Battle Indoor Stoolball League

The Brightling bowlers then had the upper hand holding Donna & Meg to 24 in their 4 overs thanks to Becky, Sally, and Rachel whose overs all went for single figure scores. Kath & Ashli gave the innings some impetus with a partnership of 41 which took the score to 124 after 12 overs, before Suzanne & Corinne put on 59 and elevated the final total for Ripe to 183. The most economical Brightling bowler was Becky who bowled 2 overs for 6 runs and picked up 3 wickets. Rachel & Becky began the Brightling reply with a steady 50 partnership, which was followed up with a 44 partnership from Sandra & Mandy. At the half way stage of the innings this match could have gone either way with Brightling placed on 94 chasing 184 to win. Carolyn & Sally had a solid partnership of 46 before Jo & Hannah saw Brightling home to a narrow 2 run victory with a partnership of 55 which took the final total to 185. The best Ripe bowler was Jo who bowled 2 overs for 13 runs and took 1 wicket.

The other early match was the eagerly awaiting battle between the top 2 in the league table; Sedlescombe and Pett. Sedlescombe won the toss and elected to bat. They got off to a strong start thanks to a nifty 66 partnership from Sandra & Sharon without conceding a wicket. Pett then hauled themselves back into the game as their bowlers picked up 3 wickets and held Tracey & Michelle to just 24 runs in their 4 overs. The strong Sedlescombe batting line up regained momentum, as first Mags & Sara put on 56, which was then followed bu Hayleigh & Jo with a top partnership of 67 to take the Sedlescombe score up to 213 and maximum batting points. Top bowlers for Pett were Jane with 0 for 11 from her 2 overs, and Ann with 2 for 14 from her 2 overs. The Pett reply began with a steady opening partnership of 30 from Cherry & Jacqui, which saw Michelle bowl both her overs and take 2 wickets for just 1 run. Clare & Ann added 43 for the second partnership, and when Anya & Jane added a further 34, it left Pett needing the uphill task of doubling their 107 runs from the final batting pair to win. Nicky & Lisa got off to the worst start with a run out from the first ball, but then put together an innings high partnership of 74, but Pett fell short with a total of 181.

Another close game was promised as Catsfield and Laughton both went into this match tied on 19 league points. Laughton batted first, and the opening pair of Ros & Sam posted their team’s top score of 52. Mary & Linda added 33 runs, while Kelly & Marilyn had a half centuary partnership of 51 runs.The final pair of Holly & Kirsty were held to 23, which meant Laughton ended up on 159. The top bowler for Catsfield was Jess whose 2 overs cost just 6 runs while she picked up 2 wickets. Jessamy & Becky came out to start the Catsfield reply, but had a hiccup as Marilyn’s first over kept the score to zero whilst she took 2 wickets. Jessamy & Becky then rallied and took the partnership on to 32. The Laughton bowling was definitely on top as all four bowlers were miserly and held Jess & Sam to just 14 runs in the second partnership. Libby & Amy took the Catsfield score up to 94 after the third pair, which left 65 required from the last pair. Enter Carly & Katie who took 26 from the first over, and then made consistant progress towards a partnership of 68 and a winning score of 162 for Catsfield.

The last match of the night featured Scorpions and Icklesham. Scorpions were asked to bat first, and Pippa & Fiona put on 32 for the first partnership. Sara & Dawn batted conservatively as they only lost the one wicket in posting 31, which , took the Scorpions score to 63 at the halfway mark. Stacey & Stacy had the highest partnership for Scorpions as they recorded 51 to take the innings total 123. Best bowler for Icklesham was Tracey who held the batters to -3 runs from her 2 overs. The Icklesham response was lead by Hannah & Jess H who put on a solid 51 in the first 4 overs, which was then surpassed by a partnership of 55 by Karen & Lisa. Top partnership for Icklesham was 71 by Tracey & Judy, and the victory was brought home by Heidi & Tamsin who added 61 to take the innings total to 238. The top bowler for Scorpions was Stacey who had figures of 2-12 from her 2 overs.