History made at Leeds & Broomfield

Riti Patel in full flow during her innings of 45 for LBW

History was made when Leeds & Broomfield Women (LBW) 1st XI captain Michelle Johnson-Kerr walked out for the toss with the visiting captain Sarah Clarke of Redoubtables for a Women’s Southern Cricket League Championship match at the picturesque Burberry Lane ground on Sunday.

Leeds & Broomfield is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country, dating back to 1762, and has always played in the grounds of the Leeds Castle.

As a progressive club with Clubmark status and the willingness to actively promote cricket at all levels LBCC adopted the only women’s team in the area during the winter.

LBW 1st XI won the toss and decided to bat first on April 26 with Melanie Abeysinghe and Riti Patel making a watchful start against some very accurate bowling and sharp fielding by Redoubtables.

They put on 99 for the first wicket before Patel holed out for 45 in pursuit of quick runs and her partner for 41 soon after to a fine catch by Sarah Clarke. Johnson-Kerr and Hannah Mowbray stepped up the scoring before falling in quick succession, the tail failed to wag and the home team ended the innings on 155 all out - with Shenal Patel taking 5-27 for the visitors.

Redoubtables opened with Clarke, who had plundered 137 not out the previous week, and Shenal Patel. It was essential for LBW to get an early breakthrough and that came in Elysa Hubbard’s very first over when she caught Clarke for a duck off her own bowling and followed it up with another in her next over, reducing the visitors to nine for 2.

Mowbray bowled Jade Robson just as the visitors were rebuilding to leave them on 40 for 3, and wickets fell at regular intervals.

Georgina Zucchini-Watts applied the finishing touches with some style by taking a wicket in each of her first three overs for the club, ending with 3-20 for the LBWs.

Leeds and Broomfield Women bowled the visitors out for 119 winning their maiden home match at LBCC by 36 runs.