Fresh from the back of two T20 victories over Middlesex on Monday, Kent Women made the trip across the Dartford Crossing to face Essex Women in a ‘Battle of the Bridge’ double-header at The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.
Bragging rights came back across the Thames to Kent after two huge wins saw Kent clinch the South East Group of 2021’s Vitality Women’s T20 competition, organised by ECB.
Match One: Kent Women (75/5) def. Essex Women (74) by five wickets
After winning the Toss and electing to bat, Essex Women were soon in big trouble as Kalea Moore removed both opener Hughes for no score and bowling Bird for one in subsequent overs, at one point leaving the hosts on 11/2.
After two overs from left-armer Alexa Stonehouse, the experience Alice Davidson-Richards came into the attack and struck with her first delivery – Castle misread a cut shot and bottom edged to Sarah Bryce behind the stumps and Essex were 12/3 after 4.1 overs. At the end of the powerplay, Essex reached 21/3.
Another tight over from Davidson-Richards paid dividends as Essex’s batters tried to counter-attack. Speed played down the wrong line to ‘ADR”s final ball of the seventh over, hitting top of off stump, and Essex were 23/4.
Grace Gibbs dismissed opener Dalton for 12 at the start of the ninth, with a fuller delivery sending off-stump cartwheeling and putting the hosts five down within the first half of their innings.
Megan Belt got her first wicket of the day in the next over when Olorenshaw skied one to Grace Scrivens in the deep, putting further pressure on Essex’s batters to try and post a competitive score.
At the halfway point, both Moore and Davidson-Richards had bowling figures of 2-0-4-2, and Essex were 35/6.
After reaching 50/6 after 12.3 overs, remnants of an Essex recovery from Brown and Midwood looked to take shape, before Brown went for 16 after being trapped LBW by Gibbs.
Essex found themselves eight down in the 16th after Westley was bowled by Scrivens for one, and in the next over Davidson-Richards struck again. Midwood was suckered in by the slower ball, and mistimed to turn back and see the bails removed from leg stump.
The hosts reached 70/9 going into the final over, and after a boundary and a dot, Poole holed out to Ryana MacDonald-Gay to produce Moore’s third wicket and the end of Essex’s innings – 74 all-out.
In reply, Kent lost Sarah Bryce early at the non-strikers end after a Grace Gibbs drive was deflected by the bowler onto the stumps at the non-strikers end, leaving the Horses 8/1 after the first over. Gibbs then departed herself in the next over, adjudged LBW to Midwood for 7.
Phoebe Franklin & Alice Davidson-Richards were tasked with getting Kent up to speed, and both batters found the boundary in the 4th over to ensure that required run rate remained at just around 3.50 an over.
The pair took Kent up to 35/2 at the end of the powerplay, but Davidson-Richards was stumped from the bowling of Poole for 15, and Kent were 3 down in the seventh over.
Grace Scrivens came in at at five and looked assured from the first delivery, and some good running from both her and Franklin took Kent past the 50-run mark well before the halfway point.
Franklin was then caught in the deep after trying to slog sweep Jones, but even at 51/4, Kent Women looking on target for victory.
Kalea Moore was bowled by Speed to leave Kent 11 runs short of victory five wickets down in the 12th over.
Good running from Scrivens and new partner Ryana MacDonald-Gay saw the scores level after 13.5 overs, and victory was sealed by a no-ball on height from the bowler with the next delivery.
Match Two: Kent Women (140/5) def. Essex Women (108/8) by 32 runs
On the same green-topped pitch used for the first game of the day, Essex Women won the Toss and elected to field with a new match start time of 14:00.
Out to open this time were Sarah Bryce and Grace Scrivens, the duo that put Essex to the sword without losing a wicket last year in the Women’s London Championship.
Bryce raced to a score of 15 in the first two overs, including a huge six off a full toss from Midwood. The ‘keeper-batter’s eagerness to score quick runs may have been her downfall in the next over – she was out caught at mid-off attempted another lofted drive for 17.
Phoebe Franklin was next in, but could only make three runs in the second match of the day after holing out to Dalton from the bowling of Jones. The wicket signalled the end of the powerplay and Kent were 37/2.
Scrivens looked to be the anchor for Kent as she and new batting partner Alice Davidson-Richards ran quick singles to keep the run rate ticking over, supplemented by one boundary-finding stroke. The duo took Kent up to 58/2 after ten overs, with Scrivens on 31 and ‘ADR’ having made six.
The pair continued to make headway in the middle of the innings including a deft ‘Dilscoop’ for four courtesy of Davidson-Richards.
Scrivens reached a score of 39 in the 13th over, but was unable to reach her second half century of the season after top edging a delivery from Poole, who took the catch from her own bowling.
ADR and Grace Gibbs guided Kent past the 100-run mark in the 16th over after a Gibbs six at the end of the 15th, but the right-hander was dismissed caught in the deep to put Kent on 109/4 in the 17th over.
As Kent headed into the final overs of their innings, Davidson-Richards accelerate with three boundaries in four balls to take her up to her first half century of the season from 41 balls.
Even though Kent lost Kalea Moore in the final over, the visitors posted a very competitive 140/5 after 20.
Essex’s chase got off to a slow start – seven runs came in their first two overs as the required run rate had already creeped up to 7.44. Needing to up the score quickly, 12 runs were added in the third without loss.
Chances came a-plently for Kalea Moore to take a wicket in her first over with the ball. After one crept past the edge and another not quite reeled in in the deep, the off-spinner’s persistence paid off in the next delivery, Brown pulling to Davidson-Richards, who took the catch.
Grace Gibbs removed Midwood cheaply with her first delivery of the match, getting one through the gate to bowl the Essex batter for one, and also stemmed the flow of runs successfully. The hosts were 35/2 after the powerplay.
Gibbs struck again to dismiss Bird LBW, and after 10 overs, Essex were 57/3 – the required run rate for the hosts now edging up to 8.26.
Essex’s pair of Dalton and Speed built and impressive partnership in the middle overs, keeping the runs coming with ones and twos.
The pair put on 44 together before the breakthrough was made by Grace Gibbs taking her third wicket of the match, and Essex were 80/4 in the 15th over, requiring 61 to win from 35 deliveries. Gibbs struck yet again four balls later, bowling Castle for 1.
Essex needed 55 to win from the final four overs, and Alice Davidson-Richard made their task more difficult by bowling Olorenshaw for four to leave the hosts six down. Grace Scrivens got the prized wicket of Dalton, who departed for 38, for the fifth wicket of the innings to fall by ball hitting stumps.
Gibbs completed her five wicket haul by bowling Jones for five to leave Essex on 98/8 going into the final over, finishing the match on 108/8, and Kent winning by 32 runs.
Grace Gibbs’ match figures of 5/11 sets a new record for a Kent Women bowling performance in T20 cricket.
After the day’s play, Alice Davidson-Richards said: “We played two very different games, but they were both very satisfying wins.
“I’ll be honest, it was hard work [to score 60 not out]. There were a lot of twos, lots of running, but of course it was nice to get a score on the board.”
Grace Gibbs said: “Both games had very different situations but everyone played very well.
“In that second game, it was a bit tricky in the beginning but Alice put us up to a really good score, and everyone stuck to their plans with the ball and delivered – you couldn’t ask for anymore from anyone.
[On her five-wicekt haul] “I just worked hard and hit my lines and lengths, let the ball do the work, really!”
Kent Women have won the South East Group with two games to spare in the Vitality Women’s T20. As it stands, there are no plans for national knockout rounds.
The Horses’ next T20 double-header takes place behind-closed-doors at The Mote CC against Sussex Women on Sunday 16th May.