Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Jonny Bairstow was a trophy-winner with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa yesterday.
Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow described winning the SA20 title with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in South Africa yesterday as “pretty amazing”.
Sunrisers beat Pretoria Capitals at Newlands in Cape Town by six wickets chasing 159.
Bairstow contributed 260 runs in 12 matches opening the batting, including a best of 85 not out, though he did not score in yesterday’s final.
“Huge credit to the guys and how calm they stayed,” he said, after his side slipped to 48-4 in the ninth over before Matthew Breetzke (68 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (62 not out) saw them over the line with four balls remaining.
“I’m pretty sure everyone in the stadium thought we’d left it too late, but they were two special knocks.
“It was a bit too close for comfort, but it’s an amazing competition.
“Thanks to the crowd and supporters, not just here at Cape Town but at St George’s and all over the country. You do really make this comp so special.”
This was Sunrisers’ third SA20 title.
“Yeah, Adi (Birrell, coach) has got a special touch hasn’t he!” Bairstow added.
“He’s brought a group together who have really enjoyed each other’s company. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last month.
“That’s really important. It’s been great fun.”
There was disappointment, meanwhile, for Jafer Chohan and the Sydney Sixers, who were beaten in yesterday’s Big Bash final in Australia by Perth Scorchers.
Yorkshire’s leg-spinner Chohan took one wicket in two appearances as a Sixers’ overseas player.
Picture by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images. Sterre Kalis has been in the runs for the Netherlands in Nepal.
Sterre Kalis, Hannah Rainey and Rachel Slater are all on course with the Netherlands and Scotland respectively to be playing in this summer’s women’s T20 World Cup in England.
The trio are currently in Qualifier action in Nepal, with four of 10 teams involved all progressing.
The Qualifier event, which has been running from January 18 and concludes on Sunday, involves an initial group stage and then a Super Six stage. The top four teams at the end of the Super Six stage all qualify for the World Cup from mid June to early July.
Headingley hosts five matches.
Scotland and the Netherlands have qualified for the Super Six stage. Scotland won three of four group matches and Netherlands won all four. Scotland beat Nepal today and Netherlands disposed of Thailand. They advance alongside Thailand, Bangladesh, Ireland and USA.
Kalis has scored 143 runs from four innings with a best of 87 not out, ironically in victory over Scotland.
Slater has taken six wickets from her four appearances, while Rainey has unfortunately yet to feature in the tournament.
Picture by Alex Davidson/Getty Images. Rachel Slater could be in action for Scotland at Headingley this summer.
Ami Campbell and Fin Bean have started the new year with centuries in Australian club cricket, while Jess Woolston has recorded remarkable figures of 6-2 from four overs in the same setting.
A host of Yorkshire’s men’s and women’s stars are plying their winter trade in Australia and New Zealand, and it has been an encouraging January for many of them.
Campbell is playing for Sydney club Gordon’s women in New South Wales Premier Cricket, and she hit a superb 125 off 81 balls in a 50-over win against Penrith on January 11. Yesterday, she only posted 2 in another win against St George Sutherland. Gordon have won three of six one-day matches so far this winter.
Woolston is playing for North Geelong women, and they are top of the A grade table in Geelong Cricket Association League having won eight of 10 T20 and 50-over matches.
Woolston’s standout performance since the turn of the year came in a 50-over win against Bell Park on January 11. North Geelong bowled Bell Park out for 59, with the White Rose new-ball seamer starring with 6-2 from her four overs. She has since contributed figures of 1-16 from six overs and 2-5 from eight in wins over Geelong City Sharks and South Barwon. She also hit 16 not out with the bat in the latter.
Men’s opener Bean is playing for Melbourne University in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition, and he hit 111 in a two-day win over Harry Duke’s Essendon on January 17 and 18.
Duke was only able to contribute one with the bat in that fixture, though he had previously hit 40 in defeat to Richmond. Bean had previously contributed 12 for Melbourne Uni in a win over Ringwood. Both men are in the midst of two-day games for their respective clubs and will get the chance to bat this coming Saturday.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell scored a century for Gordon CC in Sydney earlier this month.
Will Luxton and Ben Cliff are playing for Greenvale in the same competition, with the latter’s January more productive. The fast bowler returned 4-61 from 18 overs on Saturday in the first innings of a two-day game against Kingston Hawthorn, who were bowled out for 284 all out. Greenvale are 19-2 in reply, with captain Luxton yet to bat.
Cliff previously hit 18 not out and returned 2-56 from 10 overs in a one-day defeat to Dandenong, in which Luxton scored 14. Luxton then scored 26 and one in a heavy two-day defeat against Foostcray. Cliff went wicketless and hit one and 13 with the bat.
Greenvale, Essendon and Melbourne Uni are all in the bottom half of the Victorian Premier Cricket first grade table.
Heading across to New Zealand before we return to Melbourne and then head to Queensland, and Yash Vagadia is playing for Wellington club Onslow in the ROBLAWMAX senior competition.
Earlier this month, he hit 57 opening the batting in a one-day victory over Eastern Suburbs. He then returned 1-22 from 6.4 overs of off-spin and hit two in a win over Taita Landmark Signs. Onslow are third in their table with nine wins from 13 games across all formats.
