Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Opener Georgie Boyce posted her first fifty in Yorkshire colours.
On-loan opener Georgie Boyce posted her maiden fifty for Yorkshire – 55 off 50 balls – as the county comfortably beat Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Headingley by 53 runs to claim their sixth successive victory in the Vitality Blast.
The White Rose’s women started today’s double header with the county’s men in style, with Boyce underpinning a 167-4 total with seven fours before the bowlers ensured another strong performance in preparation for Finals Day later this month.
Boyce is on loan for the Blast from Tier 1 side The Blaze and was composed in excellent batting conditions.
Ria Fackrell then continued her excellent form in this season’s Blast with 2-19 from four overs of off-spin as the Steelbacks replied with 114-4. She removed top-scorer Gemma Marriott for 41 and is the leading wicket-taker in the Tier 2 Blast with 15.
This was Yorkshire’s second successive win over Northamptonshire having beaten them at Peterborough Town CC a fortnight ago.
Having already qualified for Finals Day, at Northampton on July 26, they now have two more North Group games remaining. The first of those is against Leicestershire Foxes at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road on Friday afternoon.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire’s off-spin twins Claudie Cooper and Ria Fackrell. Cooper struck once today and Fackrell twice.
After Maddie Ward elected to bat first, Erin Thomas led the way initially with 28 but fell having skied a catch to mid-on off Mabel Reid’s seam.
Boyce, in her sixth match for the White Rose, has previously posted two scores in the forties but bettered that here and was the linchpin in the innings.
In reaching her fifty off 45 balls – by which time Yorkshire were 131-1 in the 16th over – Boyce hit seven fours. The best of them was her first, lofted down the ground off Emily Carpenter’s left-arm seam.
Northamptonshire struggled to create any pressure with the ball, and their ground fielding was sloppy. They conceded 23 extras, including 16 wides and four no balls.
Seamer Mabel Reid had to be taken out of the attack at the start of her second over having bowled a second above waist high full toss.
Italian international leg-spinner Lenny Simms bowled an advancing Rebecca Duckworth for a pleasing 32 with a googly, ending an 85-run stand with Boyce.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Beth Langston played her first game since late May, returning figures of 0-17 from three overs.
And that was the first of two wickets in as many overs for the Steelbacks as Boyce miscued Carpenter to mid-off, where Reid took the catch, leaving Yorkshire 138-3 in the 18th.
Captain Maddie Ward and Beth Langston finished with a flurry, taking three boundaries as 14 runs came off Carpenter in the last over.
Sims was the pick of the visiting attack with 1-22 from her four overs, while the visitors had to change their wicketkeeper in the 14th over following an injury to Poppy Simms.
In defence, Beth Langston – returning to the Yorkshire side for the first time since late May following a knee injury – and Rachel Slater started tidily with the new ball.
The Steelbacks reached 13-0 after three overs.
Claudie Cooper’s off-spin then made the breakthrough at the start of the fifth over when she forced Amelia Kemp to slice to point – 25-1. Cooper has so often struck in her first over this season, and did so again here with her second ball.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Coach Rich Pyrah talks to Rebecca Duckworth, who scored 32 today.
Reid was then run out – 45-2 in the ninth – as she swept Fackrell to short fine-leg, where Olivia Thomas picked up and threw to the bowler to complete the dismissal.
The Steelbacks never threatened the target as they slipped to a fourth defeat in seven games.
While wicketkeeper Simms struggled with her fitness in the first innings, so too did opener Marriott in the second. Just beyond the midway point of the chase, play was delayed as she was treated for what looked like exhaustion with the heat.
But, on 30, she continued.
Ariana Dowse, who earlier took on the wicketkeeping gloves from Simms, was the third wicket to fall when she pulled Fackrell to wide mid-on with the score on 76 in the 15th over.
Yorkshire weren’t faultless in the field. And while a couple of drops didn’t impact the outcome of the game, coach Rich Pyrah will be urging improvement with bigger challenges ahead at Finals Day and in Tier 1 next season.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Opener Georgie Boyce celebrates her maiden Yorkshire fifty.
Erin Thomas took a smart catch at long-off to help Fackrell removed opener and captain Marriott, leaving the score at 93-4 in the 17th over.
Fackrell was one of four spin options used, including Academy leggie Holly Garton, who impressively bowled two overs for seven to help see the county to another five-point victory, including a bonus point.
Yorkshire opener Georgie Boyce said: “We came into this game determined not to focus on the opposition but play our brand of cricket, and I think we definitely did that today.
“Everyone chipped in. We wanted to get up to that 180-mark with the bat. We fell a little bit short, but 167 was still a good score.
“They never looked like getting away in reply. The most pleasing thing was seeing Beth Langston out on the field after a tough couple of months for her. To see her out there bowling quick was great to see.
“It’s always nice to have a personal contribution and get that little milestone (first fifty for Yorkshire). But it’s most pleasing that it was in a winning performance and we’re continuing to play good cricket.”
