Completing their 2022 campaign with a dominant victory over Kent, Essex Women sealed a second-place finish in the London Championship to add to their T20 Cup Final.
Essex Women were firing across both formats this season, as they finished top of their group in the T20 Cup with a perfect record of winning 6 from 6 in the group stage.
The T20 Cup took place earlier this season against local counties, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. An opening-day double-header in Cambridgeshire saw Kate Midwood take 5/14 and Emily Dack record 5/24 in subsequent matches. Essex’s class was there for all to see as they cruised home to their first two wins by 8 wickets and 141 runs, respectively.
After a strong start, Billericay was the setting for the second of three double-headers, however, this time Norfolk was the opposition. Scarlett Hughes was the standout batter, scoring a total of 92 runs over the two games including one half-century, as Essex won by 63 runs and then 7 wickets.
The final 8 points came against Suffolk on the final day of the group stage, seeing Essex finish top of the group. A three-wicket haul from Grace Poole gave Essex the edge in the first game as Suffolk were bowled out for 113, only for Essex to chase down the target in 16 overs. In Match Two, a knock 75 (48) from the Captain, Kelly Castle helped Essex to victory and continuing the 100% record as a total of 171 was enough.
After a successful group stage, Essex headed into Finals Day with a semi-final against Norfolk. It was Kelly Castle once again who guided the team into the final, scoring 62 off 46 balls and setting a 152-run total. This proved too much for Norfolk who fell short, reaching 90 off the allotted overs.
The team came up against Suffolk in the Final and incredible bowling performance of 5/9 off 4 overs from Suffolk bowler Lauren Smith. This included 4 wickets in the final over to swing the momentum in Suffolk’s favour as Essex could only reach 110 off their 20 overs. A close-fought game went down to the final ball of the match as Suffolk’s Amelie Clarke hit the winnings runs.
Throughout July and August, attention switched to the London Championship, which is a 50-over competition against Middlesex, Surrey, Kent and Sussex.
The competition only launched in 2021 following the COVID disruption to the season, however, it started with narrow defeats to Surrey and Sussex. Match Three was against Middlesex and was a chance for Essex to find some form and record a first win in the competition. Tilly Callaghan took 5/18 in 7 overs as the hosts were bowled out for just 77 with Essex needing just 18.5 overs to chase it down.
Essex’s final game of the season against Kent was one of their best with a dominant display ending in a 131-run victory. The star performer was Grace Poole who shared a 120-run partnership with Tilly Callaghan, on her way to a season-best total of 78 off 91 balls. In addition, Hollie Dring-Richardson added two more wickets to her competition tally, and the accolade of being the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, narrowly followed by teammate Tilly Callaghan.
For more information and to view scorecards from the match, visit the Essex Cricket Matchzone – here.
