Varsity 2020: Team Warwick bat to secure women’s cricket victory

In the first-ever Varsity Women’s cricket game, it was Warwick who took the victory over Coventry on Saturday afternoon at the Warwick Sport and Wellness Hub.

Coventry batted first yet their first innings got off to the worst possible start, with Warwick captain Hannah Thompson taking two quick wickets in succession. The away side found themselves struggling on 55-4 and eventually found themselves all out for 71.

By contrast, Warwick’s batswomen started strongly, with the opening partnership of Sophia Abbasi and Isobel Ralph putting up 41 runs between them before the former was bowled out. The scoreboard was not affected at all and quickly overtook Coventry’s total. This was helped by the three sixes in a single over from Lydia Johnson, whose powerful hitting helped the team climb into triple figures. Warwick ended their first innings with a total of 121, creating a 50-run lead on their opponents.

Warwick quickly closed out the game dismissing Coventry for a total of 91

Coventry needed a strong batting performance to give themselves a winning chance, yet Ralph made this even more difficult by taking the first two wickets. A third dismissal left the visitors on 23-3 and on the brink of a collapse. Yet their fourth-wicket partnership steadied the ship and put on 58 runs to keep the game competitive. This however ended thanks to another wicket from Ralph, who now had four wickets to her name in this innings alone. Warwick quickly closed out the game dismissing Coventry for a total of 91.

“I couldn’t be more proud of all the girls. We put the work in over the past few weeks ahead of Varsity and all the hard work has paid off, so I could not be happier.”

It meant Warwick needed just 42 runs to secure a famous cricket victory, and they did it in swift fashion. The opening pair of Abbasi and Ralph were composed and closed out the game with an unbroken stand, cueing the celebrations for the team as they celebrated a historic first Varsity win.

Post-Match Reaction:

Warwick Cricket Captain Hannah Thompson: “I couldn’t be more proud of all the girls. We put the work in over the past few weeks ahead of Varsity and all the hard work has paid off, so I could not be happier.

“We knew we’d have a good chance with Izzy [Ralph] and I opening up the bowling, and it paid off as we took a few early wickets.

“We were all going out there with a really aggressive mindset and [wanted to] put them on the back-foot from the first ball.

“The confidence couldn’t be higher among this squad.”