Gloucestershire Women v Wiltshire Women (at Hanham CC)

ECB Women’s County Championship, Division 3, Group C

Wiltshire 68 all out (31 overs)
Gloucestershire 63-0 (14.2 overs) Revised Target from 41 overs

Gloucestershire won by 10 wickets

Scorecard

Gloucestershire Women bounced back from defeat in their last game with a dominant 10 wicket win over Wiltshire.

The home seam attack of Mollie Robbins (3-19), Helen Cutler (4-12) and Cerys King (3-9) blew the visitors away, bowling them out for 68 in 31 overs.

Skipper Alice Hill and fellow opener Chloe Skelton made short work of the run chase, reaching a revised target of 63 – due to rain – in the 15th over.

The win puts Gloucestershire into second place in their ECB County Championship Group after three matches.

After winning the toss, Gloucestershire got off to a great start when Robbins removed opposition captain Lucy Wood without scoring to make it 5-1. The Wiltshire top order battled hard but found runs difficult to come by in the face of a disciplined start by the home attack.

But their dogged determination was undone by Cutler who took four of the next five wickets to finish with a county best of 4-12 from seven overs.

From 19-1 Wiltshire collapsed to 47-9 as the returning Robbins made further inroads supported by King. Gloucestershire were held up by a gutsy last wicket stand of 21 before King bowled Daisy Barrow to record her best senior county figures of 3-9 from six overs.

A Gloucestershire victory never looked in doubt as Hill and Skelton calmly accumulated the 63 runs needed inside 15 overs. They brought their 50 partnership up off 70 balls, finishing with 20 and 24 respectively.

Next up for Gloucestershire are Buckinghamshire at Marshfield this Sunday. The match starts at 11am.

Gloucestershire U15 Girls v Somerset U15 Girls (at Stroud CC)

ECB Women’s Under 15 County Championship, Division A, Group 4

Somerset 82 all out (19.4 overs)
Gloucestershire 83-8 (31.4 overs)

Gloucestershire won by 2 wickets

Scorecard

Gloucestershire Under 15 Girls got their County Championship season off to a great start after grinding out a two wicket win against local rivals Somerset.

Lily Knox (Frenchay) put in a fine all-round performance, with 1-6 from 5 overs, a run out and top scoring with a mature 22 not out as Gloucestershire chased down their target of 83 in the 32nd over.

With her side faltering on 47-8 she shared a match winning partnership of 26 with Tosca Knight (Lechlade) as the pair showed real character under pressure.

Earlier the home side had won the toss and chosen to bowl first. And they put Somerset under pressure from the start through opening bowlers Knox and Lottie Gilderson (Dumbleton). Both bowled miserly spells and picked up a wicket each as the visitors slipped to 16-2. A run out by Molly Brophy (Marshfield) made it 25-3 with Gloucestershire well on top.

But Somerset refused to capitulate and rebuilt through a counterattacking 48 run partnership between skipper Jess Hazell (21 off 16) and Phillipa Letchford (20 from 20). On the back foot for the first time, Gloucestershire turned to spin.

And the move paid off handsomely as captain Bea Ellis (Charlton Kings) trapped Letchford LBW to make it 73-4. This sparked a collapse which saw Somerset lose their last seven wickets for just nine runs.

Ellis (3-6) took her second wicket in three balls to remove Gelston for 0 before fellow spinner Isabel Carey (1-17) (Frenchay) got rid of the dangerous Hazell in the next over.

Two run outs – by Knox and Alexandra Taylor (Marshfield) – and another wicket for Ellis made it 78-9. Gilderson (2-10) then returned to finish a remarkable passage of play by taking the final wicket with the score on 82.

Chasing a small total Gloucestershire went into their innings in confident mood but they had to endure a number of scares along the way.

Having reached 17-0 they lost both openers without adding to the score. They battled back to 34-2 but another mini collapse left them reeling on 36-6. Knox dug in and looked determined to drag her side over the line but she was left facing a huge task when Gloucestershire fell to 46-8 after losing two wickets in three balls.

At this stage Somerset sensed that victory was all but theirs. But they counted against a brilliantly stubborn partnership of 26 from Knox and number 10 Tosca Knight (Lechlade).

Knox scored 22* from 56 balls while wicketkeeper Knight held up her end with a defiant 7 not out from 45 balls to take their team to an unlikely victory.

Gloucestershire U15 Boys v Worcestershire U15 Boys (at Old Hill CC)

Friendly

Gloucestershire 131 all out (34.4 overs)
Worcestershire 132-6 (38.1 overs)

Worcestershire won by 4 wickets

Scorecard

Gloucestershire Under 15s battled hard but fell to a second successive defeat with a four-wicket loss to Worcestershire.

For the second game in a row Gloucestershire collapsed from a good start to score that was never likely to challenge their opponents.

And despite showing character with the ball, they couldn’t prevent the home side from reaching their target of 132 with four wickets and 11.5 overs to spare.

In their previous match, Gloucestershire put on 28 for the first wicket. This time Praneel Choughule (20) (Thornbury) and Nick Schubach (10) (Dumbleton) added 39 before the introduction of George Bartram into the attack accounted for both players in quick succession.

Stan Brown (12) (Cheltenham) and George Driver-Dickerson (19) (Frampton-on-Severn) attempted to steady the ship but when Brown and his replacement Sami Hamid (Winterbourne) both departed with the score on 61, the innings was in the balance.

Driver Dickerson and Will Hope (29*) (Great Rissington) both fought hard but with no one else able to reach double figures Gloucestershire slumped to 131 all out.

In reply, Worcestershire looked to be coasting to victory as they reached 63 without loss. But they lost four wickets for nine runs as left arm spinner Ryan Kilmister (3-37) (Dumbleton) threatened to turn the game on its head.

But despite losing two further wickets the home side recovered to reach their target in the 39th over.

District Cricket Round-Up

Hamish Harman-Adams took a hat trick to help Cheltenham and Cotswolds Under 11s start the season with a superb seven wicket victory over Bristol.

Harman-Adams finished with 4-9 as Bristol were bowled out for 172 in 25.2 overs.

In reply Neel Kulkarni (Cheltenham) made a personal best score of 62 not out, ably supported by Aiden Donnelly (35*) (Dumbleton) as Cheltenham and Cotswolds (C&C) reached their target from just 22.2 overs. Skipper Max Davidson (Dumbleton) also made an important 26.

Earlier C&C used 10 bowlers and had six different wicket takers as they dismissed Bristol for 172. Bishopston’s Ivo Thomas top-scored for Bristol with 41.

In the other District Under 11 match Gloucester and the Forest of Dean (GFOD) beat Stroud and South Gloucestershire (SSG) by 5 wickets in a low scoring encounter at Down Hatherley CC.

Batting first SSG were bowled out for 54 as no batsman was able to reach double figures. Opening bowler Toby O’Neill (2-12) (Aston Ingham) and Caspar Chambers (3-13) (Ashleworth) were the pick of the bowlers and there were also four run outs.

In reply Freddie Hill (Cheltenham) and Jack Savage (Gotherington) both made 12 to hold the innings together as GFOD reached their target in the 15th over. Old Down’s Wes Stowell took 2-9 opening the bowling for his side.