Suffolk Women v Dorset

Suffolk were beaten by a spirited Dorset side in the final home game of their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign on a sunny Sunday (24th August) in Sudbury, writes Jack Oastler.

Player of the Match Charlotte Anderson top-scored with a battling 52, supported by 30 from Sophie Hughes, but no other partnerships passed 36 as the visitors bowled Suffolk out for 174 in 34.4 overs. 

In reply, a calm opening partnership worth 101 meant Dorset were safely home in the 38th over – despite some brilliance in the field from debutant Callie Bradbury.

Anderson made a confident start – moving off the mark with a cut for two, before playing the same shot and finding the boundary through cover. 

Poppy Sidhu formed the other half of a new opening partnership, and settled into the unfamiliar role quickly: the third over saw a four clipped through midwicket, and another cut to third man. However, she was run out for 9 – bringing her sister Immy to the crease.

The pair kept things moving, with a four each through fine leg, and after nine overs Suffolk were clearly on top. But Dorset captain Caitlin Chissell stepped up for the tenth, produced two magical balls, and 41-1 became 43-3 to end the powerplay. 

Hughes saw off the hat-trick ball, and set to work repairing the innings. The left-hander was particularly strong down the ground – with powerful drives for four either side of the bowler – while Anderson targeted midwicket. The Mildenhall pair ran well inbetween boundaries, accumulating a crucial partnership of 77. 

Suffolk reached 100 in a 21st over which cost 16, thanks to four byes. The boundaries behind the wicket were short, and Dorset’s attack – mostly made up of fast bowlers – conceded 43 runs in extras as a result.

Dorset finally turned to spin in the 22nd over, and though it cost ten, they made the breakthrough. Hughes nearly hooked the final ball of the over for six, but was caught on the square leg boundary for 30.

That prompted another wave of wickets. Suffolk lost their fifth, sixth and seventh wickets in consecutive overs, adding five runs, taking them to 126-7 with just under half of the innings remaining. 

CJ Oastler, in at 9, stemmed the flow – guiding the last ball of the 26th over for four through wide third man. But Dorset were not done, and claimed the big wicket two overs later, as Anderson was trapped lbw for 52. Her 82-ball innings contained both determination and skilful shots, and gave her side a fighting chance of posting a defendable total. 

Lauren Swinburne came to the middle, and was greeted with a high full toss – which was gleefully pulled up the hill for four. Wayward wides, combined with some entertaining running, meant that over cost 20 runs and took Suffolk past 150. 

Swinburne’s second boundary was an excellent shot – she leant back, and whipped through midwicket. Oastler clipped four more past fine leg, and the partnership advanced to 36 – the second highest of the innings – before Swinburne missed a yorker to fall lbw for 14. 

Chissell returned to polish off the Suffolk innings in the next over, and the home side were all out for 174 – with Oastler unbeaten on 17 from 25 – leaving fifteen overs unused. Still, given the mid-innings collapse, it was a good recovery effort, and potentially a winning score. 

After chilli for lunch, it was time to test that theory. Stand-in captain Maddy Reynolds took the new ball, and began with a maiden; Amber Bradnam opened the bowling from the other end, and did the same. 

Dorset struggled to rotate the strike, but made up for that in boundaries as the opening partnership grew. By the tenth over, the batters had got into their stride and converted a sedate start into a free-flowing fountain of runs. They scored all around the ground, but most heavily behind square either side of the wicket. 

Hughes and Immy Sidhu were difficult to get away, but by the 23rd over, the visitors had already reached 100 without losing any wickets. Louisa Heap was the first opener to reach 50, and would have been fancying her chances of staying until the end. Suffolk needed something to change.

Enter Bradbury. The all-rounder was making her senior Suffolk debut after an impressive season with the under-18s, and took no time to make an impact. Her very first ball seemed to be caught at cover, but was deemed to have bounced short. Heap didn’t make use of the reprieve: two balls later, a sharp edge was held by Oastler, and Suffolk had their breakthrough. 

The wicket seemed like a consolation, especially as Dorset took 13 from Bradbury’s second over. But one breakthrough often leads to another – as the batters found out. Sidhu built the pressure with consecutive maidens, and it paid off when Dorset tried – and failed – to run two to Swinburne at wide long-on. The seamer threw to the non-striker’s end, where Hughes whipped the bails off.

At 119-2, with the batters needing 56 to win, wickets had to come quickly – and despite Hughes bowling Victoria Pack for 59, the five-over wait seemed too long. 

Bradbury still had time to produce the moment of the day in the field. Amelie Clarke came into the attack with her offspin after Sidhu (0-31) and Hughes (1-43) finished, and enticed Darcey Clarke into a swipe to cover. Bradbury, fielding on the ring, pulled out a full-stretch Superman dive to her right and held onto it.

It didn’t count for a lot, as Dorset picked off the remaining seven runs in two balls to win by six wickets. But it was a last bit of entertainment for the crowd which had gathered to watch, and gave Suffolk something to cheer going into the last game of the season. 

Oxfordshire’s loss to Cornwall means that Suffolk could potentially finish second in their One-Day Cup group, if other results go their way, with victory in the final game of the season – away to Cricket East next week.

Tags: Suffolk Women

Categorised in: Suffolk Women