Final Report: Devon Women vs Berkshire

Devon Women fell desperately short of securing their first title in the new era of women's cricket with a disappointing result in the Metro Bank One Day Cup final at Kibworth CC.

Having won the toss and elected to field, Devon's bowlers applied good early pressure, with Ellie Bishop (1-28) and Eva Lewis (1-18) proving particularly economical, but a patient 86-ball 54 from Berkshire captain Izzy Storrar proved the backbone of the innings. Supported by Poppy Camplin (34), she guided her side to a competitive position before the lower order, led by Lily Bowlby (19) and Emma MacEwen (14*), accelerated powerfully in the final overs to post a formidable 214-7.

In response, Devon's chase never got going: the top order was dismantled early, and Devon found themselves 4-3 inside the opening three overs. The wicket of Ella Gill (9) followed soon after in the seventh over, and while Hollie Perkin (14) and Georgia Read (20) offered brief resistance, the innings never recovered. The final, fatal blows were delivered by Shayna Chikhlia (4-7), who ripped through the tail to reduce Devon to 84 in just 25.3 overs and just their third defeat of the season in all competitions.

Scorecard

Devon Women 84ao (G Read 20, H Perkin 14; S Chiklia 4-7, F Johnson 3-10)

Berkshire 214/7 (I Storrar 54, P Camplin 34; E Vukusic 2-35, M Russell 2-51)

Berkshire beat Devon Women by 130 runs.

Sean Day's Post-Final Thoughts

"I'm really proud of the way we played our cricket all year, but unfortunately, it wasn't our day. Maybe the lack of game time over the last month or so due to wet weather was the difference. Congratulations to Berkshire on a wonderful final. 

"Congratulations also to Steph and the team for a wonderful season in the new era of women's cricket. They have been awesome all year and had an amazing season with just three losses across all formats."

Steph Hutchins' Post-Final Thoughts

"Despite the result of the final, I feel as a squad we stuck by how we wanted to play our cricket, which was to be positive in the way that we play. It has been a long summer, and with a few influential players missing, we knew the game would present its own challenges. However, we set out to embrace the day with plenty of positivity and unity.

"As a group, we have had a great season with some really impressive matches and only losing three fixtures across all three competitions.

"The final won't define us as a group, but it will make us hungry to ensure that we get there again next season and that we go one better by bringing a trophy home."