Norton Cricket Club Women’s Team topped the Women’s Indoor Bash League Table after demonstrating a fine form to win both of their games in Group B of the competition.
The team scored a total too high for Shotley Bridge Cricket Club in the first game, to then repeat more of the same against Middleton-in-Teesdale Cricket Club.
Norton’s high run rate snatched the lead from Durham University Cricket Team, the top-performers in Group A.
Matches from Group B of the county’s first Women’s Indoor Bash were played last Sunday (11 February) with Middleton-in-Teesdale, Norton, Shotley Bridge, and Willington Cricket Clubs competing in this group.
Check out the league table here.
In their game against Shortley Bridge, Norton batted first, quickly making an impact with opening pair Bailey Wanless and Emma Dickenson scoring 34 runs in their 4 overs.
Norton kept a consistent performance to finish on 93 before handing over to Shotley, who didn’t manage to close the gap, finishing on 42.
Over on pitch two, Middleton-in-Teesdale were to face Willington. Middleton, batting first, struggled to get going through the whole of their 16 overs, totalling just 12.
The score was quickly chased down by Willington’s opening pair Sue Brown and Skye Monahan, with the rest of the team also contributing to a final 93 runs.
In the second round of fixtures, Norton took on Middleton. Batting first, Norton posted an impressive total of 162 with Katie Barrett and Anna King contributing 73 in the highest scoring partnership in the competition so far.
This was going to be a tall order to chase. Although Middleton showcased a much-improved performance from the first game, their 40 runs weren’t enough for the three points.
In the last game of the day, Willington were up against Shotley Bridge. Shotley batted first and hit a good total of 80.
In reply, Willington made a valiant effort to get the runs but ended 31 short of the win.
Norton Captain Bailey Wanless said: “The Indoor Bash is a great opportunity for people to play competitive cricket as well as have some fun with friends and teammates. We are looking forward to the next round already!”
Durham County Women’s Captain Becky Glenn, who attended as a spectator, said: “It’s great to see so many women, especially young girls, playing in the Indoor Bash, learning alongside some of the best players in the county.
“The tournament will hopefully improve the standard across Durham for the next few years, and who knows maybe the next England player from this area will have started playing in the Indoor Bash!”
The next round of the competition will see the remaining games of both Group A and Group B being played on Sunday, 25 February at the Louisa Centre, Stanley.