Bells Yew Green are Lady Taverners National Cup winners!

U13 and U15 teams both win

Green Army Marches On

On a cold, overcast, windy day at Ellesmere College in Shropshire on Sunday, the sun shone brightly on Bells Yew Green Cricket Club as both their Under 13 and Under 15 girls won the Lady Taverners National Cup, a fast and frenetic 8 a side, 8 over competition.

An amazing day for BYG, sponsored by Speldhurst Sausage and Pie Company, was capped by an unlikely victory for an under strength BYG ladies team against Brighton at the Nursery Ground, thanks to a century from Sam Williams in a total of 172, Angie Baker contributing 21 runs. Vicky Mayrick was the pick of the bowlers as Brighton ended on 162 for five wickets, giving BYG a 10 run win.

Meanwhile, having won through the Lady Taverners Sussex county round and the London and East Regional round, the BYG Under 15 and Under 13 girls were competing against the winners of the four other regions in England and Wales.

Nerves were fraught beforehand as BYG, sponsored for the tournament by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Gunning Transmission and Distribution Services Limited, entered the unknown, but the small village side ended up sweeping all before them.

Under 13s

The Under 13s competed in a five team group against teams from Cheshire, Northamptonshire, Dorset and Wales.

Their first game was against Marple CC from Cheshire. After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, BYG fielded superbly restricting Marple to a very obtainable 43 runs for 1 wicket. The batting started badly for BYG with the loss of the usually reliable Sarah Martins for nought, but Jess Chapman and Hannah Lautch stepped up to the plate scoring 20 and 18 respectively as BYG eased past the Marple total in just four overs finishing on 77 for the loss of three wickets.

Poor bowling in the second game, with the team conceding 26 extras, let Wellingborough CC from Northamptonshire amass 56 runs from their eight overs, Jess Chapman taking two wickets to stem the tide. The total looked even more daunting as BYG lost Chapman with the first ball of the innings but Paige Scholfield and Sarah Martins both scored 20 to put BYG back in charge and it was left to Hannah Lautch and Becky Upfold to steer BYG to victory as they ended their eight overs with 66 runs.

With two games gone and two wins the excitement and tension began to mount especially as in their third game BYG were pitted against pre tournament favourites St. Michaels CC from Dorset. An excellent bowling attack dismissed Scholfield and Chapman for nought as BYG slipped precariously to 0 for 2 in the first over, but Sarah Martins batted with a maturity beyond her 12 years as she scored an unbeaten 23 and BYG gave themselves a fighting chance of victory with a total of 52.

The girls then showed their true character and ability under pressure as they turned the screw with the ball thanks to a great all round fielding display, Lucy Knott and Lydia Harris playing their part particularly well. Scholfield took three wickets and Martins took two wickets in the penultimate over as BYG restricted St.Michaels to just 43 for seven wickets from their eight overs.

And so it was on to the final game against bottom of the table Whitland CC from Wales. There was no room for complacency as BYG knew a win would seal victory. Victory became even more likely as Rachel McKernan took four wickets for just one run in 8 balls as BYG bowled Whitland out for just 26. The celebrations were kept on ice as BYG lost their top three for just 6 runs. However, it was left to Hannah Lautch and 10 year old Nicky Howell to seal victory with unbeaten 20’s as BYG ended up on 79 for three wickets. Lautch, who was excellent at keeping wicket all day, ended an impressive personal display by scoring the winning runs, and BYG were National Champions.

Team manager Steve Martins who had paced around nervously all afternoon was ecstatic with the result, “It is an unbelievable achievement for this small but enthusiastic club. I’d like to thank the girls for their tremendous efforts, especially Issy Bowler who was unable to play today but played an important part in us reaching the finals.” he said afterwards. 

Under 15s

The Under 15 tournament followed the same format as the Under 13’s with BYG facing teams from Durham, Northamptonshire, Wales and Gloucestershire.

In their initial match versus West Glamorgan CC from Wales BYG batted first. Alice Richards anchored the innings hitting 30 but BYG lost wickets at the other end and it was left for Maria Young and Sophie Bowen to guide BYG to 66 runs off eight overs. Tight bowling from Young and captain Sam Wright contained West Glamorgan early on and sent the run rate required up quickly. Anna Wotton chipped in with one wicket as West Glamorgan ended 23 runs short.

The momentum of the first match was carried over to the second game against Wellingborough CC from Northamptonshire. BYG scoring a huge 77 runs thanks to runs from Alice Richards, Sam Wright and Issy Michie. Three wickets from Maria Young put BYG on top and in spite of taking their eye off the ball late on they restricted Wellingborough to 65 for three.

As with the under 13’s the under 15’s faced their toughest test in game three against Bristol Phoenix CC from Gloucestershire. Once again BYG lost early wickets but the promising Richards once again steadied the ship as she scored an unbeaten 25. Bowen and Wotton guided BYG to 58 but Bristol Phoenix clearly fancied their chances of victory. However BYG showed the resolve and determination to put the pressure back onto Phoenix as Maria Young took another three wickets. With the game in the balance into over seven Bethany Hirst took a wicket with her first ball and conceded only two runs meaning BYG could coast to a 10 run win.

It left one game to play against Willington CC from Durham. It was a game of cricket that was dramatic and agonising to watch. The nerves were clearly showing as BYG edged to 62 from their eight overs. Player of the tournament Alice Richards scoring 25 while Beth Hirst contributed a vital 17 runs. The Green Army got off to a fast start as Sam Wright took a wicket in the first over, however Willington batted resolutely and the pressure began to tell on BYG who made uncharacteristic fielding errors. Going into the final over Willington needed just nine runs to win and when the third ball of the over went for four Willington were clear favourites requiring just 3 runs from 3 balls. A single followed off the fourth ball but then Sam Wright bowled a fantastic delivery given the huge pressure on her and bowled Willington’s number three batsman. As a fingernail-less crowd looked on, Wright bravely bowled a slower ball and Willington could only scramble a single to leave the scores tied and give BYG the title.

Under 15 coach Ian Wright could not contain his delight, “We are all elated and thrilled, especially considering the drama of the last ball events that clinched the title. The girls have all been unbelievable in performance and spirit. It was true Girls Own stuff! They listened and fulfilled all the game plans and I am so proud of them all.” It was a spirit typified by Imogen Dell who answered an emergency call to keep wicket only four weeks ago, and has excelled in both the regional and national finals.

Under 15 team manager Linda Bowen added, “What a great day this is for BYG. Not only do we have two teams who are national champions, but (back home in Sussex) our ladies have won against a strong Brighton side.”

It was left to England Women’s cricket legend Rachael Heyhoe-Flint to present the girls with their trophies. The tournament proved that both the popularity and the standard of women’s cricket are rapidly increasing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the girls at Bells Yew Green CC who swept the board in two national competitions and ensured that the club had its greatest day in their 62 year history.

Andy Hobbs, Head of Recreational Cricket, said “This is a remarkable achievement for Bells Yew Green CC and the culmination of amazing efforts being put into the development of the club over the last 5 years. For a tiny village club to have grown the way they have with nearly 200 children in such a short space of time, is an example of how with the right drive village clubs can thrive. The success in particular of the women and girls section is outstanding and to win not one, but two national competitions in the same year is a truly incredible effort”.