Women's Metrobank 50 - Surrey at Taunton
By Grockle
May 11 2025
We shocked Surrey by beating them first up while both sides were out of out of county in Beckenham. Since then the resources of Surrey seem to have somewhat underperformed while those of Somerset have suprisingly done very well. So we come to Taunton today and a return to the fight. Sophie Luff leads her side out after producing the first professional Somerset century at Edgbaston last week.
Metrobank 50 - Somerset Women v Surrey Women @ Taunton Sunday 11 May 2025
The women's season is now in full swing and it has been a suprisingly good start from the county. Wins against this lot away, Warwickshire, Durham, Essex. The only defeat was at home to Lancs.
Today will be harder for them as this Surrey side will want revenge and they have ample resources to exert it. However, they haven't been all that effective at defending totals this year. So there is room for a decent fight.
The side for today is:
EV Corney, HC Knight, SN Luff*, FC Wilson, CE Dean, KA Jones†, AC Griffiths, A Wellington, CN Skelton, EJ Anderson, LE Jackson
Which means one change from the mid week game side with Laura Jackson coming back in for the last game debutant Mollie Robbins
Somerset won the toss and chose to field with Anderson and Jackson opening against the formidable opening partnership of Smith and Wyatt-Hodge. A bit of early loose bowling let's the opposition get into their stride early and the 50 comes up off only 6.3 overs and Griffiths is on first change earlier than expected. She doesn't go any better to be honest and by the 12th over, both Charlie Dean and Amanda-Jade Wellington are on to do damage control with Smith on 42 and Wyatt-Hodge just behind them on 41 and the first 100 in sight without the loss of a wicket. It may be a long day half a game in the field at this rate.
The second 50 comes in about the same amount of balls in the 14th but then there is a breakthrough as Wyatt-Hodge is caught off Wellington for 44 off 35 balls with 8 fours at 100. The catch was taken by Wilson running around to cover point and the statement that Somerset needed that hardly needs saying. Problem is that it brings in Alice Capsey. But she reverse sweeps to Heather Knight again from Wellington after 1 four off Dean. Dunkley arrives at 106 for 2.
Bryony Smith goes to 50 at about a runa a ball (also with 8 fours) in the 19th at 121 for 2 with a boundary to the Gimblett edge of the MT Pavilion from Wellington. Dunkley is already on 10 and the Surrey batting is looking to try and steamroller the home attack.
An interesting point made by someone in the crowd as I wandered to get some lunch was worth a thought. We all remember 'coloured clothing' being a reaction to the whites of 'olden times' and in terms of women's cricket the issues are numerous. However, the main issue was that it allowed differentiation between the two sides. So why, as someone pointed out, as both sides today in BLACK? How the hell is that differentiation?
Anyway Skelton starts her day's bowling work in the 21st over from the MT at 127 for 2 after 20 overs. Heather Knight is also brought into the attack by the 24th over as the score moves towards 150 at 140 for 2. Her first of the day adds 3 to the score.
The 150 arrives at the end of the 25th and a couple of overs later some moderately ragged email- a very poor drop of Smith on 80 by Laura Jackson on the deep mid boundary off Skelton has put the Surrey side in definite control. It's difficult to create a 'press' if the ball slips through the infield because of lapses in skill. So with 20 overs to go Surrey have 189 with Smith on 87 and Dunkley moving to 40. The expectation is that you double the 30 over score so anything is possible as Ellie Anderson returns to see what she can do.
A six from Smith brings up the Surrey 200 but the weather is closing in and it could be a weather affected reply presently. Dunkley brings up her 50 from 57 a couple of balls later but suprisingly her half ton only included 4 fours. On come the lights as Smith moves to 99 at the start of the 33rd. There is rain in the air as she moves to 100 from 96 balls with 14 fours and 1 six. At 218 for 2 in the 33rd they go off for rain.
