ECB Girls Under-18 National County T20, Finals Day
Haslegrave Ground, Loughborough
Sunday 10 September 2023
The Under-18s ensured Essex Women sides took home two trophies in as many days as they saw off North East Warriors and Hampshire at Finals Day of the ECB National County T20.
The victorious young Eagles’ XI contained three players who had earned a London Championship-clinching victory over Sussex in Brighton with the senior women’s first team the previous day.
Read on for the details of, and reports from, both matches.
Semi-Final: Essex v North East Warriors
10:30am start
Team News:
Essex: Bella Howarth, Hollie Dring-Richardson, Bella Johnson (c), Jessica Olorenshaw (wk), Jasmine Westley, Beth Wright, Sally Chapman, Sophia Mitchell, Prisha Bedi, Cara Castleman, Jessica Pugh, Millie Rawlins
North East Warriors: Sarah Vince, Grace Thompson, Ciara Boaden, Trudy Johnson, Emily Whiting, Mary Butler (wk), Libby Morton, Olivia Miller, Maisie Sinclair, Laura Trotter (c), Jessica Weatherspoon, Ellie Allan
Match Details:
Scorers: Joanna Johnson & Paul Summerside
Toss: North East Warriors won the toss and elected to bat first
Result: Essex won by nine wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Report:
Hollie Dring-Richardson crunched an unbeaten 59 off 49 balls to back up Bella Johnson’s bowling return of 4/21 as Essex comfortably saw off North East Warriors to progress to the National County T20 Final.
Sophia Mitchell sent down a double-wicket maiden to open the Warriors’ innings as she also claimed figures of 3/20, with the only knocks above 25 being Trudy Johnson’s top score of 38, and 28 from Grace Thompson.
Prisha Bedi continued the squeeze with 2/14 from her four overs, and despite a resistant stand of 60 in 47 balls for the third wicket between Johnson and Thompson, the total always felt below par.
That was proven in convincing fashion during Essex’s chase, as the young Eagles cruised to their target with almost three full overs to spare.
Dring-Richardson and Bella Howarth, who made 33, put on 62 for the first wicket in 57 deliveries, before Jessica Weatherspoon became the only Warriors bowler to take a wicket, removing Howarth via a Johnson catch.
That took nothing away from Dring-Richardson, however, as she continued on and brought up her 50 in 46 deliveries off the final ball of the 16th over.
She then capped off her match-winning display by being on strike for the winning runs, finding able support in the closing stages from captain Johnson, who made 15 not out.
Final: Essex v Hampshire
2:30pm start
Team News:
Essex: Bella Howarth, Hollie Dring-Richardson, Bella Johnson (c), Jessica Olorenshaw (wk), Jasmine Westley, Beth Wright, Sally Chapman, Sophia Mitchell, Prisha Bedi, Cara Castleman, Jessica Pugh, Millie Rawlins
Hampshire: Pippa Sproul, Caitlin Chissell (c), Rachel King, Mia Clark (wk), Caitie Croft, Talitha Stanley, Darcey Clarke, Eve O’Neill, Abby Stevenson, Amy Mills, Katie Jones, Iyna Patel
Match Details:
Umpire: Eloise Porter
Scorer: Joanna Johnson
Toss: Essex won the toss and elected to field first
Result: Essex won by eight wickets
Scorecard: View Here
Match Report:
An afternoon downpour failed to dampen Essex’s spirits as they triumphed over Hampshire in a reduced ten-over bash to seal the National County T20 title.
Once play finally did get underway, a stifling two-over return of 2/8 from Sally Chapman, along with Jessica Pugh’s 2/20, helped restrict Hampshire to 67-5 from their allotted overs.
Only Rachel King, who top-scored with 16, alongside captain Caitlin Chissell and Mia Clark, who both hit 10, made it into double figures for Hants.
Jasmine Westley also took a wicket, that of Talitha Stanley, to keep up the regular clatter and ensure Chissell’s side were unable to establish any real flow of runs.
Although Bella Howarth fell early in the young Eagles’ reply, semi-final standout Hollie Dring-Richardson hit 16 off 11 to make light of Hants’ struggles and provide some early impetus to the chase.
Her departure, caught behind by Clark off Stanley, failed to take anything out of Essex’s progress, however, and an unbroken 38 stand between Bella Johnson and Jessica Olorenshaw, made in 28 balls, sealed the trophy.
Olorenshaw, who hit 19 in that partnership next to her captain’s 22, finished the match, the day, and the tournament off with a flourish by hitting back-to-back fours off Katie Jones.
