30th June saw the first ever game for Coggeshall featuring an all-girl side, a 16 over u11 hardball Terriers friendly away to Mersea.
Weekly All girl training with Sam Blackwell has help the girls get to know one another and move from kwik cricket into hardball.
The Mersea side was a little older than our girls and before the game Coggeshall were slightly intimidated. Our girls ranged from u8-U10 with only one having experienced a full hardball match before while the Mersea side were from u10 -u14.
Captain Elodie Kinsman won the Toss and put Mersea into bat. The girls Bowled brilliantly hardly giving away any runs in the first 8 overs with very few wides and taking 3 wickets. Annabell Bardrick from our u8 bowled 2 great overs. Overs 9-12 saw the Mersea u14 captain and another older girl take advantage of some very good bowling from Bea Allen & Eliza Fairs. The last 4 overs the runs came slower with Lucy Romer-Lee taking her second wicket of the match and Emma Jullien also getting in on the wicket taking. Mersea lost 7 wickets due to some great straight bowling and a cheeky stumping by Bea giving Coggeshall 262 to chase.
Elodie & Emma opened and started scoring runs right away but they were hampered by some very wide and very short bowling. Bea and Eliza came in against some better bowling and started hitting Mersea for boundaries in a superb partnership. Lucy and Annabel continued with some great shots unphased by the age difference in the teams. Bea and Eliza came back in for the last 4 overs and faced the older bowlers which did not bother them in the least hitting them for 4’s. Losing only 4 wickets the girls managed to put on 283.
The girls left with beaming smiles and while arriving unsure if they would like it and very nervous they all are desperate to play next week in the return fixture.
A totally convincing win and an awesome performance.