Levick enters history books as Yorkshire ease to victory

The proximity of Bushy Park, Teddington to Heathrow Airport was the perfect metaphor for today’s game. Both today’s hosts Middlesex and their visitors Yorkshire were both looking for their first win of the season.

Yorkshire lost to Kent yesterday, while Middlesex succumbed to last year’s champions Lancashire. With both sides losing comfortably yesterday they were looking for a change in fortunes in order for their seasons to take-off.

Unfortunately, for Middlesex, it was Yorkshire that were the better team on the day. Yorkshire are no pushovers and proved it today with a convincing seven-wicket win with nearly 25 overs to spare.

It was the Yorkshire slow bowlers that set up this impressive win as they did not allow Middlesex to get away during the middle overs.

The Middlesex innings was anchored by a patient 67 not out for Sophia Dunkley. The England Academy player came to the crease, Middlesex with the fall of the second wicket as Fran Wilson misjudged a Leigh Kasperek delivery and could only chip it to Dani Hazell at cover.

Dunkley along with her captain Naomi Dattani looked comfortable as the added 30 for the third wicket. Dunkley never had the same batting partner for long as wickets fell at steady intervals at the other end.

Katie Thompson who bowls her left-arm spin without any front arm in her action bowled her ten overs straight through to return figures of 2 for 26. Thompson got the ball to skid through on a pitch that wasn’t offering much bounce.

Thompson bowled in tandem with Kaspereck for much of the second half of the Middlesex innings. The Scottish born New Zealand international finished with 3 for 35. Which was all the more remarkable as Dunkley hit 10 runs from her first over, including a big six.

Towards the end of the Middlesex innings a Women’s County Championship record was broken. Katie Levick became the leading wicket-taker in the competition. coincidently one of the two players she shared the record with was at the ground in Danni Warren the head of women’s cricket for Middlesex.

Middlesex were bowled out for 160 in the 47th over. It was Middlesex’s highest total at the ground and Yorkshire made light work of chasing it down.

Lauren Winfield who has lacked any form of late showed that she is still an entertaining and fast scoring player. She scored 58 that included 12 fours; including four of those in one Hayleigh Brennan over.

It was not to be a good day for the Australian player. Brennan had to leave the field with an injury to her back. Dunkley eventually made the breakthrough as she flighted a ball temptingly for Winfield and she took the bait; chipping to Dattani who took the catch.

Hollie Armitage took longer to reach her fifty, but it was a vital innings by the captain. She did, however, hit a six of the Yorkshire innings soon after the departure of Winfield.

Katherine Brunt joined Armitage after the dismissal of Jess Watson. Watson was caught behind to what must have been the thinnest of edges it became a matter of time before Yorkshire won it. They did just that in the 26th over.