This ground-breaking match is Emerald Headingley’s first Women’s One-Day International against any opponent. There have previously been no fewer than seven in Yorkshire – three at Scarborough and one each at Barnsley, Bradford, Collingham and York – and Headingley has also hosted three Women’s Test matches. Paul Dyson looks back at an ODI between these two countries but on another ground.
July 10, 2010, Taunton: New Zealand 231-8 in 50 overs (MF Fahey 61, SFM Devine 50, KH Brunt 3-31); England 234-9 in 49.3 overs (CM Edwards 70, NJ Browne 3-31, LR Doolan 3-41). England won by one wicket.
In 2009 England had won the Women’s World T20 tournament by beating these opponents, New Zealand, in the final and had dominated the world stage throughout most of the year. The late autumn of that year, though, saw poor results in the West Indies and when May 2010 came around the defending champions of the World T20 left the competition at the group stage. New Zealand’s tour of England in the latter part of the summer was an opportunity to correct the slide. The two countries met first in three T20 internationals but the visitors came back from losing the first game to take the series 2-1.
It was now in the 50-over format that the two sides were to meet in five games and the first two of these were at Taunton. New Zealand, on winning the toss, decided to bat and suffered an early loss when Natalie Dodd was lbw for a duck. She faced only three balls and the successful medium-fast bowler was Barnsley-born Katherine Brunt who had struck in only her second over. Maria Fahey, Dodd’s fellow-opener, proved more difficult to dislodge and she proceeded to hold the innings together, sharing a half-century stand for the third wicket with Amy Satterthwaite (38). By the time the total had reached 104 for four, Jenny Gunn had been involved in three of the dismissals, taking a wicket, taking a catch and effecting a run-out. Fahey’s was the fifth wicket to fall, when the total was 148 in the 37th over but her 61 had come from 106 balls. Brunt immediately bowled Nicola Browne for the third duck of the innings but Sophie Devine struck exactly 50 from 65 balls and helped the tourists to post a total of 231 for eight in the 50 overs. Brunt finished with three for 31 and was easily the most economical bowler as well as the most penetrative.
England also lost an early wicket but Heather Knight and Claire Taylor then shared a stand of 57 before three wickets fell – all to the off-spin of Lucy Doolan – for seven runs to leave the hosts precariously placed at 79 for four. It was then that skipper Charlotte Edwards took control; she was well-supported by Jenny Gunn but then with Laura Marsh put on 81 for the sixth wicket to leave England requiring only 24 for victory from 33 balls with four wickets left. Danielle Hazell came and went and a crucial blow was struck when Edwards was run out for an excellent 70 from 81 balls. Three runs later Browne, bowling medium pace, took her third wicket of the innings and the equation was now five runs, seven balls, one wicket. Brunt was at the crease and the Yorkshire lass was on hand to hit the winning runs with three balls to spare and complete a nail-biting victory. Browne and Doolan each finishing with three wickets.
Although New Zealand bounced back from this defeat to win the second game at Taunton, England won a day/night game at Derby before securing the series with a very convincing nine-wicket win at Barnsley. New Zealand won at Lord’s so England won the series 3-1.
Player of the Match
Despite the, ultimately, match-winning innings from Charlotte Edwards it was Katherine Brunt who won the match award. Born in July, 1985 in Barnsley, Brunt first attracted attention when playing for Yorkshire Under-15s Womens in 1999 and two years later made her debut for not only Sheffield United ladies but also Yorkshire Women. A season in the Yorkshire Under-17s Womens team in 2002 projected her further into the limelight and two years later she made her Womens Test debut before representing England Women in an ODI in the following winter and a T20I in 2005.
Brunt has now played in 106 Women’s ODIs, taking 127 wickets, as well as 11 Tests and 60 T20Is. In May 2010 she won the ECB Women’s Cricketer of the Year award, has now had three seasons with Perth Scorchers Women and was a regular member of the Yorkshire Diamonds team in each of its first two seasons. She has also taken part in no fewer than eight World Cups – four in each format. Her best bowling in international cricket is six for 69 in a Test against Australia at Worcester in 2009.
SOME RECORDS
Results (home and away)
Played 64, England won 32, New Zealand won 28, tied 1, no result 3.
Highest innings totals
England 284-9 (50 ovrs) Derby 2017
Away 243-1 (44.4 ovrs) Lincoln 2007/08
New Zealand 291-6 (50 ovrs) Chennai 2006/07
At home 275-5 (50 ovrs) Oamaru 2000/01
Away 243-2 (35.4 ovrs) Derby 2007
Lowest innings totals
England 86 (37.2/50 ovrs) Napier 1999/2000
At home 98 (43.4/50 ovrs) Chester-leStreet 2002
New Zealand 72 (30.5/50 ovrs) Blackpool 2007
At home 104 (36.1/50 ovrs) Maunganui 2014/15
Highest individual innings
England 137* CM Edwards Lincoln 2011/12
At home 129 NR Scriver Derby 2017
New Zealand 117 DA Hockley Chester-le-Street 1996
At home 116 EC Drumm Oamaru 2000/01
Highest wicket partnerships
Eng 201 (3rd) SJ Taylor (109*) & LS Greenway (84) Lincoln 2011/12
NZ 161 (2nd) AL Watkins (81) & SJ McGlashan (97*) Derby 2007
Best bowling
England 5-22 IT Guha Derby 2004
Away 5-24 KL Cross Lincoln 2014/15
New Zealand 6-32 BH McNeill Lincoln 2007/08
Away 4-35 EM Bermingham Lord’s 2010
Most dismissals in a match by a wicket-keeper
4 (3 ct 1 st) SA Hodges England Aucklans 1981/82
4 (3 ct 1 st) L Nye England Perth 1988/89
4 (3 ct 1 st) RJ Rolls New Zealand Oamaru 2000/01
4 (2 ct 2 st) RJ Rolls New Zealand Lincoln 2000/01
4 (3 ct 1 st) SJ Taylor England Sydney 2008/09
