2nd Double Header - Part 1 Somerset Women v Durham
By Grockle
June 15 2025
The first half of our second 2025 double header sees the women take on Durham still in the hunt for their first Vitality Blast points. Durham have win the toss and put the home side in first. A great crowd at their first solo outing at the County Ground on Friday saw them fail to defend a smallish total but take it to the last over against Lancshire. The side is unchanged but hopefully they can go batter this Sunday afternoon. Lauren Filer returns to the county. Welcome back Lauren but.... don't go all that well .
Women's Vitality Blast - v Durham @ Taunton Sunday 15th June 2025
The hunt for points forthe Somerset women continues as they work to find their white ball balance and consistency. Today they bat first against Durham, who to some extent and despite a strong line-up are finding the same problem. It's the bottom 2 in the table looking for ways to progress.
The Somerset side is unchanged from the side who played against Lancashire on Friday in a game they made more of than many believe they ought to - a bit of progress in itself. The side is;
Bex Odgers (w), Amelie Munday, Naimh Holland, Fran Wilson, Sophie Luff (c) Charlie Dean, Alex Griffiths, Amanda-Jade Wellington , Chloe Skelton, Mollie Robbins, Ellie Anderson
Durham won the toss and have put Somerset in to bat. So Odgers and Munday come out neeeding runs but facing Grace Thompson first up which is a challenge in itself. She is bowling from the River in bright sunshine and with a crowd that is building up as the game starts. Odgers will face first and takes a single. Munday then hits the first four of the game but then flaps at her second and is caught at backward point by Filer. 5 for 12 and out comes Holland much much earlier than she would have liked to be. The first over results in 8 runs for the loss of the first wicket.
Filer opens from the MT. All the Durham women seem to be called 'Banks' as the sponsor's name is larger on the back of their shirts than their names are!! Odgers faces her first. A loose one at the end gets the treatment from Bex in the form of a pulled six to the CA scoreboard and Somerset move on to 14 - a good over up until then!!
Holland gets her first boundary off Thompson via a poor misfield as the ball rumbles down to the CA. A much more confident straight drive from Odgers looks better a the end as they move on to 26 as Levick is the first change in the bowling at the MT. Odgers takes her for 2 boundaries to the Caddyshack rope in her first 3 balls - she is a good opening bat when she gets working. Holland also gets in on the act gets a four of her own to the other side of the ground taking 15 from Levick's first and moving the score to 41 for 1 with Naimh on to 19 from 10 and Bex on 17 from 14 restoring the base of the innigs as we move into the 5th which sees Filer change ends to the River. The last ball of which is ramped by Holland for six to the Gimblett's Hill part of the ground.
This prompts another change of bowling at the MT as Bates is introduced. Holland takes her side past 50 after nearly being run out looking for a second. Turner then is introduced at the River as they finish the 'Powerplay' with their highest score of 53. In the over we also see the 50 partnership between Odgers and Holland at 55.
Another change in the 8th (6 bowlers used) as they bring Villiers on at the MT. She gets the next breakthrough as Holland is caught at long on by Thompson off Villiers for a very solid 31 from 20 balls (4 fours and a six) at 63 for 2. In comes Fran Wilson to face Filer in the 9th, they probably know each other well. Levick is used to take us to the turnaround (possibly a little nervously though Durham do tend to rely on her to be the 'holding' bowler) point at the end of the 10th. She gets her rhythm back after a torrid first and finishes with a tighter over an 75 for2. Turner returns and gets Odgers immediately stumped as she dances down and fials to make connection. She goes for 36 and brings the Somerset captain Sophie Luff to the middle at 75 for 3.
Bates comes on to put the 'press' on with the 12th which works to some extent as Luff and Wilson find it hard to get a partnership going with the skipper on 4 from 7 with her partner on 6 from 10. Levick changes ends to keep this going as we struggle to get out of the 80s. It's still only 86 for 3 as Villiers takes over with the 14th.
As they move into the 90s, Sophie mistakes a slower ball and is caught trying to go over the topat midwicket for 9. It's 91 for 4 and Charlie Dean is in to push it on. Turner takes the 15th and gets Wilson who doesn't get enough on one and is caught for 9 trying to go over the top and simply sending it to Villiers for an easy catch coming in from the Somerset boundary.
With just over 5 overs left and in the doldrums one wonders why they haven't sent Wellington in to see if she can change the dynamics of the innings. However, Griffiths is no mean end of an innings bat if she gets her eye in. The 100 arrives at the end of the 16th and Somerset go into the last 4 at 102 for 5. Unfortunately it also sees the back of Dean who is caught in the deep off Levick by Thompson for 3 at the start of the next over and it is 102 for 6 with Wellington joining Griffiths to try and get this total to something they can defend after a disapponting last 6 overs.
Griffiths is nearly involved in a comical run out as she looks for a quick single, is sent back and then slips and is left high and dry as the throw misses the stumps. Had the fielder looked up she would have just lobbed it to the bowler standing over the stumps. All is well though.
