Ireland came away from Welbeck CC in Nottinghamshire with two T20 wins as a strong side started their preparations for the upcoming three-match T20 series with Australia.
After a difficult start to their ECB T20 Division 1 season, Ireland had an almost full strength squad to select from as the squad start rising through the gears in preparation for the matches against Australia, which will be held in Dublin later this month.
With Isobel Joyce the only player not available (knee injury), the side first beat home side Nottinghamshire defending a modest total, before coming out on the right side of a tense, high scoring game with Sussex.
Having lost the toss and being asked to bat first in the morning game, Gaby Lewis fell early without scoring when she was too quick on her shot and found the leading edge, chipping an easy catch to mid-on. Cecelia Joyce joined the other opener Clare Shillington at the crease and the pair moved scoring along nicely until Shillington was caught behind for 18 trying to cut.
On a large field and a slow outfield boundaries were very hard to come by, leaving Laura Delany and Joyce with a lot of running to do as the pair set the platform nicely reaching 69-2 in the 15th over before Joyce, looking for a gap behind the wicket keeper, was out hit-wicket for 30.
Mary Waldron sparked a rapid acceleration in scoring, hitting two rare boundaries, including a great hit over long-on that almost went for a maximum.
Delany and Waldron worked hard between the wickets and picked up valuable runs with some fantastic calling and running between the wickets. Eventually Delany fell for 24 as she caught a leading edge to mid-wicket as she tried to guide a ball down to fine-leg in the 18th over.
Waldron, who only came to the crease in the 15th over, was run-out for 23 in the final over pushing for a second run. A cameo from Kim Garth helped push the score to a modest, but competitive 109-5 from 20 overs.
Defending 110 the Irish bowlers got off to a mixed start, with Garth (2-12) picking up two wickets in her first two overs, but Nottinghamshire had raced to 18-2 after just 3 overs. Lucy O’Reilly and Garth, who bowled out all of their overs at the beginning of the innings then kept things very tight, with O’Reilly (1-14) picking up an LBW to leave Notts 30-3 after the first eight overs.
Despite the loss of five wickets, Nottinghamshire were kept in the game by opener Sonia Odedra, who scored a commanding 36 before being caught in the deep by Shillington off the bowling of Louise McCarthy (2-10) in the 12th over.
From then on some tight bowling from Elena Tice (0-11) saw the required run rate increase gradually adding more and more pressure on the Notts batters. O’Reilly and McCarthy both picked up a run out in the closing overs as Nottinghamshire fell 28 runs short from their 20 overs, with a final score of 81-8, Ciara Metcalfe (1-14) the other bowler to pick up a wicket.
There was no time to celebrate and after a quick turnaround Ireland found themselves batting first again, but this time after winning the toss and asking Sussex to field. Shillington and Lewis opened once again, with the pair getting off to a very quick start before Lewis was caught for 18 in the 5th over.
Cecelia Joyce came in at three and continued to pick up runs quickly, smashing consecutive boundaries in the seventh over to bring up Ireland’s 50.
The boundaries were much easier to come by in the second match of the day as Joyce and Shillington stroked the ball around picking up quick singles and well placed two’s between hitting boundaries.
Joyce and Shillington both fell in quick succession, with Joyce out for 28 (25 balls), caught in the deep just after bringing up the 50 partnership, before Shillington was bowled the following over for 42 (40 balls) with the score 97-3 in the 15th over.
The two wickets slowed scoring slightly for a couple of overs, but Delany (18 not out) and Waldron picked up where they left off in the first match and ensured the rate was quickly back up as Ireland pushed on to post 133-5, with Shauna Kavanagh making a brief appearance at the end of the innings to score 5 not out after Waldron was bowled for 9.
Garth, acting as captain in the absence of regular skipper Isobel Joyce due to injury, once again got Ireland’s defence off to a great start, taking a wicket in the first over as her and Delany opened up, bowling the opening five overs for just 21 runs, increasing the already high required rate for Sussex.
Tice, who bowled so well without reward in the first match, made the breakthrough in the second after Waldron produced an outstanding piece of wicket keeping to see Adams out stumped for 14, leaving Sussex 28-2.
Although still behind the rate Sussex were starting to look comfortable at the crease and were building a platform from which to attack the target in the closing overs, before Laura Delany returned to the attack and changed the game.
Delany struck getting the wicket of Schofield (22) when Rachel Delaney (0-16) held onto a good catch, before Collis (30), the other set batter was run out the very next ball with Delany playing her part in that also. That left Sussex 70-4 at the end of the 14th over, requiring another 64 to win in the final six overs.
Delany (1-31) and Tice (1-17) finished their overs leaving Garth and O’Reilly to bowl the last four overs between them with Sussex needing an even 12 per over to get the win.
Ireland’s fielding, which had been so good in the first match left much to be desired with Coliven (27 from 17 balls) and Phelps (12) taking advantage keeping up with an unlikely rate of 12 per over to ensure Sussex needed 25 from the final two overs.
Garth then produced something special to swing the momentum back towards Ireland with a stunning one handed caught and bowled Phelps from the first ball of the penultimate over, leaving O’Reilly to bowl the last over with 15 runs left to defend.
Bravely leaving third man and fine leg inside the circle O’Reilly bowled fast and straight anticipating that Coliven would try and ramp the ball behind, clean bowled her with the first ball of the over, before getting another wicket, Waldron’s second stumping of the match, with the final ball of the game, handing Ireland a six run win.
Ireland will take on Australia at YMCA CC in Dublin in three T20 matches on August 19th, 21st and 22nd, with entry to all matches free for all spectators.
Yes
Connaught
