Records tumbled at Radlett Cricket Club yesterday, as Middlesex Women claimed a 40-run victory over Gloucestershire in their final home Vitality Blast match of the season.
After an outstanding performance with the bat, Middlesex closed on 201/1 – the highest total across Tier Two of the Blast, the second-highest T20 total in Middlesex Women’s history, and their highest ever against another first-class county.
Openers, Issy Routledge and Finty Trussler, were outstanding, putting on a record 167-run partnership – the highest ever for Middlesex Women in T20 cricket. Trussler’s superb 90 set a new record for the highest individual T20 score for Middlesex Women, while Routledge’s unbeaten 80 moved her into second place on the all-time list, surpassing Sophia Dunkley’s unbeaten 77, set in 2017.
With the ball, it was another all-round performance, wickets shared between Sonali Patel, Anaya Patel, Saskia Horley, Hannah Davis, and Anisha Dissanayake to dismiss Gloucestershire for 161 runs in 19.3 overs. Routledge equalled yet another record, taking four catches in an innings – only the second time this has been done in Middlesex Women’s history, the previous occasion coming in 2013 when Sophia Dunkley achieved the feat.
After winning the toss, Horley elected to bat, sending Routledge and Trussler out to open. The pair wasted no time, accelerating to 52/0 by the end of the powerplay. Trussler reached her half-century in just 36 balls, her fourth fifty of the season and first in the Blast. Routledge followed shortly after, reaching the milestone off 42 deliveries, for the first time this season.
The opening stand was only broken in the 18th over, when Trussler was run out for a spectacular 90 from 59 balls, in a knock that included 14 fours and three sixes. Pippa Sproul then joined Routledge at the crease, adding a further 7 runs from 5 deliveries as Middlesex closed on 201/1, Routledge unbeaten on 80 from 58.
The total marked Middlesex Women’s second-highest T20 total, behind only their 234/3 against Huntingdonshire in 2022, and set a new record for their highest total against another first-class county, overtaking the 163/4 posted against Somerset in 2017.
With a substantial total to defend, Sonali Patel opened the bowling for Middlesex. She made an immediate impact with the ball, removing Bea Willis for a duck in the opening over, caught by Horley.
The second wicket proved harder to come by until Georgina Cant was run out following sharp fielding from Sarah Pearson and Sonali Patel, with keeper, Olivia Kibler, completing the dismissal as Cant departed for 29 in the sixth over.
Just two balls later, Horley picked up her first wicket, dismissing Emily Geach lbw for a duck with the final ball of the powerplay, leaving Gloucestershire 46/3.
With Melissa Story and Prarthana Reddy in the middle, Gloucestershire began to build. Reddy was eventually run-out in the 12th over, but they finished it on 110/4 – compared to Middlesex’s 106/0 at the same point.
Not long after, however, Routledge took her first catch, and Dissanayake claimed her first wicket, with Reddy departing for 29, and so came a flurry of wickets. Davis and Dissanayake both struck in quick succession, before Anaya Patel picked up two more in the following over – both almost identical catches for Routledge – leaving Gloucestershire at 138/9 by the end of the 17th over, still requiring 64 from the final 18 balls.
The final pairing of Alice Bird and Charlie Phillips added 23 runs, but Horley wrapped up the innings, dismissing Phillips lbw for 13, as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 161 with three balls remaining.
For the final game at Radlett this season, it was a performance worthy of the occasion. Middlesex remain atop the Tier Two South table, with three group stage games still to come.
Middlesex Women
Gloucestershire Women
