Results: Won 5 Lost 3 Cancelled 1 After the comments I made after the 2008 season where the results looked reasonably ordinary, but there were a number of individual performances that continued to show that we were heading in the right direction. The 2009 season proved the point. In Division 5 South and West we won two games quite convincingly and two others we competed strongly and with a bit more composure we could have won two games that we lost closely. Only in the game against the Netherlands where we were completely outclassed by the full national side, did I think that we did not think that we put in a decent performance. On top of this, we won Division 8 of the ECB Twenty20 cup, which has to be the highlight of a very positive season.
Our first game against Shropshire, we batted well and made a reasonable 151-7 off of 50 overs. The highlight was an intelligent 30 from Fi Morris and some belligerent lower order hitting got us to that total. In the field, the game ebbed and flowed until we broke a 72 run third wicket stand. Shropshire took their batting powerplay at the start of the 46th over and only needed 14 to win with four wickets standing, but a Gemma Muttitt wicket and a couple of run outs led to Shropshire scampering a single to win off the last ball of the match.
The next game against Netherlands showed the difference in class, where Oxon were bowled out for just 33 and the Dutch knocked them off in just eight overs.
The next day we faced a very inexperienced Wiltshire side made hay in the sunshine. We racked up 279 for 1 off of 50 overs with Heather Lang (96*) scoring the side’s first fifty in competitive cricket in a opening stand of 92 with Lucy Marsh. Ellie Porter then raised the bar even more with the county’s first competitive hundred with an unbeaten 102 off just 93 balls with 15 boundaries. Her unbroken stand with Lang was 187. I was slightly disappointed that we could not quite bowl Wiltshire out as they closed on 107-8, with Porter taking four for 17.
An Ok performance in a friendly against Buckinghamshire followed. Oxon started badly, but a composed 38 from Megan Burton and an aggressive unbeaten 48 from Vicky Strode gave Oxon a more than useful 208-7. A spirited response from Bucks gave us a few alarms, but we were always in control of a 66 run win after we removed the dangerous Yearwood for 50.
Now it was onto Oundle School for the Twenty20 competition. This gave us two new challenges, firstly a different competition and length of game and secondly an overnight stop with two very distinct social groups. After the rain had washed out our game against Buckinghamshire on the first day, we decided that we would play it after the Suffolk game on the second day. Our thanks go out here to the groundstaff, umpires and scorers that went out of their way to ensure that we played two games. In the Suffolk game, our total of 114-4 was indebted to 44 from Muttitt and an unbeaten 29 from Burton. In their reply some wild bowling from the Oxon opening bowlers saw Suffolk get to a bit of a flyer, but the fall of steady wickets and convenient breaks for rain saw Oxon home by just two runs. The second game against Bucks saw a reasonably comfortable 24 run win, with some entertaining hitting at the top of the order from Bridget Rhodes-Moore (32 off 26 balls) and 22 wides helped our total. In the Bucks innings, they got to a flyer with the score at 63-1 at halfway, but another convenient rain break and our spinners bought the game back for Oxon with Morris taking 3 for 6 in her four overs and Rhodes-Moore taking 1-9 in three.
Then it was back to the league for the last two games. The first of these was against Gloucestershire, I thought in our previous games against them we did not quite perform as we could. We were more than happy with our total of 1722-8 with the major contribution being 66 from keeper Genny Porter. Gloucestershire’s reply started well until the introduction of Morris. In her last game for the county, before moving to Glos, Morris underpinned her importance to the side with the fantastic figures of 3-10 of ten overs. A bit of luck with a very dubious run out, made Oxon slight favourites at the second drinks break with 60 needed in 16 overs, but a poor first over after drinks conceded 18 runs and we were always playing catch up from there.
Our last game against Dorset, took our game to another level. We batted as a team and certainly took the game to the Dorset bowling. When after the first powerplay Ellie Porter came in to join Burton with the score on 25-3, we were thinking that a sore of 150 would be nice and something to defend. Porter and Burton then proceeded to put on 98 in 15 overs before Burton was run out for 34. Some cultured hitting from Rhodes-Moore (25) and Elspeth Walker (34) shared important partnerships with Porter and took the score to 327-8 off fifty overs. By the end of the innings, Porter had made we believe the highest senior one day score in Oxfordshire cricket history of 158 not out. Her innings consisted of 123 balls and nineteen boundaries. We then made sure of a handsome win by bowling Dorset out for 75.
I would like to thank Mick Warren for the work he has done in arranging the fixtures, and to the ECB for finally realising that there should be set County Sundays and these should not clash with club fixtures and for this year actually getting the standard of competition about right. I would like to also thank Abingdon Vale, Kidlington and E&W Hendred for their hospitality through the season. I would also like to thank Anne Stern (U15/U17 Girls Manager) for her help through the year, to Rob Cunliffe, Tim Marcon and Jennifer Laycock for their coaching expertise during pre-season, to Bob Finch for stepping in as coach to the side for the second half of the season and to Martyn Scull for scoring all of the league games and for being another pair of eyes that may pick up something that I have missed. Finally I would like to thank Yvonne Jackson and all of the girls that have played this year for their understanding, backing and making me realise that I have the best job in Oxfordshire cricket.
On to 2010, I think that we need to kick on again from the year we have had. If we have a similar league from this year, I think that actually winning the league should not be beyond the realms of possibility. I also look forward to working with some of the younger players that are coming through the healthy conveyor belt of Oxfordshire Girls cricket.
Results: 24 May: Wiltshire (League) (Home at Abingdon Vale CC) - Oxon 279/1 (50), Wilts 107/8 (50). Won by 172 runs 21 June: Buckinghamshire (Friendly) (Away at Amersham CC) Oxon 208/7 (50), Bucks 142 (44). Won by 66 runs 29 July: Buckinghamshire (Twenty20 Cup) (at Oundle School) Oxon 115/9 (20), Bucks 91/9 (20). Won by 24 runs 16 August: Dorset (League) (Away at Weymouth CC) Oxon 327/8 (50), Dorset 63 (34.3). Won by 252 runs
PP White Oxfordshire Women’s Cricket Team Manager September, 2009 |
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