Back to Yorkshire’s women, and Rebecca Duckworth has started 2026 impressively with 52 for Gold Coast Dolphins women in a one-day defeat against Valley and then 84 in a defeat to University of Queensland, the latter on Saturday just gone. Unfortunately, they are bottom of the Queensland Premier Cricket competition table.
And returning to Melbourne, where Noah Kelly, Dan Moriarty and Owen Smith are all playing a level below Bean, Cliff, Duke and Luxton.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Fin Bean has enjoyed an impressive winter of grade cricket for Melbourne University.
Moriarty is playing for Caulfield in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association senior competition. They have won all three matches in January and sit fourth in their table with eight wins from 11 overall.
This month, left-arm spinner Moriarty contributed 37 and 2-29 from nine overs in a one-day win over Preston, 78 and 1-18 from six in a win over Coburg and 1-28 from nine in victory over Strathmore.
Wicketkeeper-batter Kelly is with Beaumaris in the Southern Bayside Premier competition.
His side are bottom of the table with two wins from 11 in one-day and two-day cricket combined. He hit 46 opening the batting in a one-day defeat to South Caulfield, nought in defeat to Mordialloc and 15 in a win over Mentone.
Another young wicketkeeper-batter Owen Smith is playing for Deepdene Bears, Anthony McGrath’s old club, in the Eastern Cricket Association senior league. He hit 34 in a one-day win over Canterbury and 12 in a third round T20 defeat against Surrey Hills. The Bears are second-bottom in their table.
All of the men’s playing currently residing in Melbourne will link up with a number of team-mates who are flying out from Headingley tomorrow for a month-long training camp in the city which will be run by bowling coach Mick Lewis.
You can read more about that camp later today when we publish a preview with head coach McGrath.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Rebecca Duckworth has posted a couple of half-centuries for Gold Coast Dolphins women over the last few weeks.
Yorkshire’s recent signing of all-rounder Logan van Beek means the county will have three representatives at the forthcoming men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
All-rounder Van Beek is in the Netherlands squad for a tournament which runs from February 7 to March 6.
Harry Brook and Adil Rashid are in England’s squad, though the two nations have been placed in different groups.
While England are in Group C alongside Italy, Nepal, West Indies and Scotland, who are the late replacements for Bangladesh after they pulled out due to political reasons, the Netherlands are in Group A.
They will face India, Namibia, Pakistan and USA.
Van Beek and co actually face Pakistan in the opening game of the tournament in Colombo on Saturday February 7.
There are four groups of five, with the top two teams in each advancing to the Super Eight stage. Eight teams are split into two groups, with the top two in each advancing to the semi-finals.
Picture by Alex Davidson/Getty Images. Logan van Beek is heading to the T20 World Cup with the Netherlands. He will then bid to get Yorkshire’s County Championship title bid off to a flyer in April.
England are currently in Sri Lanka playing an ODI series which precedes a three-match T20 warm-up series.
The ODIs are currently locked at 1-1 with the decider in Colombo tomorrow (9am UK). Rashid is the leading wicket-taker in the series with five, while Joe Root tops the run-scoring charts with 136.
Lauren Winfield-Hill remains on course to return to Headingley with some silverware given Queensland are ideally placed in the Women’s National Cricket League competition in Australia.
Yorkshire’s captain is spending her winter playing state cricket Down Under, and her side have won six of their eight 50-over matches to sit second in the table behind New South Wales, who have a perfect played six, won six record.
The top two teams after the 12-game group stage advance to the March 20 final, and NSW and Queensland have significant breathing space from the chasing pack.
Queensland were actually beaten last time out – on January 22 – by South Australia in a one-wicket thriller. SA chased down 195 to win after their hosts had been bowled out for 194, including three for Winfield-Hill.
Picture by Chris Hyde/Getty Images. Lauren Winfield-Hill on the drive in Queensland colours.
In all, she has contributed 261 runs in seven matches so far.
New South Wales and Queensland meet next, in Sydney, on February 2.
A group of 12 Yorkshire men’s players and coaches were put through their football paces by football manager Simon Grayson on Thursday afternoon.
The likes of Ben Coad, George Hill and James Wharton, plus coaches Anthony McGrath, John Sadler, Tom Smith and Matthew Wood took to the football pitch for an alternative training session in the wind and rain at Weetwood.
Ripon-born Grayson, a former right-back for Leeds – and the brother of ex-Yorkshire player and coach Paul, previously managed Leeds and Huddersfield amongst a host of clubs. His last job was with Hartlepool last year.
Yorkshire’s men and women have been undertaking a number of different sessions in a bid to add variety to their winter training.
Picture by YCCC. Former Leeds United player and manager Simon Grayson put Yorkshire’s men through a football training session last week.
NO BALL….FREE HIT!
England Under 19s are going nicely at the ongoing World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Will Bennison is yet to feature for a side who have won three from three.
They are currently in action – on Sky Sports – against Bangladesh in Bulawayo looking to make it four from four.
The tournament concludes on February 6.
