HISTORY IS MADE!

Women's Cricket at Leeds & Broomfield CC for the first time in nearly 250 years

History was made when LBW (Leeds & Broomfield Women) 1st XI captain Michelle Johnson-Kerr walked out for the toss with the visiting captain Sarah Clarke of Redoubtables for a Women’s Southern Cricket League Championship match at the picturesque Leeds & Broomfield CC Burberry Lane ground on Sunday 26 April 09.

Leeds & Broomfield is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country dating back to 1762 and has always played in the grounds of the Leeds Castle. As a progressive club with Clubmark status and the willingness to actively promote cricket at all levels LBCC adopted the only women’s team in the area during the winter.

LBW 1st XI won the toss and decided to bat first with Melanie Abeysinghe and Riti Patel making a watchful start against some very accurate bowling and sharp fielding by Redoubtables. They put on 99 for the first wicket before Riti holed out for 45 in pursuit of quick runs and Mel fell for 41 soon after to a fine catch by Sarah Clarke. Michelle Johnson-Kerr and Hannah Mowbray stepped up the scoring before falling in quick succession, the tail failed to wag and the home team ended the innings on 155 all out with Shenal Patel taking 5 for 27 off 7.5 overs for the visitors.

Redoubtables opened with Sarah Clarke who had plundered 137 not out the previous week and Shenal Patel. It was essential for LBW to get an early breakthrough and that came in Elysa Hubbard’s very first over when she caught Sarah Clarke for a duck off her own bowling and followed it up with another in her next over reducing the visitors to 9 for 2. Melanie opened up the hill and was unlucky not to get an early wicket. Hannah Mowbray replaced Elysa and bowled Jade Robson just as the visitors were rebuilding to leave them on 40 for 3.

Wicketkeeper Becca Johnson helped Melanie get a wicket with a sharp catch. Michelle shuffled the bowlers around to keep the Redoubtables scoring rate down and producing wickets at regular intervals; Georgina Zucchini-Watts applied the finishing touches with some style by taking a wicket in each of her first three overs for the club ending with 3 for 20 for the LBWs!

Leeds and Broomfield Women bowled the visitors out for 119 winning their maiden home match at LBCC by 36 runs. All this was achieved with only 9 players! An excellent all round team performance!

If you are interested in playing cricket LBW training is on Wednesday evenings, from 6.00pm at Burberry Lane, Leeds, Maidstone.

Here's the link to the scorecard

Michelle Johnson-Kerr - 28/04/2009

All images are (c) Bipin Patel and we're grateful to him for letting us use them.

Date: 19th April 2009
Type: 1st XI Championship WCSL

Venue: Away - Hartley

Start: 12:45
Duration: 50 overs per side

Team:

Amathagodage Dona Melani Abeysinghe
Riti Patel
Elysa Hubbard
Hannah Jeffery
Nithu Jayalath
Hannah Mowbray
Andromida Withanage
Michelle Johnson-Kerr
Sophie Simmonds
Rebecca Johnson
Georgina Zucchini-Watts

Match Summary and report: 

In many ways this could be viewed as a club game, many players from both teams having come through the ranks of Mote Ladies (now Leeds & Broomfield Women). But competition was fierce with the local rivalry but nicely mixed with friendly banter!

Invicta won the toss and put LBW in to bat on what was a damp but responsive wicket. LBW started strongly with Mel Abeysinghe and Riti Patel opening the batting, runs were ticking along before Patel was bowled by a stinker! Dee Tress (ex Mote) pitched one on leg stump which moved off the seam and clipped the off stump - completely unplayable.

Mel continued to bat strongly and seemed to be finding good form when she was trapped in her crease and became the first LBW (for 13) for LBW (1)!!

This left Elysa (Freddie) Hubbard and Hannah Jeffery at the wicket. Freddie was looking in fine form with runs easily flowing off her bat. However a full toss was too tempting and flew off the middle of the bat to Deanna Cooper to take a diving catch at midoff. Hannah continued to throw her bat at everything, until she was caught out of her ground and stupmed by ex-team mate Tammy Beaumont.

LBW were just beginning to struggle a little at 46-4 but new signing Nithu Jayalath showed great promise and added 26 runs before holding out to mid-on leaving LBW on 80-5.

After the departure of Nithu the rot set in and LBW1 struggled to find the middle of the bat and eventually were all out for 101, from 38 overs with 12 overs still remaining. It was never going to be a big enough total against the quality of batting that Invicta has to offer.

LBW started well in the field with Nat Lane (6) falling early to Freddie with a catch by Sophie Simmonds at square leg (15-1). Excellent bowling from Hannah Jeffery deserved wickets but yet again she proved to be very unlucky, a five for must surely be just round the corner.

However LBW battled on and maintained high standards in the field, essential when defending a low score. Nithu matched her excellent batting outing with some high class fast bowling. She slowed the run rate and trapped Tammy Beamont LBW.

However this brought another ex-Mote player Laura Thompson to the wicket and some bilgerent hitting with it! A huge 6 followed by a flurry of 4s doomed LBW1 to an 8 wicket loss.

LBW 1 are at home this week for the first time at their new home at Burberry Lane against Redoubtables. Lets hope for a sunny day and more runs from the home team!

Michelle Johnson-Kerr - 22/04/2009

Scorecard available at:  the play-cricket website

Some photos of the match. Thanks to Bipin Patel for their use

Date: 26th April 2009
Type: 1st XI Championship WCSL

Venue (click for directions): Leeds, Burberry Lane - Home match
Opponents: Redoubtables

Start time: 12:45
Duration: 50 overs per side

Match Squad:

Match Summary and report:

Scorecard available at:

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 4th May

Date: 4th May 2009
Type: 1st XI Championship WCSL

Venue: Shepperton - Away match
Opponents: Shepperton

Start time: 12:45
Duration: 50 overs per side

Match Squad:

Match Summary and report:

Scorecard available at:

Date: 17th May 2009
Type: 1st XI Championship WCSL

Venue (click for directions): Leeds, Burberry Lane - Home match
Opponents: Loughton

Start time: 12:45
Duration: 50 overs per side

Match Squad:

Match Summary and report:

Scorecard available at: