Glory beckons for Blues cricketers
THE WOMEN'S BLUES are the most successful Oxford cricket team so far this season, with a one hundred percent record in the BUSA Southern Premier League, writes Heather Lang.
Last Sunday saw them travel to Cambridge on a blustery day to play the first fixture between the sides since winning last year's nail-biting Varsity match by a single run.
Captain Felicity Allen [Jesus] won the toss and decided to bat, but this decision looked to have backfired when both openers' wickets fell within the first two overs.
At 9-3, Danielle Sampson [Greyfriars] (37) and Penny Dain [Merton] (44) came to the crease and staged a recovery, with Jane Anderson [Exeter] chipping in with 16. This set Oxford up for a defendable total of 135-6 from the allocated 40 overs. After tea, the Cambridge wickets fell at a steady rate, with only the opener Henshaw posing a problem.
When she went for 40, the tail never looked likely to wag vigorously enough and they were bundled over for 117 all out, Caroline Dolman (St Hilda's) taking a superb reflex catch at point to claim the last wicket. Bowling honours were evenly shared, with Sampson, Dain, Allen and Polly Few (St John's) taking two apiece.
This weekend, Oxford played host to the big-hitting Brighton team. After losing the toss and being put in to bat, Oxford got off to a flyer, and at 59-2 after 12 overs, a total of 160-200 looked feasible.
However, a change of bowling and a few wickets later, including the crucial one of Allen (34), the scoring rate slowed right down. Harriet Mather (Hertford), batting in a match for the first time, scored a useful 14, as Oxford batted out their overs to reach 124-9.
Initially, the Oxford bowlers managed to keep Brighton in check, but some hitting out put the run rate back on track by the halfway stage. With the regular fall of wickets being offset by Brighton's ability to bat well down the order, the match remained balanced delicately on a knife-edge.
However, in the final five overs, Allen and Sarah Adam [Jesus] took the final four wickets to leave them on 113 all out.
Despite missing Sampson and Dain, Oxford's strength in depth showed - Adam, who had never bowled in a match before, finished with 3-20: the best figures of the day! Few and Rosy Hughes (Jesus) were both as economical as ever, taking 2-12 and 2-6 respectively.
Oxford's final match in the Premier League is away at the University of Wales in Cardiff this weekend. Further fixtures this season include the match against the MCC in The Parks on the 31st of May, the knock-out stages of the BUSA, and the Varsity match at Lords on the 28th of June. The club website is at:
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~ouwcc/
24th May 2001