Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Yorkshire head coach Richard Pyrah previews Saturday’s Vitality County T20 Cup Round Two clash with Staffordshire at Weetwood.
Coach Rich Pyrah believes the added pressure which naturally comes with playing knockout cricket is good for the development of his emerging squad.
Yorkshire’s women are into round two of the new Vitality County T20 Cup competition, billed as the FA Cup of county cricket because all three tiers in the new domestic structure are pitted together across six rounds, including a Finals Day at Taunton on May 26.
The White Rose beat Tier 2 rivals Derbyshire Falcons convincingly at Harrogate on Monday and tackle Tier 3 outfit Staffordshire at Weetwood on Saturday afternoon (2.30pm).
Awaiting the winners will be a home tie with Tier 1 county Essex Eagles in round three on May 17.
Yorkshire are on a three-match winning streak at present.
Having lost their opening Metro Bank One-Day Cup 2 match against Worcestershire at Headingley last month, they have beaten Sussex Sharks and Derbyshire in that 50-over competition added to the Falcons again on Monday to get the ball rolling in T20s.
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Yorkshire’s players celebrate Monday’s first round win over Derbyshire at Harrogate.
“We’re just trying to learn and build every game,” said Pyrah.
“We obviously want to win, but we want to create an environment with a new team, we want to shape how we play our cricket ,and you can see how we’re slowly doing that. It’s been really pleasing.
“Again, we have another game on Saturday now, and it’s another chance to learn.
“Every game is pressurised cricket, which is great for the girls to learn in.
“We’ve done well these last couple of weeks after a tough start. We’re playing some decent cricket.”
National Counties side Staffordshire progressed courtesy of a seven-wicket home win against Cumbria in which they chased a target of 109 inside 16 overs.
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Captain and opener Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored with 88 against Derbyshire.
Molly Dytham stood out with 4-20 from four overs of off-spin. They are captained by Lucy Shenton, who took the new ball and struck twice against the Cumbrians at Stafford.
“I like the knockout cricket. It’s what I grew up with a number of years ago with the old Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy,” continued Pyrah, who made his senior debut for the Yorkshire Cricket Board in that competition in 2001.
“Especially for our girls who are playing Tier 2 this year, some of them feel as though we have a point to prove.
“So hopefully we go well in the next game, and then we can start pushing ourselves against some Tier 1 teams, which is what the girls are keen to do.”
Across the weekend’s matches against Derbyshire, experienced batter Ami Campbell stood out with 165 not out in Saturday’s 50-over win and then an unbeaten 41 on Monday.
Another player who impressed was Academy all-rounder Olivia Thomas.
Picture by John Heald. Academy spin-bowling all-rounder Olivia Thomas has impressed in her first three matches for Yorkshire since crossing the Pennines.
The former Lancashire player trialled with Yorkshire over the winter and was added to their list of Academy players at Headingley ahead of the summer.
She debuted in the Metro Bank win over Sussex late last month, striking once with her leg-spinners.
In Saturday’s away win over Derbyshire – on her 21st birthday – she hit a middle order 63 added to 4-16 from five overs. She shared a sixth-wicket partnership of 194 with Campbell, helping Yorkshire post 381-6.
On Monday, at Harrogate, she claimed 2-12 from her three overs.
“She is going to be a very good cricketer is Liv,” praised Pyrah.
“We’ve seen that over the winter, and she’s putting in some performances now. She’s a genuine leg-spinner, bowls a good pace with shape, she has safe hands in the field and got 60-odd on Saturday. This is a great time for her to be playing, and who knows where her game could go.”
Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com. Contracted pro Claudie Cooper has taken seven wickets so far this season.
Thomas and fellow young spinner Claudie Cooper have both taken seven wickets for Yorkshire so far this season, a haul matched by the experienced seamer Beth Langston.
Contracted professional Cooper struck three times with her off-spin at Harrogate on Monday and has made an impressive start to life at Yorkshire having moved north from Surrey and the South East Stars at the start of the winter.
“Claudie’s been brilliant,” said Pyrah. “It’s been a big move for her coming up from London to live in Leeds at 21-years-old. “It took her a while to settle in over the winter, but her cricket is going from strength to strength, and you can see her growing in confidence.
“The shape she gets on the ball as a spinner is really good. She does a lot of people with flight and gets a lot of wickets early.
“Again, she’s going to be a really good cricketer.”
Pyrah added: “Giving these young girls opportunities to play week in week out is how they are going to develop. They haven’t had that before, so it’s really exciting to watch them play, develop and grow in confidence. They are playing alongside players like Beth Langston and Lauren Winfield-Hill. That’s how they will learn.”
