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Ireland Women capped off a very productive three days in the UK by lifting the ECB Women’s T20 Division Three South tournament
Having escaped the rain for three group matches, it was no surprise when the final of the ECB Women’s T20 Regional Division Three was hit by a truckload of the wet stuff!

But before the final could be contested there was one final group game to be played against Norfolk. Having beaten Bedfordshire in their second game, Norfolk came into the match with a degree of confidence but it was still a surprise when they won the toss and elected to bat.

Yet another different opening pair took the field for Ireland but the attacking style of play did not change. Emma Beamish and Rebecca Rolfe kept the run rate up from the very beginning, scoring 41 from the six-over powerplay. But just when Rolfe really got motoring she came down the track and missed, stumped off the bowling of Lydia Raven.

Beamish was the base around which a score of 184 was reached. She made 83 from 70 balls, while Rolfe reached 34 from 32. Emma Flanagan was next in and after an entertaining cameo she top-edged and was caught and bowled by Meghan Smith for eight. Joining Beamish at the crease was Isobel Joyce and the pair added 72 in the final five overs, Joyce reaching 36 from 13 deliveries.

All of the bowlers claimed wickets, one each for Louise McCarthy, Shauna Kavanagh and Laura Delany and two each for Joyce and Kim Garth who also got a run out. Norfolk made a total of 43, 142 runs short and the team joining Ireland in the final of the competition was confirmed to be Cambridgeshire.

Ominous clouds loomed overhead but having won the toss, Ireland chose to stick with a winning formula and bat first, reverting back to the opening partnership of Clare Shillington and Mellissa Scott-Hayward that was so successful in the first group game. But just before the end of the fourth over the rain became too heavy to continue playing and the teams came off with the score on 40 for the loss of no wicket.

The teams took to the field again but just three more overs were bowled before the rain forced a break in play for a longer period this time. The score stood at 71 from seven overs, Shillington (40) and Scott-Hayward (27) both not out. Once the rain stopped, it was decided to play just seven-overs-a-side to ensure the game was finished.

Two overs for two bowlers and one each for another three made for very short spells! Kim Garth kept it tight as usual, her two overs going for seven. Louise McCarthy was more expensive, going for 13 in her two. Laura Delany proved the most effective claiming two wickets for just two runs in her single over, while Joyce halved those figures with one wicket for one run. Elena Tice finished the game with just one run coming from her over. Cambridgeshire made 25 for three, 46 short of the Irish total.

Speaking after the game Coach Jeremy Bray said, “Of course I’m very pleased with the four performances. A number of different players got chances to perform and most put their hands up and did the job that was asked of them.

“It’s good to see the strength in depth we have and I’m very pleased with the results but another good sign is that there are still things we could have improved on and we will be looking to do that ahead of the Europeans which start very soon.”

Ireland Women with the Trophy
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