Foxes Women get season off to winning start at home to Sussex

By Billy Tinnion

Rain disrupted the Leicestershire Women’s opening fixture of their Metro Bank One Day Cup League 2 campaign as they beat Sussex by 5 wickets.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first but struggled early, losing 3 wickets in the first powerplay. Johnson hit 68 as they started to rebuild the innings before the weather curtailed their innings at 152/6 after 37.4 overs.

In reply, Stephen Franklin’s side also lost a couple of early wickets before Chissell and Western started to drag the Foxes back into contention. Sussex looked to have gotten themselves back into the contest by dismissing Chissell and Sheikh shortly after, but Phillips stayed with Western to take the home side safely to victory by five wickets.

Clouds hung over Uptonsteel Grace Road when the captains emerged for the toss – a toss won by Sussex captain Green who elected to bat first.

Thatcher made a fast start with the ball for the Foxes, picking up two wickets in her second over, trapping Collis LBW for 1 before Harman was caught behind by Western for a three-ball duck.

Phillips then struck in the eighth over; Wilkinson was caught strangling down the leg side by Western for 10.

Johnson and Green started to settle into a partnership that reached 39, but the introduction of Scottish international Sheikh saw the Sussex skipper bowled for 16.

Tulloch joined Johnson and the pair formed a partnership of a similar length that was again broken by Sheikh thanks to a good catch by Brooker at mid-on to remove Tulloch for 16. Her dismissal was followed by Ketan bowling Lee for 2, leaving Sussex struggling at 113/6 after 31 overs.

After a short break for rain, Johnson passed her fifty as Sussex started to rebuild towards a competitive total. Not long afterwards, she survived a run out scare when a mix-up left both her and Gentry at the same end.

However, a lengthy rain delay resulted in Sussex’s innings being cut short, leaving Johnson not out on 68. Gentry made 14 before the downpour and the visitors had to settle with 152/6 in their 37.4 overs.

Play finally resumed a couple of hours later with the Leicestershire innings reduced to 16 overs and the target 107.

Brooker and Thanawala aimed to get Leicestershire off to a quick start, but the former was bowled for 6 by Tulloch in the fourth over. Thanawala skied a leading edge to Green at mid-off later in the same over on 2 before Weston was caught and bowled by Buckle in the following over.

At the halfway mark, Chissell and Western had put on 28 together, pulling the Foxes back into contention, needing 60 runs to win from the second 8 overs. Runs kept flowing for the two debutants as their fifty partnership was brought up with a sweep behind square for 4.

It was broken only a few balls later as Chissell was caught by Wilkinson attempting the same shot for 30 – Green taking her first of the afternoon. Sheikh was bowled by Johnson in the next over for a golden duck, shifting momentum the way of the visitors.

However, Western and Phillips kept the scoring going, hitting three boundaries in the thirteenth over, moving the home side to within ten with three overs to go.

Working a Buckle delivery into the legside for 2, Phillips took the Foxes to the altered target of 107, ending the innings on 19 not out – Western top scoring with her unbeaten 38, completing the victory by 5 wickets.