A 2pm restart is the result of pretty poor weather for quite a while and a reset game with both sides operating in a 44 over game. This is a bit of a surprise because we mostly assumed that the result would be an end to the Surrey innings and then a D/L total for Somerset in a 30 over run chase.... seems not. The Surrey innings will restart and we'll see where we go from there. The cloud has certainly not gone away and both more rain and quality of light issues may very well have a say in this game at some point in the future.
Nevertheless we restart at 2 o'clock and Dunkley seems to have taken up the cudgle as se goes after Dean from the pavilion end. Smith tries to follow suite off Wellington but she finds Knight in front of the CA and goes for 110 off 103 balls at 240 for 3 in the 36th. This brings in Scholfield who is assessed as "possibly the fastest scorer of them all!!" So, get her in, get her out!!
Somerset do. at 249 for 4 she goes for one of Wewllington's teaser and is also caught by Knight in front of the CA for 2. But Dunkley is still there and she is the danger as Monaghan joins her to take the score over 250 in the 38th. Dunkley helps us when she walks right across her stumps to put it legside and misses it being bowled around her legs by Skelton for 79 at 264 for 5. She literally 'walked into that one'. In comes Davidson-Richards with 4 overs to go
Fielding has certainly not been good this afternon and the fielding errors are still making the home side pay as lines and positions are still being found out by the Surrey bats. Griffiths has gone for 46 from 5 overs and many of the boundaries have been down the same line time and time again. Dean keeps it moving though as she has Monaghan LBW for 18 at 287 for 6.
With 2 overs to go, Skelton changes ends and Surrey are 10 from a 300 total. The 300 is passed at the end of the over as Dean takes the last. Davidson-Richards tries to scoop in front of her stumps and when she misses it she is pulmb in front and goes for 14 at 301. Macdonald-Gay is next in to partner Chatli against Dean and they finish on 306 for 7. Somerset need 317 to win as a DLS affected score. There will be a quick turnaround before the game re-commences.
Knight and Corney open for the home side with a serious job ahead of them the success of which will be determined by how they face the first 10 to 15 overs. Mcdonald-Gay is opening from the MT after 4 runs came off the first over from Stonehouse from the River.
5 runs after 2 overs is probably a "little cautious" chasing down a total that needs a run rate of over 7 an over. Getting a feel is one thing but losing touch with this score is also a possible problem and they need to be very aware of it. This isn't helped when Corney misses a straight one from Gay and is gone for 8 at 19 for 1. in comes the skipper with a real job to do. after 4 overs with only 21 on the scoreboard.
After 7 overs Somerset are 20 runs behind the DLS required total and the space will not get smaller without some extreme application. Surrey need to do very little but keep it tight. The pressure will all be on Somerset and it will not decrease without increased activity. 40 for 1 after 7 and DLS is expecting 58. Therse two need to work hard on creating a base over the next 13 overs.
We pass 50 in the 10th but very late in it. Somerset are still behind the required rate (the 50 comes off a wide). The momentum is still down on where it nedds to be if they realisitically believe they can win this one. Mcdonald-Gay's 5 first 5 overs went for 17. Griffiths bowled 5 overs for 49. That pretty much sums up the difference between the two attacks presently. The rate has risen to over 8 an over and it will continue to rise.
The job gets harder as Luff tries to go over the infield off Monagahan and she is superbly caught by Mcdonald-Gaye keeping her eye on it as it came in over her shoulder and watching it into her hands 56 for 2. The Somerset captain goes for 15 and in comes Fran Wilson and the job gets harder and harder.
Capsey then removes Knight with a piece of reflex. Alice bowls and Knight drives it back past her while getting her head out of the way she does put her hands up to try and catch it and the ball careens off her hand straight into the stumps catching Knight out of her ground with no time to make any kind of move to get back. So it is 73 for 3 and the Somerset bat is run out backing up for 36. Sheer reflex and luck but when it's going with you then it's going with you. As Charlie Dean strides out, Somerset fans are pretty much of the mind that this game has got away from us. We need 240 from 28 at 8.6 an over.
