Hollie Armitage admitted her frustration as the Northern Diamonds were denied the chance to finish the latest block of Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches on a high as their clash with Southern Vipers at Arundel was ruined by the rain today.
The Diamonds captain impressed with 48 in a total of 105-4 in the 26th over on a pitch which she described as “really tough”.
There was no play beyond 12.15pm, and the umpires abandoned the fixture three hours later.
It was the Diamonds first rained off fixture in 17 this season across 50-over and T20 cricket, and they sit fourth in the 50-over table on 21 points – five behind South East Stars, who hold the third knockout qualifying position after 10 of 14 games.
“You travel all this way and see rain like this, and it’s not ideal,” said Armitage. “But you can’t do anything about the weather. It’s just one of those things.
“The pitch was really tough today, I found. I couldn’t hit the areas I usually hit at other grounds. But I had to find a way and be patient.”
England A batting all-rounder Armitage has had a mixed season so far.
A total of 592 runs in 20 appearances in all cricket, including five half-centuries and a top score of 82, is a million miles away from being poor.
But she has bagfuls of quality and high expectations of herself.
“I’ve been disappointed with how my season’s gone so far, but I’m really excited to see what the next two months hold,” said the Huddersfield star, referring to the forthcoming Hundred and what could be super September with the Diamonds.
“I’ve been short of scores, but the more balls I faced today the easier it became.
“I took my game back to being really simple, and it got me a start today.
“You focus on the positions you’re in rather than the outcome. At the end of the day, if you’re in good positions you hit the ball a lot cleaner in general.
“That’s what I’ve been focusing on the last couple of weeks (she also made 66 against the Sparks last week).”
The Diamonds defence of their RHFT title remains very much alive despite only one win in the last five games.
The first of the remaining four group games – 20 points to play for – comes against the Vipers at South Northumberland CC on September 5.
“It’s good that we have the Vipers again straight after the Hundred so we can showcase this little battle that we have with them,” she said.
“If you are on a bit of a losing streak, it’s nice to have a bit of a break for the Hundred and re-collaborate with the girls. Hopefully September’s a strong period for us.
“This season is a really long season. The girls who are in the Hundred, I wish them luck and hopefully they put on some performances for whatever team they’re playing for.
“And the girls who have got a breather, I hope they can keep their games moving forward at training and things like that.
“Then we’ll all get together again in September and hit the ground running.”
Meanwhile, Armitage said that Bess Heath missed out at Arundel today in order to rest a slight hamstring injury, while the Rachel Slater’s left-arm seam option was preferred to right-armer Grace Hall.