Filer bowls out with the 18th and she finishes on 28 for 0 and 114 for 6 is the total as we go into the last 2. Wellington does what we want from her, she scores at more than a run a ball as she moves to 15 from 8. Turner gets some tap as a Somerset bat uses the gaps to push the score along to 125 with 20 from 11. The main issue with the women's game seems to be turning singles into something more when the ball does not hit the rope. Using the spaces in the field and breaking through the infield while running the first with an intention of possibly turning it into two is something that needs 'tightening' up.
130 for 6 with 6 balls left is something more like we were hoping for at 75 with 10 gone. Villiers has the ball in hand while Amanda-Jade has the rope in sight and she finds it early and finishes run out for 31 out of 138 for 7. At 10 overs we were on for 150 but we end with our highest home score but don't seem to be anywhere near pushing on to that limit presently. Surprising at Taunton and showing there is still a steep learning curve being experienced but the non international players in our squad.
So 138 for 7 sets Durham 139 to win.
The Reply
A quick turnaround as Bates and Dobson start the chase facing Mollie Robbins from the River who ties them down to 3 from the first. Ellie Anderson takes up the duties from the other end . The first priority is to get Bates out before she gets in as she can be devastating in games with smallish totals. She is already moving around the crease to find the gaps and has scored all 15 runs for her side in the game so far.
Dean takes the 3rd and it is 20 by the end of her first. She is followed by the start for Chloe Skelton so the spin option is being invoked early in this innings. Sophie has a chance of a catch close in but she would have done brilliantly well to get both hands to it as it rocketed past her from Bates for a boundary. This is followed by a glimpse of a C&B chance from Dobson who really hasn't got into the game yet. Again it would have been a magnificent catch had it happened. 28 for 0 after 4
After the slow experiment Somerset return to Robbins for the 5th. Dobson seems to be getting into the match more so Robbins sends her on her way bowled for 11 at 38 for 1. In comes Villiers and she takes the score to 41 for 1 at the end of the 5th.
Wellington is introduced from the MT for the last over of the 'Powerplay' and Villiers takes her on with a straight four followed by a second swept boundary to the Hildreth. They push towards 50 but the Aussie is not to be denied and she has Villiers for 9 caught by Munday at 49 for 2. Which is the score at the end of the 'Powerplay' section of the innings.
The 50 arrives in Dean's next over as Armitage gets off the mark and then Alex Griffiths comes on at the MT at 52 for 2 and we see Bates moving the ball about on both sides of the wicket, showing how good she really is. There are a few too many desparing dives from infielders as balls are stroked past them to the boundary. The score moves on to 65 for 2 as Wellington changes ends to try another strategy. It works to some extent as they hold the Durham pair to 67 but it is not secure while Bates is there and this is with Armitage (who is no slouch) effectively acting as a support runner from the non striker's end.
Durham finish the 10th needing just less than a run a ball with Bates still in. Some are already saying 'it's downhill from here' and you have to say we need a breakthrough and hope the Durham fragility comes to the fore. But unless they break this partnership you could probabluy confidently predict that this game has one result at 84 for 2 with Durham needing 55 and Bates on 47 from 36.
There is light at the end of the tunnel as Griffiths bowls Armitage for 14 at 87. The 38 run stand is broken and Heath replaces her with Bates looking for a run for her 50. Robbins opens up one end as with the first ball of her next over when she gets Bates to flip one to mid on where Luff takes the catch and the Kiwi has to leave on 49 at 87 for 4. Mia Rogers comes in and we have a pair with 0 to their name so there is a chance to turn this game around now!! In fact the Mollie Robbins part of the story continues as Rogers takes the long handle to one and puts it straight to Griffiths coming in from the Somerset stand for 1. 93 for 5 and this game is starting to be ON as Fraser takes Rogers place.
The 100 arrives at the end of the 14th as Dean returns to hold the line. Durham need 39 from 36 so you would still put it with the batting side but it is more of a game than it was. The North East side probably has enough experience left to push this through but a couple of quick wickets could change that equation. With 5 to go the score is moving too quickly at 111. Griffiths continues from the MT and a boundary misfield from Naimh Holland changes a tight over into something else at a time when we can't afford the error.
Fraser goes for a second betting on Griffith's throw to the bat end from out at the Somerset. She bets wrong and is run out for 10 at 119 for 6 and the game takes another twist. Thompson comes out to the middle and Wellington looks to bowl out at the River. Her 4 overs go for 1 for 21. 125 for 6 means they need 14 from 18 as Skelton bowls out in the 18th. The pair are looking to take twos and they take the field on twice in the first two balls. In fact with a boundary they take 10 off 4 balls. Another two leaves them needing 2 which they get one off of the last ball. The scores are tied with 2 overs to with Heath facing Dean she pops it out and takes the single with 11 balls to spare. Heath finishes with on 38 from 25 and Thompson finishes with 2 from 2.
A side with things to learn loses to a side with more experience - the nature of the beast in this season it seems. There really is a need to 'take the learnings' and gain the experiences as they happen. A loss by 6 wickets and the home win is still on the horizon I'm afraid.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025:06:17:11:26:50 by Grockle.
