Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell put Derbyshire to the sword in their early-season One-Day Cup win at the County Ground at the start of May.
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’.
Having spoken about the importance of the opening-day defeat to Worcestershire, Ami discusses her stunning career best 165 not out in victory over Derbyshire at the County Ground at the start of May.
Having tasted defeat to Worcestershire at Headingley on the opening day, Yorkshire were on the board having brushed Sussex Sharks aside at Hove the following Saturday – by nine wickets chasing 78.
Now, it was time to put their foot down. And that’s exactly what they did, clipping the wings of the Derbyshire Falcons in remarkable fashion.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. All-rounder Olivia Thomas contributed runs and wickets to Yorkshire’s second successive 50-over victory.
Ami Campbell was certainly to the fore.
Records were broken. Yorkshire’s 381-6 was the highest List A total posted by any side since the start of the professional era in English women’s cricket (2020).
Campbell posted a career best 165 off 105 balls, with 17x4s and 7x6s as Yorkshire won by 315 runs – their highest ever margin of victory in women’s List A cricket.
Derbyshire were bowled out for 66 inside 23 overs in reply, with leg-spinner Olivia Thomas returning 4-16 from five overs added to an earlier 63 with the bat.
After Yorkshire were inserted, left-handed Campbell came to the crease with a platform at 105-3 in the 16th over.
“That innings came out of nowhere a bit,” reflected Campbell. “I hadn’t spent much time at the crease in the opening couple of weeks.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ami Campbell on the attack.
“Everyone was saying to me, ‘What were you thinking when you went out to bat?’ I think I said it at the time when I did the media, ‘Absolutely nothing’.
“I think that just shows, if I don’t think, what can actually happen when you just play the game and take it one ball at a time.
“I also learned a lot about my game that day in terms of the calmer I am and the less I’m thinking, the better I perform.
“I’m glad that happened as well at the start of the season because I felt like I learned a lot from that from that innings, about my own mindset and how I want to go about my cricket going forwards.”
Campbell shared a destructive sixth-wicket partnership of 194 inside the final 23 overs of the Yorkshire innings with the aforementioned all-rounder Olivia Thomas.
“Liv came in and got away nicely,” she reflected.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Rich Pyrah’s Yorkshire were on a roll after victory in the East Midlands.
“I really, really love Liv because we have a similar energy, and we bounce off each other. We went on to bat a few more times together during the season, and I think that game kind of locked in our partnership and showed us how to play.
“But, yeah, that game against Derbyshire was a really special day.”
Campbell went from 100 to 150 in only 13 balls in a stunning display of power-hitting. Everything she touched turned to gold, and there was nothing Derbyshire’s bowlers could do.
Anyone who’s played any sport will know the phrase ‘In the zone’.
Some of us mere mortals will have never experienced it, however.
“Honestly, it’s quite a hard feeling to explain,” said Campbell. “I wish I could bottle that feeling up and just have a swig of it every time I go out to bat.
Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images. Ami Campbell referenced Jonny Bairstow and his mid-summer Roses century when talking about being ‘In the zone’.
“When they say, ‘In the zone’, I think it’s basically just the highest form of confidence you can have, the highest form of belief in your ability.
“You almost know that whatever decision you make it’s going to be the right one, and you just completely back your natural instincts. You’re not second thinking, ‘Should I do this, should I do that?’ You just do it.”
And she added: “Have you ever seen Jonny Bairstow in the zone?
“I remember some of the boys talking about him after he got that Roses T20 hundred at Old Trafford this year. I think it was Will Luxton who said that he was almost glazed over when he was talking to him at the end of the over.
“It’s like something else takes over you and you’re in the zone and nothing else can touch you.
“That feeling certainly doesn’t come around very often, and you almost train and work hard for 20 years for odd moments like that.”
