Gerry Wolstenholme

After last week’s splendid victory over The Blaze, Lancashire Women
entertain Essex in the Metro Bank Women’s One Day Cup competition
tomorrow (Tuesday).
Essex have played 10 games, won three and lost seven to be in
last place in the table with 12 points; Lancashire have a similar record
but due to two bonus points won are one place above them in eighth
place with 14 points.
Essex are a relatively strong batting side, having scored over 200
in nine of their 10 games, including chasing down 251 in their first
encounter with Lancashire when Grace Scrivens, 74, Cordelia Griffith,
74, and Jodi Grewcock, 50, led the way to 252-5. This win was their third
in succession to make their record at that time three games won and
four lost.
The other two victories came against Somerset, who made an
impressive 268 but, after being 21-3 and 47-4 in reply, Jodi Grewcock
120 not out shared stands of 106 with Jo-Anne Gardner, 50, and an
unbroken 116 with Florence Miller, 54 not out, to reach their 269-5 and,
having posted 270 (Griffith 69) against Yorkshire, bowling the White
Roses out for 257.
Their four defeats at that time came against Hampshire who
overhauled Essex’s 265 (Grewcock 80) with 266-5, Durham, whose 311-
3 was just 23 too many despite Grewcock’s 77, Warwickshire in a low
scoring game, 157 to 160-5. and against The Blaze who lost seven
wickets in reaching their winning 215-7.
After their brief winning run, Essex then lost three on the trot, to
Surrey who knocked off 229-7 to defeat Essex’s 227 (Florence Miller 74
not out, Ariana Dowse 59), Durham, who made 291-9 (Sophia Smale 4-
51) and Nancy Harman’s 56 was top score in a reply of 245 before
losing heavily to Hampshire by 10 wickets as Maia Bouchier , 131, and
Ella McCaughan, 104 overtook Essex’s second successive total of 245
(Liberty Heap 75, Gardner 56).
Overall Essex’s leading runscorers are Grewcock, 425 at 60.71,
Scrivens 256 at 25.60, Gardner 233 at 29.12 and Griffith 230 at 28.75;
17 half-centuries plus the one century have been scored. As for the
bowlers, only two have reached double figures, Smale and Eva Gray,
both with 13 wickets at 34.06 and 33.00 respectively.
So, tomorrow’s game is a vital one for both sides as they strive to
move up the table.