Tolchards Devon Women’s Cricket League – Division Two Previews
Unbeaten Hatherleigh return to league action against Taunton Deane
Division Two leaders Hatherleigh return to league action for the first time in six weeks on Sunday when they welcome Taunton Deane.
Hatherleigh have not played a league fixture since June 28, but their record so far has been perfect. Three games have brought three victories and 56 points, giving them a commanding 30-point advantage over second-placed Plympton.
When the sides met at the start of May, Hatherleigh recorded a 36-run victory over Taunton Deane.
Jess Rose played a key role with the bat that day, finishing unbeaten on 46, before Chloe Dennis produced a devastating spell with the ball, taking five wickets for just seven runs.
Dennis has been influential with both bat and ball throughout the campaign. She is currently Division Two’s leading wicket-taker and also showed what she can do with the bat when promoted to open against Plympton earlier in the season, scoring 96.
Hatherleigh went on to complete the double over Plympton and head into Sunday’s return fixture as the only unbeaten side in Division Two.
Taunton Deane, however, possess plenty of firepower of their own and will travel to Hatherleigh with players capable of bringing the leaders’ perfect start to an end.
Pippa Stevens has been in particularly impressive form, scoring 198 runs from her three league appearances so far, while Imogen Dunne has contributed 101 from her three games.
With Beatrice How and Georgia Adams leading the Taunton Deane bowling attack, the visitors have threats with both bat and ball as they look to reverse the result from the opening weekend of the season.
After six weeks without a league fixture, the challenge for Hatherleigh will be to pick up where they left off. Taunton Deane, meanwhile, will be looking to reverse the result from May and become the first side to halt the Division Two leaders this season.
Match officials: Mark Riddiford & Marilyn McQueen
Clyst St George vs Plympton
Clyst St George return to Division Two action on Sunday when they welcome second-placed Plympton to Bohea Field.
Clyst St George came up short in their only league appearance of the season so far against Taunton Deane, but there were positives to take from the performance.
Charlotte Taylor was the standout with the bat, scoring 66, and she will once again open the innings on Sunday as Clyst St George look for her to provide a strong platform at the top of the order.
With Clyst St George having played considerably fewer matches than the other sides in the division, their current league position tells us relatively little at this stage of their campaign.
Despite their lack of league action, they have been busy in the T20 Plate, where they enjoyed a run to the semi-finals. Their campaign came to an end against Taunton Deane last Sunday, but reaching the last four should give them plenty of confidence heading into this weekend’s game.
Plympton, meanwhile, arrive sitting second in the table with 26 points from three matches. They have a victory over Taunton Deane to their name, while their two defeats have both come against unbeaten Division Two leaders Hatherleigh.
They will, however, be without overseas player Nannapat Khoncharoenkai, whose time with the club has now come to an end.
Khoncharoenkai signed off on a high earlier this week, scoring an unbeaten 65 against Cornwood in the T20 Plate, and her absence leaves Plympton with a sizeable gap to fill.
Captain Maddie Turner will be looking to lead from the front with the bat, while Evie Hampton will be hoping to make an impact with the ball as Plympton look to strengthen their position near the top of the table.
With Clyst St George looking to translate their encouraging T20 Plate run into league form and Plympton aiming to strengthen their position in second place, all looks set for a competitive Sunday afternoon at Bohea Field.
Match officials: Kevin Brandom & Tim Chapman
