Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. A delighted Olivia Thomas is interviewed after picking up the player-of-the-match award thanks to three wickets in today’s final.
Player-of-the-match Olivia Thomas has hailed an “absolutely silly” week after signing her rookie professional contract with Yorkshire and then helping them win a trophy.
Leg-spin bowling all-rounder Thomas was superb in today’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup mauling of Glamorgan, which Yorkshire won by nine wickets chasing a 20-over target of 128.
Thomas claimed 3-14 from her four overs to limit Glamorgan to 127-5 before openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and unbeaten Erin Thomas crashed 62 apiece in a chase which last only 11.2 overs.
Yorkshire ended the summer with a trophy having bounced back superbly from their Vitality Blast final defeat to Middlesex at Northampton in July.
“It’s been silly, absolutely silly. It’s just been a mad week,” said Thomas.
“It’s one of those weeks that I think I’ll just remember forever. I’m buzzing.
“Coming in this year, new start, just signed my first professional deal and then next thing you’re picking up a trophy.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you how much this means.”
Thomas, 21, has been on an Academy deal this summer, until last week, and she indicated just how big an asset she will be for the county heading into Tier 1.
“I turned up this morning, obviously it’s wet and it’s cold, and I thought, ‘Not today, it’s not ideal to bowl leg-spin’. But I just tried to keep it as dry as I could, just tried to bowl full and straight and keep the stumps in play. And, yeah, it worked.”
Inserted Glamorgan got off to a good start with the bat, reaching 50-0 in the sixth over. But Yorkshire fought back really well to limit them to a score well within range.
“We always back ourselves with the ball and in the field to pull things back,” said Thomas. “So I think we did that really well as a team, and our plans worked for us.”
Following Thomas and her bowling colleagues came a quick-fire chase.
“Loz and Ez up top, they hit the ball so well and got us off to a flyer and won us the game,” she said.
And reflecting on the squad’s ability to bounce back from their Vitality Blast disappointment, Thomas said: “We came away from the T20 finals gutted.
“But we’ve been able to use that to push us forward in the second block of 50-over stuff.
“We came in today wanting to win, but it was that extra kick up the bum.”
Thomas’s return was made all the more impressive by the fact that – in damp and cold conditions – she was able to maintain control and still be a threat whilst bowling four one-over spells. That can’t have been a straightforward task to maintain rhythm.
“It was definitely one of my better spells,” she reflected.
“It’s tough for a leg-spinner when it’s cold and wet and – like I said – I just tried to keep the ball as dry as I could. I kept blowing on my hands, trying to get them a bit warmer.”
And now, with the season at an end, Yorkshire are effectively a Tier 1 county. Confidence is high, and they want to head into the top-flight and make some noise.
“Absolutely, definitely,” added Thomas.
“We’re all more than ready for it now. We were at the start of the year, we are now.
“It’ll be a really good challenge, and we want to go and show everyone what we can do as a team.”
