a competitive total of 125 for 7.
Amber Bradnam took the new ball, and responded to a pair of boundaries from Hannah Taylor-Yeates by bowling her. Riva Pindoria (25) picked up the baton, adding four fours and a six, before Natasha Miles and Gayatri Gole added 55 for the fourth wicket.
Miles fell in the 16th over, stumped by CJ Oastler off the bowling of Sophie Hughes, to leave Suffolk on top: their opponents still needed 30.
But Gole, a former Sunrisers player, held her nerve. Thirteen runs were needed from the last over, and she found the boundary – and ran three twos – to leave Poulter to strike the winning blow.
Earlier, Suffolk had suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of a strong Sussex side at the same venue.
Hughes opened the batting but was bowled early. Singer and Immy Sidhu steadied the ship, surviving until the 11th over – but the score had only moved to 44, thanks to a tight spell from Chiara Green (2 for 9).
Beth Harvey (3 for 11) took over from Green and kept things tight. By the end of the 17th over, Suffolk were struggling at 66 for 6.
Izzy Sidhu started the resurgence with a boundary through backward square leg and added another to finish unbeaten on 14.
Captain Lauren Swinburne scored a four and a three – before being stumped off the last ball – to take her side to 94 for 8.
Millie Taylor and Lucy Western opened the batting for Sussex and looked intent on chasing the target alone.
A sedate start – Immy Sidhu’s first two overs cost just three runs – gave way to a bit of an onslaught, with Taylor finding the boundary five times in five overs.
Western hit three of her own, to take the partnership to 58 by the time Taylor (32 from 27) fell lbw to Izzy Sidhu. The visitors needed just 36 in eleven overs.
Suffolk dragged it out, with the leg-spin of Hughes and Izzy Sidhu proving difficult to get away at first.
Hughes was rewarded with the wicket of Mollie Adams, but Harman finished the game with a four just two balls later as the visitors won with 4.1 overs to spare.
Sunday’s games rounded off a mixed 2024 season for Suffolk.
The team found themselves in a tough T20 group, alongside five first-class counties.
They finished eighth out of nine counties, with just one win, albeit an emphatic one, against Buckinghamshire.
Swinburne’s side fared better across 50 overs, winning two of their four matches. That put them fifth in Group 2 – level on points with Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire – in the ten-team division.
Tags: Haverhill CC, Middlesex, Sussex
Categorised in: Womens Cricket