On Sunday, we travelled down to a sunny Portsmouth for a match that took all week (and three venue changes!) to arrange. It was a miracle we got the game on at all, but with just 10 players, Captain Steph won the toss and chose to field first.

The fall of wickets was steady throughout the innings. Mich was on fire, taking 4 wickets in just 5 overs while conceding only 8 runs – an outstanding spell! Charlotte chipped in with 2 wickets, Steph grabbed 1, and Amelia – playing her very first women's match – made an immediate impact with 2 wickets. Portsmouth were bowled out for 146 in just the 23rd over.

St Cross's reply began steadily, with openers Steph and Evie playing cautiously to see off the opening bowlers. They built a strong platform before Evie was bowled for 11 in the 8th over. Mich came in and quickly got into a rhythm, running well between the wickets and hitting regular boundaries. The partnership grew to 89 before Mich was caught for a well-made 20 in the 19th over.

Emma then joined Steph at the crease, and another partnership blossomed—despite Steph nearly running Emma out at one point! With the team encouraging Emma to “hit it harder” from the boundary, she responded with some powerful shots and narrowly missed two sixes. The winning runs came in the 27th over, with St Cross finishing on 147 for 2. Emma remained unbeaten on 20, and Steph notched her first-ever 50, finishing on a fantastic 73 not out.

It was a brilliant, tense game with lots to celebrate. Special mentions go to:
Balli, who played her first hard ball game after training with W10 on Mondays.
Amelia, who stepped up from the U13s to make her ladies debut—and took 2 wickets!

A great day of cricket and a fantastic team effort all round!