Middlesex Women held their nerve in a thrilling one-run victory over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham College yesterday, rounding off their Vitality Blast group stage on a high.
A strong showing with the bat saw Middlesex post 147/5, led by skipper, Saskia Horley, who struck 45 from just 27 deliveries. In reply, Gloucestershire pushed Middlesex all the way, but a flurry of late run outs, including one off the final ball, saw the hosts fall just short on 146/6. Rachana Cambampaty was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers, returning figures of 1/17 from her four overs.
While Middlesex had already secured the top spot in the Tier Two South table, this result provides a welcome momentum boost heading into next Saturday’s Finals Day in Northamptonshire.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, Middlesex opened with Issy Routledge and Finty Trussler, who started steadily, reaching 37/0 after the powerplay. They added a further 30 runs by the halfway mark, before Gloucestershire found a breakthrough. Routledge was the first to fall for a valuable 36, caught by Liv Daniels off Alice Hill. Trussler followed in the exact same way shortly after for 28.
That brought Horley to the crease, and scoring soon picked up. Riva Pindoria chipped in with 8 before she was bowled by Caitlin Belcher, but it was the partnership between Horley and Artemis Downer that really injected pace into the innings. The pair rotated strike well and found the boundary regularly, pushing Middlesex beyond the 140 mark. Downer was eventually bowled for 17 off 10, and Pippa Sproul added a single off her sole delivery. Horley was run out off the final ball, adding a run that would prove decisive, as Middlesex closed on 147/5.
In defence of their total, Middlesex had to stay composed. Gloucestershire’s openers got off to a lively start, reaching 41/0 by the end of the powerplay, ahead of Middlesex by four runs at the same stage. Sarah Pearson made the breakthrough, bowling Becca Halliday for 32, but Gloucestershire remained in the hunt.
At the halfway stage, the hosts needed just 61 more runs with nine wickets in hand. Cambampaty then struck a key blow, removing Georgie Cant for 51 off 34, caught by Horley. A series of controlled overs from Cambampaty and Pearson then slowed the chase, setting up a tense finish.
With five overs to go, Gloucestershire were 110/2, needing 38 to win. Three run outs in the space of five balls, however, swung momentum Middlesex’s way, with Melissa Story and Liv Daniels arriving fresh at the crease.
Needing 19 from the final two overs, Gloucestershire fought back valiantly, taking the game to the very last ball. With three needed to win and two to draw, the pair pushed for a second run, but brilliant work on the boundary from Pindoria and a sharp throw to Sproul saw Story run out at the striker’s end, sealing a dramatic one-run victory for Middlesex.
Next up, Middlesex travel to Northampton to take on Leicestershire Foxes, runners-up from the North group, in the Vitality Blast Tier Two Semi-finals on Saturday 26 July.
With coach travel available for the day, departing from Lord’s in the morning and returning after the match, it would be great to see as many members as possible there, cheering the team on in their first shot at silverware.
Gloucestershire Women
Middlesex Women
