A sunny Tuesday evening saw the Womens Softball team play their first league fixture for over a month. With a couple of recent friendly wins against Culmstock, the side were hoping to get their first league win of the season at home to the unbeaten Exmouth.
The team lined up as: as Sophie Whiteley*, Lisa May, Vanessa Wilson, Lucy Wells, Sureka Khan, Katherine Harget, Lucy Harget and Natasha Carbines.
Thors won the toss and opted to field with Khan and LucyHarget taking the new ball. After a few looseners the bowling pair soon found their stride and Khan took the first wicket in the third over with a well taken caught and bowled. Harget followed this up with two wickets in as many balls, a couple of full swinging deliveries clattering into the stumps.
Wells and Katherine Harget took over the bowling as the new Exmouth pair started to rebuild, running well and taking advantage of a few extras. Replicating her sisters earlier feat, Katherine then took two wickets in two balls – both clean bowled. Two dots followed before Whiteley and Harget combined for a run out, and then Whiteley took a good catch at mid-wicket to finish the over with four wickets for no runs! The score at the halfway stage was 41-7.
May and Whiteley bowled the next set of four overs which brought about a couple of boundaries as well as a wicket for May, well caught by Khan at wicketkeeper. The final Exmouth batters came to the crease and struck the ball brilliantly off the bowling of Carbines and Wilson. The quick outfield and powerful striking resulted in six boundaries and a partnership of 41 with Exmouth ending their innings 105-8.
Thanks to eight wickets the Thorverton chase started on 40 as Carbines and Wilson took to the crease. They batted sensibly and ran well with Carbines also managing to find the boundary on two occasions. One wicket did fall but it was a very productive 35 run partnership. Whiteley and May were next in and a wicket fell with just the second ball as an enthusiastic swing from the captain resulted in her hitting her own stumps! Exmouth were fielding brilliantly, reducing the batters to singles only, and when Whiteley opted to take the aerial route the ball looked destined for six; only to be expertly caught on the boundary edge. At the halfway stage Thors were on 97 now chasing 115.
Wells and K. Harget continued to tick over the scoring with some well judged running and a boundary from Harget. Exmouth did strike back with two wickets of their own, but the home side were in the driving seat with just three runs needed from the final pair, providing no more wickets were lost.
It was down to usual pair of Khan and L. Harget – well known for their quick, and occasionally risky running – to finish the chase. There we regular shouts of ‘just one!!’ from the onlooking, and somewhat nervous, Thorverton team as the pair went about their work. Despite a wicket the score was surpassed and there was a final flourish of boundaries from both batters to give Thorverton their first ever league win!
Exmouth – 105 runs scored + 6 wickets taken = 135
Thorverton – 127 runs scored + 8 wickets taken = 167
Thank you to Exmouth for a great game of cricket, Ben Slaviero and Sean Day for umpiring, Keeley Wells and Jason Van Der Meulen for scoring and all those who came down to support.
The final league game is Tuesday 2nd August, at home to Heathcoat CC.
Thorverton Cricket Club 