Saturday April 11th marked the start of the Women's Metro One-Day Cup, with a match between Warwickshire and Surrey. Since I have been interested in the women's game ever since my (entirely unqualified) stint as master i/c girls' cricket at Wellington College, I decided to venture down to Edgbaston to see the day's play. There was hardly anyone else about, probably linked with the day also being Grand National day.
It was always likely to be a hgh-scoring match, because there was a very short boundary square with the wicket, where building work was under way behind a low fence. A considerable number of balls were lost there during the course of the match. And it proved to be a real runfest, with over 700 runs scored during the day!
The visitors batted first, and soon found themselves in a tricky position at 95 for 4, with two of their England stars, Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey, both out; but at this point Danni Wyatt-Hodge, who had been held back to number 6, entered and proceeded to smash 124 off just 80 balls, including 8 sixes. She put on a century partnership with Alice Davidson-Richards, and then another big stand with Jemima Spence, a teenage kid whom I didn't know but who looked very good scoring a half-century. The innings ended at 389 for 9. Since Danni Wyatt-Hodge has long been one of my great sporting heroines, I was thrilled to be there watching her!
When Warwickshire batted, Tilly Corteen-Coleman opened the bowling with slow left-arm spinners, and did very well, taking 3 wickets for 43 runs in ten overs. The home team never looked like winning, but an aggressive 90 from Em Arlott enabled them to reach the respectable score of 337 for 9
I was told I could sit wherever I liked, so I found myself a seat beside the steps where the teams came out onto the field, behind mid-off. I listened to the teams chatting, and was able to congratulate Alice Davidson-Richards and Danni-Wyatt-Hodge on their performances. But I probably shouldn't have been there, because when I attempted to return after the mid-match break, a security guard shooed me away!
Having arrived early, I enjoyed the bonus of watching the teams warm up. I was particularly interested in seeing Sophia Dunkley and Danni Wyatt-Hodge receiving one-to-one batting practice:-.
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"Gimme some half-volleys, and then some waist-high full tosses." BANG! BANG! BANG!: the crisp sound, so evocative of an English summer, of a cricket bat cleanly smiting a ball: a sound I have greatly missed over the last few years. After the session was over, the coach working with Danni, clearly one of the Warwickshire staff, asked her, "Just don't score any runs today, okay?", a request that she completely ignored!
My final piece of good luck was that it was a bright spring day without a drop of rain, whereas elsewhere in the West Midlands there were gale-force winds and storms of hail!
Who could wish for more on a day out?
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