Tag: Cricket

A brilliant century from Ava Clive helped steer Shropshire’s Women’s 1st XI to trophy glory in their Metro Bank One Day Cup final clash with Oxfordshire.

It meant Shropshire gained revenge in the 50 over competition for their defeat against the same opponents in their T20 final earlier in the season.

The two sides met again at Kibworth CC in Leicestershire as the winners of their respective groups in the Women’s League 3 Division 2.

Skipper Lara Jones again won the toss and asked Oxfordshire to bat first – and they made a good start passing 100 for the loss of just three wickets – with Kate Brazier claiming 2-32 from her ten overs.

But then as Oxfordshire looked to accelerate, spinner Amy Griffiths got to work – as she had done in the final group game against Lincolnshire – and ripped the heart out of the batting line up.

She finished with figures of 6-38 from nine overs as Oxfordshire were dismissed for 167 – well backed up by Jones bowling at the other end who took 1-27 from eight overs. Harriet Shuker took the other wicket to fall.

The reply was dominated by Clive who hit 105 off 111 balls including 16 boundaries before she was dismissed just short of the winning line.

She shared in early partnerships with Libby Thomas putting on 57 before the first wicket fell and then Liv Smith to take the score to 95.

Although a couple of wickets fell, she then combined with Alex Hale who supported her calmly with plenty of overs to spare to see Shropshire within sight of victory.

The trophy winning victory capped a fine season for Shropshire’s Women’s XI who won nine out of 10 games in their Vitality T20 Blast campaign before they were beaten in that final, and then four out of five games in the Metro Bank Cup with the other game abandoned.

It means Shropshire have gained promotion and will play their 50 over cricket in Division 1 in 2026.

Head Coach Sam Whitney was proud of the squad and achievement. He said: “Every member of the squad has played a match-winning role throughout the season – from Kate Brazier’s and Alex Hale’ match winning partnership in our first game to 14-year-old Sophia Parton’s game changing two wickets in her first over at Lincolnshire.’

He added: “The attitude and team spirit has been there throughout, and the togetherness they’ve shown has been a key factor in their success. A huge shoutout to Lara Jones (captain) and Kate Brazier who have shown serious commitment playing every fixture. They are great role models and a big reason why we have players wanting to play.

Sam highlighted the performances of spinners Amy Griffiths and Isabelle Crann as well as the magnificent century by Ava Clive in Sunday’s final.

“I am so pleased for Amy, she bowled beautifully and to get six wickets in a final is a very fantastic achievement. Amy is a special talent who could go as far as she wants in the game.

“Creating a spin partnership with Izzy Crann has been instrumental in our success. Izzy has developed throughout the season and has been rewarded with an excellent wickets tally.”

On Ava Clive’s innings, Whitney added: “We witnessed something special from Ava on Sunday. She seems to perform on the big occasions, and it was one of the best innings I have seen. She hit the ball all around the ground and punished anything loose.’

On the challenge ahead for next season, he added: “We are very excited about the test that 50 over Division 1 cricket will provide. If we can keep this core group of players together, I’m sure we can be successful and keep performing at a high level.”

Captain Lara Jones was delighted with the achievement and performances over a long summer.

She said: “After an incredibly successful season, it was amazing to finish it off by winning the national final. It’s the result of months of hard work, commitment, and teamwork, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team.

“A huge part of our success came from having a consistent, dedicated core of players who showed up to every match – no matter how far we had to travel. Over the season, we’ve grown really close as a group, and lifting the trophy together was an unforgettable moment.’

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to our coaches – Sam, Naomi, and Ed, for their constant support and all the work they put in over the summer.

“And an extra special thank you to our amazing manager, Lyn Perrin. Without Lyn, we wouldn’t have had half the success we did. She’s the foundation of our success, fully prepared, reliable and always one step ahead.

“Finally, thank you to all the families and supporters who followed us around the country and never stopped believing in us. Your support made all the difference, and we’ve loved having you there with us.”

An all-round display from Amy Griffiths helped steer Cricket Shropshire’s Women’s XI to the national final in their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign with victory in Lincolnshire.

It will be the team’s second national final of the season after they also qualified for their T20 Finals Day earlier in the Summer – and they will once again face Oxfordshire, this time at Kibworth CC.

Their victory on the road at Lindum CC meant they jumped above Northumberland who saw their final game against Cumbria in the Women’s League Three, Division Two North, abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Shropshire finished their 50 over league campaign with a record of three wins and one abandonment from their four games thanks to Sunday’s win before the rain swept in.

Skipper Lara Jones win the toss and asked the hosts to bat first, and they got off to a fast start with a 41-run partnership for the first wicket.

But after Isabella Lawrence Posso claimed the first wicket, Sophia Parton chipped in with two important scalps before Griffiths ripped the heart out of the Lincolnshire middle order.

She returned figures of 4-25 from her ten overs as the hosts slipped from 71-2 to 107-7 to turn the game on its head.

Skipper Jones then nipped in with two wickets in her first over to help finish the innings on 126.

Shropshire were reduced to 38-2 in the reply before Griffiths and Diya Badge combined to calm the nerves and take their side past the 100 mark.

Badge was eventually dismissed for 47 off 53 balls, and Griffiths for 32 off 38, but Millie Parry hit three boundaries on her way to 18 off 15 balls to ensure Shropshire claimed the victory by six wickets with plenty of overs to spare.

Coach Sam Whitney said: “This was possibly the most satisfying win of the season, considering the struggles we had with availability.

“With the weather around, we knew if we could get a fast start, there was a slight chance we could leapfrog Northumberland.

“And everything seemed to fall into place.

“Lara won the toss, and even though Lincolnshire had a great start, we managed to pull it back.

“Fourteen-year-old Sophia Parton really turned the game around with her first over, taking two huge wickets and bowling a superb spell.

“Amy was fantastic. The pitch offered some spin, but she had to put the ball in the right areas and she did that, attacking the stumps and making them play. On another day, she could have had six or seven.

“Izzy Crann again went about her business, keeping the runs down and picking up a wicket, whilst Lara wrapped up things quickly with two wickets in her first over.

“Twelve-year-old Mills Jones took a brilliant catch off Amy on her debut, I think becoming the youngest ever to play for the Shropshire Women’s side, certainly in recent years. A great moment for her.

“With a low total we knew we didn’t have to be overly aggressive as Duckworth Lewis was in our favour and the rain was still a few hours away.

“Libby (Thomas) and Diya gave us a good start, but it was the partnership between Diya and Amy that won us the game. They put the bad balls away and made it look comfortable on a tricky pitch.

“We did have a scare at the end with a couple of late wickets, but Millie Parry came in and batted positively and struck a few boundaries to get us over the line.

“I’m proud of this group. It’s been a long season, but for the girls to keep making themselves available, especially for the long away days, they deserve every success they’ve had.

“It’s a great achievement to reach another national final. One last push on Sunday and hopefully we can go one better than we did in the T20 competition.”