Middlesex Women host Derbyshire Falcons at Merchant Taylors’ School tomorrow in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, looking to extend their perfect run in the competition to six wins from six.
Head Coach, Marc Broom, has named a squad of 13 for the clash, with five changes from last week’s thrilling seven-run victory over Yorkshire at Headingley. Georgia Irving, Anaya Patel, Riva Pindoria, and Lauren Turner return, while Layla Judge is included for the first time this season.
As announced yesterday, tomorrow will also mark Natasha Miles’ final competitive appearance for Middlesex following her decision to retire from domestic cricket in England after a remarkable 15-year career with the club.
Middlesex are currently top of the Tier Two table, three points clear of second-place Glamorgan, having secured wins in each of our five opening matches. Last time out, against Yorkshire, they recovered from 38/5 inside ten overs to post 192/9, thanks to a superb, career-best 98* from Pippa Sproul. With the ball, Hannah Davis and Issy Routledge both claimed four wickets, while Sarah Pearson bowled an outstanding ten-over spell for just 19 runs to bowl Yorkshire out for 185 in a tense contest which ebbed and flowed throughout.
With four group games remaining, we are entering the home stretch of the competition, with Middlesex aiming to maintain their unbeaten run and secure a place in the semi-finals.
Derbyshire, meanwhile, are currently bottom of the table, still searching for their first win in the competition. They have shown their quality, however, with Lara Shaw among Tier Two’s top ten leading run-scorers, including 74 against Gloucestershire. They also enjoyed more success in the Vitality Blast, recording victories over Northamptonshire Steelbacks and Worcestershire Rapids.
This will be our first meeting with Derbyshire this season in any format, and our penultimate home group match. In our only previous outing at Merchant Taylors’, we beat Glamorgan by four wickets in a tense, low-scoring contest in the Vitality Blast. It remains a familiar setting for the team, who train there on a weekly basis.
MIDDLESEX SQUAD V DERBYSHIRE FALCONS
Play is scheduled to begin at 10:30am, with entry free for all spectators. It would be great to see as many members and supporters as possible to cheer on the team and give Natasha Miles a fitting send-off after her devoted Middlesex career.
For those unable to attend, the game will be live streamed on the Club’s website and YouTube channel, with full coverage available in the Match Centre. As always, you can also stay updated throughout the day via our social media channels.
Middlesex Women
Derbyshire Falcons Women
