Stratford Cricket Club first premier women’s club match winners!

Congratulations to the Stratford Cricket Club premier women’s team, winners of the first premier women’s club match in Taranaki today!
The sun beamed down on New Plymouth’s Western Park for the match, with hosts New Plymouth Old Boys’ Cricket Club sending the Stratford side into bat for the first 40 over session.

Stratford opener Jessie Hollard laid the platform for the side’s win, with an impressive 75 off 104 balls. She partnered up with Amy Foreman for a 116-run second wicket stand, which ultimately proved the winning of the match. When Hollard departed with the score at 137, Old Boys were able to pull back the total with a few more wickets, but the Stratford side would have been satisfied to finish their innings at 175/6.
Old Boys’ bowlers toiled hard throughout, with Caitlin Marshall impressing, picking up two wickets and going at a little over three an over in her 8-over spell.

Marshall then teamed up with Cara Hollard to get the Old Boys chase off to a good start, with the side getting through to 30 before the loss of their first wicket. Hollard top scored with 30, and at one stage in the chase, at 119/5 and with Charlotte Butler and Zoe Ellerton-Kelly in good nick at the crease it was looking like a tight finish was in store. But when Azaria Lander took the wick of Ellerton-Kelly, the tail folded quickly and in the end Stratford secured a 36-run win.

The match was a great way to kickstart the Women’s Premier club competition, introduced this season. This season the competition is a series of five matches between Stratford and NPOB, with plans for the competition to continue to grow in years to come.

For now though, it is great just to see the women out playing quality cricket with qualified umpires and on premier standard grass wickets. With many of the women playing today expected to feature for The Bartercard Taranaki women’s side in their upcoming Shrimpton Trophy campaign, it was a great way for the players to get their season going.

The next match is scheduled for November 5, also at Western Park.

Full competition details including match scorecards and live scoring can be found here at PlayHQ