Rain plays spoil sport in the opening round of women’s cricket season

It was a damp squib to start the women’s cricket season as both games had to be abandoned due to rain on Sunday afternoon. The women were looking forward to their season openers at GBSC Sports Park with Wanderers taking on Chapman Valley Northampton and defending champions Towns playing Sportsmans. After the picturesque conditions for the men on Saturday, the women were greeted with overcast skies but both games managed to start as normal as the Wanderers won the toss and sent the Rams into bat. They got off to a perfect start with the ball as Ashlyn Thompson ripped out the stumps of Taliah Halden for a golden duck before she also had Charlene Miller bowled for five to leave the Rams 2-11. It was then a tale of two innings as Katie Clarkson and Tarni Screaigh put on a 49-run partnership for the third wicket. Clarkson was the dominant partner able to find the gaps and hit the odd boundary while Screaigh struggled to find fluency as she scored just nine off 40 deliveries. Clarkson brought up her 50 as she anchored the innings batting right the way through to finish with 56 off 50 including eight fours. A late six from Kylie Bremmer helped Rams push the total up to 95 off their 20 overs though with six wickets remaining it felt like there were still runs left out on the pitch. Thomson was the pick of the bowlers finishing with a magnificent 2-5 off her four overs. Wanderers made a cracking start to the chase led by Meg Spalding (25 off 15 balls) only blighted by the loss of Abby Green who was bowled by Halden to be 1-32 after 4.2 overs. However the rain became too much and the match was abandoned just four balls short of the five-over minimum mark. In the other game, Sportsmans won the toss and elected to field as they restricted the reigning champions to 8-77 off 20 overs. Jannelle Phillips (16 off 16) had ensured a steady start before she was caught off Hayley McGlynn before Selina Kiddle was bowled shortly after to leave Towns 3-26. Dirranie Kirby came to the crease and exuded an air of control to anchor one end of the innings as they looked to recover after the double strike. But their innings fell apart thanks to Joanne Walker who first helped effect the run out of Corinne Lynch for five before a three-wicket over followed. She removed Towns captain Michelle McDonald who was stumped after stumbling out of her crease off a missed flick before she had Sarah McKay caught at square leg and then bowled Ashton Gundlach for a golden duck. She wouldn’t pick up the hat-trick but the damage was done with Towns tottering at 7-48. Kirby, having been witness to much of the carnage, did her best to put a respectable score on the board top scoring with 34 not out including six fours to push them to 77. Just 1.4 overs were completed for Sportsmans with six runs on the board before the match was abandoned.