Durham Women claimed a first win in the Royal London Women’s County One-Day Championship after an outstanding bowling display against Worcestershire last Sunday, 19 May.
Result: Durham (152 all out; Wanless 4/23; Ellison 2/35) beat Worcestershire (121 all out; Adcock 75; Arlott 3/21; Boycott 3/21) by 31 runs.
Durham made the breakthrough in the championship after the home side’s bowlers gained control of a challenging situation the team were in, having being bowled out in the first innings.
Durham were 152 all out in 47.4 overs, but Bailey Wanless snatched four for 23 with able support from Laura Ellison (two for 35).
Put in, the home side were slow to get going after quickly losing opening batter Laura Hockaday in only the fifth over to an lbw off Clare Boycott’s ball.
Layla Tipton and Rachel Hopkins added 18 runs to the board each, before Hannah Baker and Collete Wade dismissed Durham’s top-order batters.
Becky Glen hit three boundaries, but her knock came to an end on 20 when she was adjudged lbw to Boycott, who had also previously dismissed Ami Campbell.
Laura Ellison offered resistance at the crease, batting the longest, but her stand was ended when she was pinned lbw by Emily Arlott.
Arlott managed another two wickets to take Rachel Petherick and Bethany Walker out, before Flora Bertwhistle ceased Durham’s innings on 152.
Durham needed to display character in the second to keep their total safe and claim a much-needed win.
Despite restricting the visitors to 58 in 21 overs, there was no wicket in sight. It was Layla Tipton who made the first breakthrough in the next over, when she ran Nikki Chaudhuri out.
The dismissal seemed to have given Durham a bit of confidence and it was Wanless who then quickly added another two wickets to take Boycott and Gwenan Davies out.
Georgie Adcock injected some momentum for Worcestershire with 11 boundaries and 75 runs off 100 balls, but her stand was ended when Louise McCarthey ran the opening batter out.
Only one ball later, Ellison pinned Robyn Mathews lbw for 102/5 in 30 overs to then repeat the same for the dismissal of Natalie Samuels.
Wanless was exceptional with the ball to take Arlott and Collette Wale out, having only scored two runs each, and confirm Durham’s victory.