Nottinghamshire’s U18 Girls are two wins from glory as the ECB’s County Cup Finals await at Grantham.
Notts will play defending champions Devon on Thursday 31 August (10.30am start), with the winners going on to face either Essex or Staffordshire in the showpiece the following day.
Girls’ Pathway Coach Tim Ward feels the girls’ campaign has been testament to the strength of their character.
“Lots of the girls have experience from regional cricket or age-group games at international level, and that experience is starting to show,” he said.
“They might not have played a lot of competitive cricket, but we always try to play high-quality cricket against good sides, even in friendlies.
“Some of these girls who are 18 now have been with us for seven or eight years, so it’s great to see that work in the pathway paying off, with the way we’re able to compete with other counties.”
Notts reached the final courtesy of a 49-run win over Suffolk, having fallen to 6/2 in their first innings.
Maddie Ward’s unbeaten 103, allied to key contributions from Annie Williams and Rhiannon Knowling-Davies, hauled the Outlaws to 219 from their 40 overs, before Evee-Mae Hicklin’s four-wicket haul helped dismiss their opponents for 170.
“The quarter-final was a real team performance in the end,” said Tim.
“Maddie’s ton was probably the highlight, but everyone batted really well around her. We were struggling at one point, but Maddie and Annie Williams’ partnership was really important, and everyone chipped in.
“We thought 220 was a decent score, but their top four were really good, and after 20 overs of their chase it could have gone either way.
“But Evee-Mae Hicklin came back on and blew them away.
“Across the competition, the girls have stood up to the pressure. It could have gone the other way at 6/2 with two of our best batters already out, but it shows the character of the players.”