St Cross Symondians Women’s 1st XI vs MCC

Everywhere you looked in the Lords pavilion you bumped into another familiar St Cross face. 180 tickets had been distributed to players, families and supporters, and with the St Cross Symondians flag flying over the away changing room which St Cross were using, Lords became their home from home for the day.

In winning the National Club Championship in August last year, St Cross Symondians were given the honour of providing the opposition to MCC at the MCC Women's Cricket Day at Lords. Prior to the match, many of the St Cross party went on the Lords tour, which encompassed the Tavern stand where they were told about each stand, then a hike up to the media centre which gives a fantastic view once you have got your breath back, and finished at the Lords museum where the guide gave a detailed history lesson in the origin of the Ashes.

Six of the party, Andrew Burgess, Matt Perry Lewis, Matt Haworth, Will Kendall and Catherine and Richard Trussler,had been invited to lunch in the MCC Committee dining room, hosted by MCC President Mark Nicholas and MCC Chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown. Club stalwart Jon Player was given the honour of umpiring the morning match between MCC and the beaten finalists Dorridge CC. 

Asked to bat first, St Cross had a bad start when Abbie Whybrow’s straight drive was deflected onto the stumps by the bowler with Alex Avoth (1) out of her ground. Finty Trussler was in next, and her and Whybrow were just settling in when Trussler called Whybrow for a sharp single which was too sharp in view of the standard of MCC fielding, and the unfortunate Whybrow had to depart for 9.  Jess Hazell joined Trussler and they were progressing well when, with the score on 49 and Trussler on 31, Hazell called for another dangerous single and Trussler was run out. Hazell and Lilly Hawkins took the score to 60 before Hawkins was stumped for 5, then at 69 Hazell was leg before for 15.  All through the innings we had found it hard to get the accurate MCC bowling away, backed up by good field placing.  Emelia Butler and Ava Lee were now at the crease, and saw them through to 20 overs, adding 23 to take us to 92 for 5, with Lee on 16 not out (including an offside 6 into the Grandstand in the last over) and Emelia on 9 not out.  

92 felt about 20 runs short, particularly when one of the MCC openers teed off in the first over, hitting a couple of 6s into the Grandstand, and after 2 overs they were on 21/0.  Butler bowled the third over, and after being hit for 4 by the big hitter had her neatly stumped by Hazell for 19 (off 13 balls).  The second wicket pair kept the score ticking along, and at 53 for 1 the MCC were cruising, but then Trussler had the other opener also neatly stumped by Hazell. The next over Lee caught their no 4 bat off Lucy Counsell.  The next pair carefully rebuilt, until at 80 for3,  Gemma Lane took two wickets in two balls – leg before and bowled. The hat-trick ball produced a very confident lbw appeal, which was declined, but with no more runs added Lee ran out the no 7, and at 80 for 6, St Cross were back in the game with wickets down and the run rate now at a crawl. The MCC no 3 Amanda Potgieter was still at the crease but with her score on 39 Councell took one of her one-handed Superwoman catches off Darcey Clarke.  MCC were now on 87 for 7 in the penultimate over, and the excitement was palpable amongst the St Cross contingent.  However, MCC captain Claire Taylor (capped by England over 150 times) was at the crease, and she calmly steered her side to victory in the final over, with 3 balls to spare and 3 wickets in hand.

To take a strong MCC side so close was a great achievement, and if St Cross had not had those three early run outs who knows what could have happened?  However, to play at Lords is a fantastic honour for recreational cricketers and the St Cross women will remember this day for a very long time to come.

There was a post-match reception for players and their guests in the Long Room after the match, everywhere you looked there were classic paintings of players and early cricket scenes.  We finally left Lords as the sun was setting on a very memorable day.