Shifnal and Oswestry claim indoor Hardball titles

The continued growth of Women’s Hardball cricket in Shropshire was reflected in the running of two Indoor leagues in the county this winter – a County League and a Development League.
The result of both leagues went down to the wire – with Shifnal claiming the County League title and Oswestry the Development League.
It was possible to run both leagues thanks to the support of sponsors Strategic Leisure.
There were nine teams taking part this year with Wrekin College hosting the County League for the more established hardball teams who have been involved for a number of years – Quatt, Shifnal, Sentinel and Wellington.
The Development League was held at Sundorne Games Hall in Shrewsbury and featured sides which have become more involved in hardball cricket in recent years – Pontesbury, Shelton, Oswestry, Wem and Condover.
Format for both leagues were the same – eight overs, consisting of eight balls in each over.
The County league teams all played against each other twice, with the team finishing top of the league being crowned the winners.

In the final week of action, Quatt, Shifnal and Sentinel were all involved and all still in with a chance of taking the crown.
The first match of the evening saw Quatt and Shifnal compete in a top table clash. 
Shifnal batted first and set a target of 114-4, with top scorers Chloe and Lianne, despite strong bowling performances from Molly and Isabelle. 
Quatt fought back with Jenny top scoring, however strong bowling performances from Shifnal’s Holly, Jodie and Lianne restricted Quatt to 77-2 off their eight overs. The second match was between Shifnal and Sentinel. Shifnal batted first setting a target of 120-2, thanks to top scorers Holly and Maisie.

Sentinel’s bowling attack was consistent with contributions from Megan, Imogen, Beatrice and Katie. 
Despite the efforts of Sentinel top scorers Molly and Imogen, similar consistent bowling performances from Anna, Maisie, Holly and Lianne saw them restrict Sentinel to 61-3. 
The final game saw Sentinel bat first against Quatt setting a target of 77-3, with top scorers Amber and Amanda, with strong bowling contributions from Alice, Rachel and Molly.
Imogen and Amanda put in strong bowling performances for Sentinel, but top scorer Jenny helped Quatt finish on 106-2 to claim the win.
That left Wellington in third, Quatt as runners-up with Shifnal claiming the trophy.

The Development league saw all the teams play off against each other aiming for a Finals Night involving a third-place play-off and a final to decide the champions.
The final evening of fixtures saw Shelton play Pontesbury in their least league game to decide the finals line-up 
Shelton set a strong total of 126-2, with Sophie and Jess top scoring, with a consistent bowling attack from Pontesbury’s Justyna, Alice, Jenny and Rowan. 
Pontesbury’s top scorers Sophia and Rowan fought against a consistent bowling attack from Shelton’s Stacy, Sophie, Lucy and Megan, which restricted them to 99- 5. 
That meant Pontesbury progressed through to play Condover in third-place play-off. 
Pontesbury batted first setting a target of 96- 3, with Cheryl top scoring and strong bowling performances from Claire, Annette and Helen. The final evening of fixtures saw Shelton play Pontesbury in their least league game to decide the finals line-up 
Shelton set a strong total of 126-2, with Sophie and Jess top scoring, with a consistent bowling attack from Pontesbury’s Justyna, Alice, Jenny and Rowan. 
Pontesbury’s top scorers Sophia and Rowan fought against a consistent bowling attack from Shelton’s Stacy, Sophie, Lucy and Megan, which restricted them to 99- 5. 
That meant Pontesbury progressed through to play Condover in third-place play-off. 
Pontesbury batted first setting a target of 96- 3, with Cheryl top scoring and strong bowling performances from Claire, Annette and Helen. Condover fought back with batting contributions from Emily, Claire and Annette, however a string and consistent bowling performance from Pontesbury’s Justyna, Rowan, Jenny and Alice, mean the game went down to the final over. 
Pontesbury claimed victory in a closely fought game by one run. 
The final saw Oswestry bat first setting a target of 103-2 thanks to top batting performances from Naomi, Erin and Neeve, matched by consistent bowling from Shelton’s Stacy, Sophie, Megan and Lucy. 
In Shelton’s innings Sophie and Stacy top scored, but top bowling performances from Erin, Casey and Emily held Shelton to a score of 65-3 to give Oswestry the trophy. 
Competitions organiser Katie Rushton said: “It has been fantastic to be able to offer two hardball indoor leagues for the first time. It highlights the progress of the women’s hardball game and the appetite of the teams involved.
“Thank you to Sundorne Games Hall and Wrekin College for hosting us, and the team captains and managers for arranging teams for fixtures.
“Finally a big thank you to Rachel Fowler and Strategic Leisure, without her support facilitating indoor leagues would not be possible.
“We look forward to upcoming Hardball net/taster sessions and the outdoor mid-week and Shropshire 8 hardball leagues this Summer.”

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