Foxes Women progress to second round of Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup with convincing win of Shropshire.

By Billy Tinnion

Leicestershire Women made a fast start with the ball after winning the toss by removing Tippings in the second over. Shropshire rebuilt to 36/1 by the end of the seventh over, but a consistent flow of wickets (including 5 from Weston) saw the tier 3 side fall to 82 all out after 18.5 overs.

In reply, the Foxes stuttered early with the dismissal of Weston for a duck, but Teekasingh and Western recovered to 46/1 at the end of the powerplay. Teekasingh and Watson both fell before the end of the innings; Western’s 43 and Davies’ 11 saw the hosts safely home to a comfortable 7 wicket victory.

A bright Sunday afternoon welcomed the captains at the toss, and it was Western who won it for the hosts, electing to field first.

It didn’t take long for the Foxes to break the opening partnership as Phillips removed Tippings in the second over caught at mid-wicket by Herathge for a duck.

The powerplay ended with the visitors not losing any further wickets but struggling to score freely on 18/1. Thomas fell a couple of overs later thanks to a Davies catch for 24 – Chissell taking her first of the match - before Shuker top edged a Weston delivery in the following over to Herathge for 5.

Wickets kept tumbling with Chissell bowling Sastry for 15 in the eleventh over; Weston caught and bowled Parry in the next over for 5. She followed that up by bowling Snowdon for a second ball duck two balls later.

Smith was caught by Watson at mid-off as she came down the track and looked to find the boundary straight back down the ground, giving Weston her fourth of the afternoon. Later in the same over, Brazier was run out thanks to a great throw by Western at cover for 2.

Weston picked up her fifer thanks to a good catch at long-on by Teekasingh to dismiss Lawrence Posso for 12 – the visitors 72/9 with four overs remaining. Chissell wrapped up the Shropshire innings by bowling Jones for 8 in the penultimate over – the visitors bowled out for 81.

Weston’s performance with the ball didn’t correlate to her batting as she was bowled with the second ball of the innings by Brazier for a duck.

Western and Teekasingh steadied the ship through to the end of the powerplay, taking the Foxes to 46/1. Western brought up the fifty partnership with a boundary at the start of the seventh but the over concluded with Jones bowling Teekasingh for 14.

Watson played a Jones delivery straight back to her halfway through the tenth over, falling for 4. Two overs later, the Foxes moved past the target of 82 thanks to a boundary from Davies who ended 11 not out, but it was Western’s 43 from 36 balls that took the limelight as the hosts won by 7 wickets.