Women begin Blast with a bang!
June 3, 2025SUFFOLK Women began the Blast campaign with a bang as they brushed aside Cricket East – twice – at Ipswich School.
The hosts chased 77 in the first Vitality Blast T20 League 3 Division 2 South game, then 63 in the second, losing just three wickets all afternoon, writes Jack Oastler.
Cricket East chose to bat first on a sunny Sunday morning. They started sedately: opening bowlers Immy Sidhu (1 for 10) and Amber Bradnam (0 for 9) were economical, before Sidhu made the breakthrough in the fifth over. Lottie Taylor offered up a high catch, which Sophie Hughes pocketed to highlight a wicket maiden.
Lauren Swinburne’s first over was met with two boundaries. However, those were the last times the batting side found the rope until the very last over, with Swinburne conceding just nine more runs.
What followed was a display of control from Suffolk. Spinner Izzy Sidhu (0 for 9) conjured away four overs, while Hughes held down the other end. Captain Lara Neild (0 for 6) chipped in with two handy overs. A solid fielding effort underpinned the tight bowling: just three overs had more than three scoring shots.
Batters Eve Morgan (35 not out) and Amelia Jones (22) were – safe to say – well set by the start of the 20th over, and searching for momentum to finish the innings. Jones stepped up to the task with consecutive boundaries.
Bowler Hughes wasn’t having any of it, and wrestled the momentum straight back. Jones played onto her stumps before a last ball run-out by Swinburne kept the score to 76 for 3.
In reply for Suffolk, Amelie Clarke got the ball rolling – all the way for four – with a forceful drive through long-off. She demonstrated her prowess down the ground with seven more in the fourth over.
By the time Clarke found a fielder at mid-off, Suffolk were in control – already a third of the way to the total. Immy Sidhu joined Liv Locke at the crease and played sensibly. Locke found the legside boundary twice early on in the partnership, and while the fours dried up, the pair kept the score ticking over.
Victory was already in sight when Locke was caught for a well-made 29 in the thirteenth over. Worcestershire loanee Immy Hill entered the fray on competitive debut for Suffolk, finding the rope to secure a first win of the season.
After lunch came the opportunity for a second. Suffolk fielded first again, but this time by choice.
It appeared that the cakes had reinvigorated Cricket East. Emily Banks was promoted to open, and littered the opening exchanges with threes and fours. The big hits were paired with brisk running, and the intent which was missing earlier on in the day was clear to see.
Intent is a funny thing: you praise it when the runs are flowing, but after the sixth over the batters were left cursing it. Banks was in full flow on 19 from 14, before being run out taking on an ambitious single.
An identical poor decision led to an identical wicket just three balls later. Immy Sidhu fielded the ball on the ring twice; Liv Hyndman cleanly took the bails off twice. 33 for 0 became 38 for 2 in avoidable fashion.
Lottie Taylor set about making amends, sweeping to the square leg boundary, but Tamsin Holmes took a high catch to dismiss her for 21 and end Sidhu’s spell of 1 for 20.
Suffolk’s goal was to bowl their opponents out for less than the 76 they’d managed earlier, but at 57 for 3 halfway through, only the most optimistic home supporters would have considered that possible.
Enter Izzy Sidhu. The eleventh over showed why she is highly rated by Surrey, as the left-arm leg spinner bowled Eliza Aldridge and Annie Banks in consecutive balls to walk away with a double-wicket maiden.
Bradnam took on her mantle at the other end, forcing Morgan to play onto her stumps before bamboozling Avaani Katechia to finish with 2 for 15.
Nine balls. That was all it took to turn this innings from ‘delicately poised’ to ‘rapidly disintegrating’, as four wickets had fallen for just two runs. Still, with seven overs to come, there was plenty of time for a rebuild.
Hughes disagreed. Suffolk’s other left-arm leg spinner took just five balls to polish things off. The first wicket was indebted to keeper Hyndman, who took a tricky high catch off a top-edge.
The second and third were all Hughes: thanks to some extra pace on each delivery, the last two batters both played on.
Clarke and Locke had a familiar task, this time with 63 in their sights. They quickly broke free after a tight first two overs, scoring from eleven consecutive balls. Punctuating this stretch was the shot of the day by Clarke, a gorgeous straight drive to the boundary.
The runs came quickly and calmly – 46 for 0 after eight overs without offering a chance. Clarke wasn’t going to die wondering, and eventually found mid-on, but not before securing the game with a 22-ball 26. Locke finished unbeaten on 19 as Immy Sidhu ran the winning single down to fine leg.
The two emphatic victories took Suffolk to second in the Division 2 South table, behind Oxfordshire.
Suffolk Women are pictured above celebrating a wicket.
Tags: Cricket East, Ipswich School, Vitality Blast T20 League 3 Division 2 South
Categorised in: Suffolk Women