The 100 arrives in the 20th but it is all an anticlimax as the pressure creates more pressure and Fran Wilson is stumped by Chathli taking Gregory on at 107 for 4. She goes for 23 and in comes Jones as the rurn rate rises again to 8.8. In the 23rd the next stage happens as Dean guides a ball from Stonehouse into the hands of Wyatt-Hodge at backward point and she departs for 14. Somerset move to 117 for 5, still 200 runs behind with 21 overs to get them at about 9.5 an over. Griffiths takes over as the job simpy gets harder and harder with each wicket lost and over completed. The question is becoming, how long will Somerset survive before either the pressure oushes them to gamble too hard or bowling simply whittles them out.
Jones is the next to go, going for a second off of Stonehouse, she is well short as Monaghan returns the ball to the keeper and she is run out for 11 at 124 for 6. In comes Amanda-Jade Wellington who fans may have been hoping was going to be the match winner in this one had it been closer. Don't see it myself to be honest with a RR of 10.3 per over and only 4 wickets left to gamble. We shall see but hopes are not high.
Griffiths plays all around one from Danielle Gregory and is bowled for 14 at 144 for 7 in comes Skelton. It's nearly over people!! With 10 overs left Somerset need 133 to win at 13.5 per over... It's mathematical possible but mathematical probable??
Not now that Wellington is caught on the deep square boundary by the sub Moore for 36 from 28 balls at 197 for 8 off the bowling of Capsey. The over rate is now 14.9 as they face 119 from 48 balls!! The 200 arrives but a joint top score of 36 simply wasn't enough to compete with Smith's ton and Surrey will get their revenge quite easily in the end. Skelton goes for 25 to Monaghan caught behind at 201 for 9. Jackson is the last in and we find ourselves in the 'stubborn bat refuses to die' scenario where Jackson and Anderson refuse to go quietly and it isn't until the 41st over that Anderson finally skies one which is caught by Davidson-Richards bowled Stonehouse and Somerset lose a games they were never really in by 101 runs on the D/L method.
Somerset, still without a win at home, move on to face Hampshire on Tuesday.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:05:15:13:19:10 by Grockle.
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Outplayed in all departments but it is evident the new ball attack of Anderson and Jackson are nowhere near the mark in both pace and accuracy.
As with Lancs, Surrey were more dynamic in the field and with the bat.
Results so far have exceeded expectation but could all unravel pretty quickly if todays effort is replicated going forward. One shining light is our Aussie who is setting an example to others.
Lets hope its third time lucky on Tues at home to Hants.
I went home when we had the rain stoppage. So not many photos, the crowds are way down.
who's idea was this? Stairway to nowhere.
Danni Wyatt-Hodge
Bryony Smith 4 runs
Alice Capsey ct Heather Knight bld Amanda-Jade Wellington
Not a good day for Somerset Women.
The women's project is a long haul scheme and it is semi funded centrally but it can't be making any kind of money for the club at the moment. Some did say it is 'still early days' but you would hope enthusiasm would increase attendance at the start and the side is over performing, though not at home.
I'm sure there are people looking closely at this on a day to day basis. It will be interesting to see how many are there on Tuesday. Some within the organisation were saying that they hoped members had not just signed up for double headers... it's a concern as there aren't that many and the side needs it's own domestic base.
The structural alterations at the ground for new dressing rooms etc have hopefully not cost SCCC alone.
Why does our ego so often get the club carried away?
Re signing up for double headers still dont see why womens members cant attend a semi empty first game. Make a condition to scan out in interval or face penalty/ card cancellation. Whilst I would have liked to attend full day too ecpensive Im afraid.
On another point t20 game at Exmouth on Friday v Durham is QF of Cup? leading to finals day at Taunton on BH Monday. As clashes with Day1 Championship v Sussex doubt will draw much support.