Women lose rain-affected thriller

May 14, 2025

SUFFOLK Women lost by four wickets in a rain-affected 14-over thriller at Budleigh Salterton CC, writes Jack Oastler.

On a day where both batting efforts were as patchy as the livestream coverage, Devon hauled in their target of 67 with two balls to spare to knock Suffolk out of the second round of the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup.

After a near two-hour rain delay, Suffolk captain Amelie Clarke – in charge in Lara Neild’s absence – won the toss and walked out to face the first ball.

Clarke moved off the mark early with a boundary flayed into the leg-side, but could add only one more before being caught behind off Katie Donovan.

Eliza Heard caused problems at the other end: Charlotte Anderson, on competitive debut, was tied down before being caught trying to hit her way out of trouble in the third over. Megan Haynes came in at No.3 – a new role for her – and found the boundary, but when she was caught at long-off, Suffolk were already staring down the barrel at 18 for 3.

Spinner Ellie Bishop saw former captain Nat Samuels dropped, but Liv Locke was bowled off the next ball. Samuels suffered the same fate in Bishop’s next over – leaving her side in deep trouble at 27 for 5, with half of their overs already gone.

Mildenhall pair Sophie Hughes (pictured above) and Maddy Reynolds had the job of turning the ship around, and started well, a pair of twos and a boundary through cover meant eight came off the tenth over, and took Hughes to 12 before she fell to Steph Hutchins.

The Devon captain also had Liv Hyndman (10) caught, but not before the Suffolk keeper had hit a straight six.

The revival peaked there, but Reynolds and Tamsin Holmes put in a shift to haul Suffolk up to a respectable 66 for 7. Devon needed 19 overs to chase 72 against Dorset the previous week, so the visitors were not out of it yet.

Far from it, as it turned out. Reynolds had the new ball, and caught a drive in her follow-through to leave the hosts 3 for 1. A series of dot balls then culminated in the wicket of Bishop thanks to a stunning catch from Amber Bradnam. Reynolds’ wicket maiden left Devon in an identical position to Suffolk at 11 for 2 from three overs.

From there, Suffolk pulled ahead. Charlotte Anderson came up with a direct-hit run-out in the fifth over, and some tight bowling from Reynolds (2 for 6) and Hughes (1 for 6) had Devon needing 49 from eight overs at more than a run a ball.

The Devon pair of Donovan and Jemima Vereker saw Lauren Swinburne’s introduction as their chance to attack: 14 came off the seventh over. However, the left-arm leg-spin of Hughes accounted for Donovan (13) caught by Locke.

Captain Clarke introduced her off-spin, and had Georgia Read lbw. Bradnam’s third over cost five; Devon needed 14 from two overs. Vereker was set on 18, but could only find the hands of Locke, as Clarke finished with 2 for 16.

Ella Gill, in at No.8, kept her side in touch with a vital boundary from her first legal ball. It was left to Swinburne to defend seven from the last, and Holly Perkin found the fence to leave Suffolk agonizingly short.

The side can be proud of their efforts, but the game carries on a trend. Suffolk have set low targets in their last four competitive T20s, with three coming down to the last over, only for the result to go the other way.

Their next chance to break the streak comes against Cricket East in Vitality Blast T20 League 3 at Ipswich School on June 1st.

 

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