We continued our T20 campaign on Sunday 2 August. Our run had been somewhat clouded with the defeats at Arundel but we approached our matches at the beautiful Merchant Taylors' School Ground with positive determination.
Middlesex v Berkshire - FULL SCORECARD
The first match of the day saw Berkshire choose to bat, hoping to set a high target on a good track. This was definitely not to be. Jules Hunter was on fire, and Berkshire's Anna Harris was caught behind in her first over. The next wicket came from Alex Hartley in the fifth over, as Berkshire’s dangerous Lissy Macleod was stumped coming down the track. Berkshire wickets tumbled in quick succession and they were 58-6 in the 16th over, following brilliant wickets from Pope, Dunkley, Warren and yet more from Hartley. Berkshire were all out for 70 in the 19th over and Middlesex faces were wreathed in smiles as we left the pitch.
The job was only partially complete, however and so, on to batting. Our dream team opening duo began beautifully, leading us gracefully towards our victory, with Sophia Dunkley striking quickly to obtain runs. With the fall of Dunkley, Cat Dalton came in to the fray with characteristic skill and with some cracking shots from her and Tash Miles, they brought us home to a sound win.
Middlesex v. Surrey - FULL SCORECARD
Buzzing from our first victory, we were raring to go, in the final match of the day against Surrey. Julie Hunter once again stormed through the Surrey side with a flurry of LBWs. Incredibly, they were 11-4 in the third over, thanks to Hunter and Dattani's fantastic bowling. Our fielding was remarkably strong, one of the highlights of which was an amazing run out, courtesy of Pope's laser-accurate arm. A brilliant spell from Hartley and Pope meant Surrey were 21-8 after six overs, before they were bowled out for a total of 25 runs in the 13th over, with skipper Izzy Westbury once again finishing things off.
Once again despite jubilation at our fantastic fielding innings, we had to deliver a worthy batting performance. Miles and Dunkley duly stepped up to the mark with control and confidence. When Dalton joined Miles they secured the necessary runs and wrapped up the game with total solidity.
A fantastically productive and enjoyable day for the Meatballs, all relishing the victories and more importantly our increased confidence, team spirit and sense of unity.
