Picture by Joshua Bowles Media/Kent Cricket. Lauren Winfield-Hill leaves the field at Canterbury on Saturday with a stunning 194 to her name. It was an innings which helped qualify Yorkshire for the semi-finals of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Yorkshire are aiming to make it third time lucky against high-flying Middlesex at Radlett on Sunday in the semi-finals of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
The White Rose county are confident they can triumph at the picturesque Hertfordshire venue (10.30am) for the right to advance to the September 14 final at Worcestershire’s New Road.
Middlesex have led the way in Tier 2 this summer.
In this competition, they finished top-of-the-table with nine wins from nine, hence gaining home advantage for this knockout tie. They beat Yorkshire by seven runs in a low-scoring thriller at Headingley at the start of last month.
And the Saturday before that, they beat Yorkshire by 10 wickets in the Vitality Blast final at Northampton.
“It’s a good opportunity to keep doing the good stuff we did (in victory) against Kent at the weekend,” said captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who hit a stunning 194 at Canterbury on Saturday to help qualify her side for this fixture.
“We’ve raised our bar, and it’s about matching that or bettering that now.
“And it’s a chance to get a bit of redemption as well.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Olivia Thomas (centre) has impressed with bat and ball in recent weeks.
After posting the highest ever List A score by a Yorkshire batter, in either women’s or men’s cricket, against Kent on Saturday, Winfield-Hill described the county’s 279-run win as a “pretty complete performance”. The White Rose racked up 404-5 from their 50 overs and bowled Kent out for 125.
This is a Tier 1 game in all but name. That’s where Yorkshire are heading next year, whilst Middlesex’s performances this summer have proved they wouldn’t be out of place in county cricket’s top flight.
“Yeah, definitely,” said Winfield-Hill. “It’ll be another good game, and a good opportunity for us.
“In these types of games, as a player, you’ve got to want to be the ones to have a big impact on the game. Not make little contributions, but make big contributions – and that’s in all areas.
“Middlesex are a decent side. They’ve got some experienced players. It’s usually a pretty good surface down there at Radlett, so it should be a great game.”
Winfield-Hill was named on a list of players to play in the Caribbean Premier League T20 competition, which starts on Saturday evening. The wicketkeeper-batter played in that competition last year, but her involvement this time was dependent on Yorkshire reaching the knockouts of the One-Day Cup.
Had they been eliminated last weekend, she would have travelled to the CPL.
“That was always the scenario,” she confirmed. “If we didn’t make the finals, obviously we wouldn’t have had anything through September, so I could have gone. But my priority was always going to be Yorkshire.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Maddie Ward and Middlesex captain Saskia Horley pose with the Vitality Blast trophy ahead of the late July final at Northampton, which Middlesex won. Yorkshire are aiming for “redemption” this weekend.
“And whilst there’s a game or hopefully two for us, and a trophy to win, this is where I’ll be.”
After the win at Canterbury, Winfield-Hill praised the key performers in that game such as Erin Thomas, Olivia Thomas and Maddie Ward. They were the ones who stood out alongside their captain.
But another player who has impressed during the second half of the season, and particularly during the last month of 50-over cricket, is new-ball seamer Jess Woolston.
Having missed the first half of the summer with a stress fracture of her right foot, Woolston has hit the ground running on her return. Across 12 appearances in T20 and 50-over cricket, she has taken 16 wickets.
Since the start of August, she has taken 10 wickets in five One-Day Cup games, including a superb 5-45 in the aforementioned defeat to Middlesex at Headingley.
“The nice thing for me is that, whilst I’ve been at the Hundred, where Woolly was pre-Hundred to where she is now, you can see she’s just grown in confidence,” added the skipper.
“She’s got a lot more control and sort of wants to get us off to a good start and set the tone with the new ball. And she’s bowled beautifully.
“She did at Kent (2-24, 7.5 overs).
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Jess Woolston impressed with five wickets against Middlesex at Headingley in the Metro Bank One-day Cup at the start of last month.
“There wasn’t a lot in the surface or through the air for her, but she came back at the end and bowled good change-ups and hit the stumps. She just kept it simple.
“When you have a big injury like she had, it just takes a bit of time, and it seems like she’s sort of grown into her role and into the season really nicely.”
Middlesex are captained by Scotland international batting all-rounder Saskia Horley, also a former Australia Under 19.
Artemis Downer is their leading run-scorer with 320 in six appearances, while leg-spinner Hannah Davis leads the way with 14 wickets. Ami Campbell and leg-spinner Olivia Thomas lead the way for Yorkshire with 418 runs and 14 wickets respectively.
