After a bit of a surprise loss in our last match, Alton were good opposition to face on Sunday with several of their big names missing for various reasons (including two at the World HyRox championship in Chicago). Although we too were missing players due to county call ups, we were confident of our strength in depth, including probably the best Norwegian female cricketer in Hampshire, and so it was to prove.
Maisie did her first job by winning the toss and choosing to bat, and opening were Emelia Butler who we welcomed back from Loughborough for her first game of the season, and Nicole Fisher promoted from the 2s. The pair started circumspectly, but gradually the scoring rate increased and we were on 56 after 10 overs. Emeilia was first to her own 50, and at 20 overs drinks we had reached 122 without loss. More was to follow, with Emelia hitting the ball particularly hard, including one straight drive which felled our umpire who saved a four in the process, and Nicole was running and calling very well. In the 27th over Emelia reached the milestone of her first St Cross century, well deserved after many battling innings in the past. She retired shortly afterwards on 111 off 97 balls with 11 fours, with our score on 188. Shortly afterwards Nicole reached her own 50, and when she too retired (on 59, not only her best St Cross score in her 4 innings to date, but also her career best) we had over 200 on the board.
Rachel Hegarty was in at 3, and found form with her powerful driving, and although she lost Caity Smyth bowled for 3 by Alton skipper Mel Vaggers (the only wicket taken by an Alton bowler), with Maisie for company the pair upped the run rate, and by the end of the 40 overs we were on 287 for 3. Rachel had hit 46* off 39 balls, Maisie 28* at a run a ball, and they had put on 70 in the last 8 overs.
When it was Alton’s turn to bat, they were never going to seriously chase down our total, but they defended stoutly so we had to winkle out their batters. It took some time to take the first wicket, 10 overs in fact, before the division’s top wicket taker Katie Jones bowled Nic Gadsby for 13. In Katie’s next over she got the other opener, Sara Heffernan finding the safe hands of Maisie, for 12. A smart run out by Emma Moore and Caity got rid of the no 4, but at 20 overs drinks Alton were still only 3 down at 43/3. Shortly afterwards Immy Bell claimed the prize wicket of Vaggers leg before, then followed that with another in her next over, this time caught by Dani Chivers. Emelia came back on, and soon had their keeper caught by Nicole for a 14 ball duck – 70/6 after 29 overs and surely we would wrap up proceedings quickly.
However, their no 3 Jasmin Wilson was still there, blocking 5 balls an over then whacking the 6th ball, so keeping our Norwegian star in the game. Wilson was another Aussie (as was the Alton umpire, their overseas bloke), from the same club in Sydney as our former captain Gabby Dunnage has been playing at. She had faced 92 balls for 24 runs when she had another whack, this time at our own Aussie Rachel, the ball went hard and high, and Nicole was underneath it and pouched it safely. This was in the 36th over, and the pressure was on to get the final three wickets and achieve maximum points: Dani was brought back on next over, she bowled the no 8, then off the last ball of the 39th Caity stumped the no 10 off Dani, and it was left to Rachel to bowl the last over, and she enhanced her all rounder credentials by bowling the last batter with three balls to spare.
Alton were dismissed for 89, we had won by 198 runs, and now go back to the top of the league table.