A newly formed Wargrave women’s soft ball cricket team, coached by Neville Wallace and
assisted by Sam Bowers and U17s Berkshire County player Kaelin Dell, took to the crease for the first time on Saturday morning and were elated with an away victory at West Ilsley.

Playing in near-perfect conditions with a slight breeze on astroturf, the Wargrave Warriors
elected to field first. Keeping our opponents to single runs for most of the innings, we made a strong start with two wickets; the first a catch from Suzie Scofield bowled by Larissa Gallagher in the 4th over - quickly followed by the safe hands of Sarah Bennett bowled by Roisin McMahon in the 6th over. The teamwork on the field was outstanding and the home team finished their innings with only three 4s. A sensational final wicket came with the last ball of the innings bowled and run-out by all-rounder Amelia Cox, wickets overall costing the home team 15 runs bringing their final score to 297.

It looked promising for the visitors after a solid innings in the field, but 98 runs was an ambitious target for the newcomers on a larger and slower pitch than we were used to.
Leading the charge to the crease, Larissa Gallagher and Rebecca Chisholm made a solid start. Followed by great performances from Sarah Bennett, Andrea Dell, Roisin McMahon and Suzie Scofield. With just five wickets lost, we were trailing by 46 runs as the final four batters, Ally Holloway, Sam Hood, Amelia Cox and Donné Paddison stepped out. Keeping the wickets at bay, the final two pairs clocked up six 4s and a few doubles. With only one ball left of the innings and Donné up to strike, the Warriors needed 2 runs to win. A heart stopping sprint for a second run ended in a desperate lunge to victory for the away team.

A final shout out to our coaches and all the ladies that joined the Wargrave soft ball cricket team for the first time only four weeks ago. Thanks to Wargrave Cricket Club for giving ladies cricket a boost and providing over 20 women with the opportunity to learn a new skill and make some new friends along the way.
Ally Holloway - Wargrave Warriors Captain