Title joy for Bowden CC's women's team

Bowden women’s team have won the East Midlands Super Eights Division Three title at the first time of asking.

Last week, they played Lutterworth at Brixworth’s Dallas Burston ground and won convincingly by 82 runs, Bowden scoring 288 and restricting their opponents to 206.

Elizabeth Page, Carys Pyne, Poppy Page and Louise Fernandes-Smith picked up wickets, while Page, Pyne and Julia Trapp did the damage with the bat.

This win secured Bowden the title by a single point, ahead of rivals from across the region including Countesthorpe, Brixworth, Lutterworth, and Welbeck.

Bowden men's second team managed to secure a top-four spot in Division Seven of the Northamptonshire Cricket League division with an emphatic 96-run victory at Old 2nd.

With other results going their way this means the team should remain in the equivalent division next year when the leagues are restructured, and they have also secured a likely home fixture in their post-season play-off quarter-final this Saturday.

Bowden reserved their best batting performance of the season for this vital match.

Batting first on an excellent track, openers Micky Brammer (19) and Karl Pollard laid solid foundations.

Skipper Dan Wenlock hit a quickfire 61, putting on a partnership of 122 for the second wicket with Pollard in only 14 overs.

Pollard looked nailed-on for a century but fell for 85 in the 33rd over with the score on 188.

However, Bowden’s middle order managed to maintain the momentum of the innings.

Charlie Standley (54no), John Lawrence (30), and Gareth Owen (22) added run-a-ball contributions as the innings concluded on 280-6 from 45 overs.

Old’s openers rode their luck in reply, surviving a couple of strong appeals and a dropped catch, to put on 50 for the first wicket but a double strike from Ryan Wilson (10-0-46-2), including one of two outstanding catches at extra cover from skipper Wenlock, ended their spree.

Thereafter, the home side never really threatened a serious pursuit of their target as wickets fell regularly to Jonathan Powell (10-2-29-1) Flora England (5-0-27-2), Micky Brammer (2-0-8-2) and Lee Wilson (6.4-1-35-2).

Old were bowled out for 184 in the 44th over to give Bowden victory by 96 runs.

Bowden’s first team, in mid-table and with little to play for in Division Three, blooded several juniors in their home game to Podington which was lost by 37 runs.

Finishing a respectable seventh from 12, they will visit second placed Northampton Saints in the quarter-finals of the post-season competition.