Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell put the finishing touches to Yorkshire’s semi-final win over Glamorgan at Wantage Road with a quick-fire 26 not out.
Yorkshire’s women enjoyed a trophy-winning Tier 2 campaign, triumphant in the 50-over Metro Bank One-Day Cup. They also reached the final of the Vitality Blast and the quarter-finals of the other T20 competition, the Vitality County Cup.
Through the first half of the winter, we will be running a series of articles with members’ player-of-the-year Ami Campbell, who has been reflecting on key moments throughout the summer.
We have entitled this series ‘Campbell’s Classics’.
There are a couple of pieces in this series which don’t obviously fall into the category of ‘Classics’. But, in hindsight, they proved important moments in a successful season. The first was the season-opening 50-over defeat to Worcestershire, which we have already covered.
Here, Ami reflects on the Vitality Blast final defeat to Middlesex at Northampton on July 26.
“They completely out-performed us that day,” admitted Ami Campbell as she reflected on Middlesex’s 10-wicket win in the Blast final. “But, yeah, I’m glad we got our own back towards the end of the season.”
Campbell is right, Yorkshire were soundly beaten at Wantage Road at the end of June, a frustrating end to a T20 campaign which had seen them win nine successive games up to that point. They had won all eight group games before, in the afternoon semi-final, brushing aside Glamorgan by seven wickets chasing 125.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Captains Maddie Ward and Saskia Horley pose with the Blast trophy ahead of the final.
There were a series of valuable contributions in that semi-final, including Campbell finishing off the chase with three sixes in an unbeaten 10-ball 26.
However, after everything went right against the Welsh side – just as it had done through the group stage, it was so, so different against an impressive Middlesex side in the floodlit final.
They limited Yorkshire to 101-9 and chased to win by 10 wickets with 6.5 overs to spare.
But Campbell and the White Rose bounced back superbly in September to gain revenge in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup semi-final at Radlett, going on to win that competition.
“That was a tough day,” sighed Campbell, as she looked back to Finals Day.
“Obviously, we had a really convincing win against Glamorgan. But it’s always tough to play two games in one-day.
“It is what it is, but we weren’t helped by playing second and that game being pushed back after it rained in the morning when Middlesex played their semi (against Leicestershire).
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Off-spinner Claudie Cooper and Rebecca Duckworth celebrate a wicket in the semi-final win over Glamorgan.
“It was our first experience of back-to-back games on the same day, and we only ended up having 30-45 minutes in between games to relax and get ready to go again.
“We were also asked to move changing rooms right before the start of the final because they wanted to use that room for something else. It was literally five minutes before we were about to start.
“We refused, and I think everybody got a little bit angry about that and unsettled. It was the last thing we needed.
“But we just didn’t play well enough. We didn’t get the start we wanted with the bat and never really went through the gears.
“It just wasn’t free-flowing at all, and it cost us.”
Campbell, who was out for a golden duck in that innings, continued: “When we went into the 50-over semi-final and final, we knew what we wanted to do.
“We wanted to create a good fun environment in the changing room, so we had the music on and everyone was in good spirits.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Middlesex celebrate after winning the Tier 2 Vitality Blast.
“By that point, we’d learnt so much from the Blast final we’d lost. Everyone’s mindset was in the right place going into those games.
“In the Blast game, I was batting at five and felt increasingly nervous as wickets were falling at the start. But things were much smoother in the 50-over games, and I felt much more settled and clearer with what I needed to do.”
While a few things went against Yorkshire in that Wantage Road final and they were far from their best, Middlesex jumped all over it. They were superb.
All five bowlers used by captain Saskia Horley struck before openers Issy Routledge (31) and Finty Trussler (52) completed the chase with their unbroken century partnership.
“There are a lot of good people and talented players in that team, and they gel really well,” added Campbell. “They should be knocking on the door of Tier 1 if they keep going the way that they are.
“Them and Northamptonshire, I’d say, Glamorgan too, were definitely the teams we knew we had to be right on it when we played them.
“Finty Trussler, she scored fifties in both games at Finals Day. I don’t know what she had for breakfast. But credit where credit’s due.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Lauren Winfield-Hill cut a dejected figure after the final defeat against Middlesex.
