Devon Under 18 Girls were knocked out of the ECB Under 18 County T20 quarter-finals in a challenging encounter against Kent at Exeter CC on August 28.

Scorecard

Devon Under 18 Girls: 142ao (E Golsworthy 41, M Hayward 19; J Cooper 3-24, Z Bilal 2-15)

Kent Under 18 Girls: 171-2 (E Darlington 89*, K Clark 37*; M Hayward 1-26, E Bishop 1-27)

Kent beat Devon by 29 runs.

Match Report

Devon went into the match knowing that victory would secure a place in the T20 Cup finals day for a third successive season but, after winning the toss and electing to field, the Under 18 Girls struggled to contain a powerful Kent batting lineup, which posted an imposing 171-2 in their 20 overs.

Kent's innings were anchored by an outstanding performance from Ella Darlington, who remained unbeaten on 89 off 63 balls, including 10 fours and a six. Despite early breakthroughs by Ellie Bishop and Megan Hayward, who each claimed a wicket, Devon's bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs, with Kent reaching 150 inside 18 overs. Erin Vukusic, who bowled four overs, was especially targeted, conceding 42 runs.

Chasing 172, Devon needed a strong start but quickly found themselves on the back foot. Despite a valiant effort from opener Elle Golsworthy, who top-scored with 41 off just 24 balls, Devon lost wickets at regular intervals. The middle order struggled to build partnerships, with only Megan Hayward (19) and Ella Gill (17) offering some resistance. Jaime Cooper was the pick of the bowlers for Kent, taking 3 wickets for 24 runs, while Zeena Bilal's two wickets included the key scalp of Golsworthy.

Devon were ultimately bowled out for 142 in the final over, falling 29 runs short of their target.