Despite an overcast sky at Lancashire Cricket and Sports Club, spirits were high for the highly anticipated Roses match between the UYWCC and the LUWCC. York have won every year since 2015 (excluding 2020, as it was called off due to the pandemic), so stakes were high, but the White Roses came into the game ready to have fun and keep the pressure on them low. The travelling supporters in their dozens set up hand-made signs for each player and the club as a whole, taking up as much room as possible out the front of the clubhouse. It was evident that they backed their players. The Reds too had a strong section of family and friends, all sporting a red item such as bows and hats. The ground was already filling with cheers and chat on both sides, and it was hoping to be a great game both on and off the field.
The first inning saw wickets from Lily Richardson, VC Sara Allport and a stunner of a one-handed catch from Shreya Bhardwaj at short leg. Captain Laura Bawden bowled a hatrick of wicket maidens, as well as two other wickets to give her a fifer in her last Roses. Each wicket was celebrated in style, and every over was concluded with Wicket Keeper Keona Lewis and Cleo Spittall skipping arm-in-arm to switch ends. Allport also produced a wonderful maiden over, as her bowling and York’s tight fielding kept Lancaster’s big batters at bay. Led by their 12th player, Rosie Hill, York’s supporters were in full voice from across the boundary, keeping their players spirits high as they prevented huge shots for going for four and made crucial stops in the inner circle.
Lancaster’s batters also had a great inning as they occasionally broke through York’s unyielding fielding. Emily Renshaw was cut short from her half-century at an impressive 41 runs, Lancaster’s Eve Drury and Emily Crossland produced 18 and 15 runs not out. Ruby Hutchinson also gave a great performance in her five overs, with 12 runs. The majority of the runs from all batters came from quick singles as only one ball crossed the boundary for four in the last 20 overs. Lancaster scored 118/8 in the 30 overs, a score that could be defended by the fielders but also destroyed by York’s batters.
It was all to play for. The atmosphere was electric as York’s opening batters, Bhardwaj and Charlotte Peacock, walked on to “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. They both batted fantastically until the first wicket fell in the first over after a missed catch into swift fielding by Lancaster. Lewis and Holly Townsend batted valiantly against Lancaster’s bowlers. Bawden had the highest runs of the inning, racking up 17 with Townsend and Charlotte Roden before the appeals of “howzat?” pierced through the afternoon to dismiss her LBW.
Ellie Richards fielded incredibly to control the power in Roden’s and Cooper’s shots. Allport was sent on in the 26th over to exploit the gaps in Lancaster’s field, making a meal of her 12 balls. Madi Ashurst, who was as speedy on the wicket as she was at square leg, ran a solid double from an almighty shot. Sadly, she was dismissed LBW to call in the tenth batter. Spittall and Allport made a fantastic pairing that brought the runs up and kept Lancaster’s egos low. Lancaster celebrated eagerly at any opportunity, including after every stop their wicket keeper made. York’s lower middle order and tail end batters needed to stay cool, calm, and collected, and that is certainly what they did. Richardson came on in the 28th over as our Social Secretaries danced on the wicket, literally and figuratively. Their chemistry off-field worked on-field too to end the batting with a double and a four before Vestey’s bowling took the bales to win the match. York batted a marvellous 100/10 from their 29 overs.
Emotions were high from both sides. The Reds had finally broken their nine-year losing streak, and the club and its supporters joined the players on the field to celebrate. The Whites held their heads high to meet Richardson and Spittall as they came off, and everyone was so proud of the whole teams’ efforts.
However, Lancaster did not replicate the same display of sportsmanship we had seen from the White Roses, especially during their fielding. They spent the entire game publishing nasty comments on their Twitter account, targeting York’s players and supporters, whereas York clapped every Lancaster batter on and off, and did not respond to the comments on social media. Cricket is a much rowdier sport than it seems and “chat” between teams is perfectly normal, as had been seen at the Men’s games that day and the day before. But when one team is giving a little bit of “chat” in the spirit of the game and the other is crossing the line and bringing down other women in a very male-dominated sport, it is no longer fun. The UYWCC have spent their season promoting women’s cricket through charity tournaments and an incredible Challenge Week campaign, so empowering women in sport is at the centre of everything they do as a club. Regrettably, Lancaster didn’t seem to share in those sentiments in a setting where a friendly rivalry between the two teams could create a positive yet competitive atmosphere that would thrive for years to come.
Also, Lancaster lacked sportsmanship and integrity as they attempted to disrespectfully mankad York’s batters. Twice. Mankading is an incredibly unsportsmanlike way to get a batter out, in which the bowler stops their run up to take the stumps of the non-striking batter as they legally leave their crease to back-up the wicket. Whilst it is legal, mankading is very controversial in international games, such as the one that occurred in an ODI game between England and India Women in 2019, let alone a university level game. Boos rightfully filled the ground on both occasions. Lancaster certainly needed the wickets to win, but their bowling and successful appeals proved that they could do it without morally destroying two of their opponents and spoiling the mood of the game. It was simply uncalled for.
Nevertheless, despite these displays, York pushed through right until the end. The last batters danced on the wicket before they started their spell and the whole club joined them to celebrate their efforts. Coach, captains, and players gave moving speeches to remind the club as a whole of how proud they were. Whilst they may not have won, they gave it their all against a team that only seemed to want to bring them down. Not a bad word was said by York about Lancaster’s players, and certainly not on public social media platforms and within earshot of their friends, family, and supporters. York kept a positive attitude until the very end. Their hand painted banners highlighted the strengths of the players, and the cheers and chants from the sidelines only served to boost morale, not bring anyone down. The scores might have been in Lancaster’s favour, but York definitely took a moral victory and can be proud of the efforts and attitude.
The UYWCC will meet the LUWCC at home on the 15th of May, where York will look to take back their streak and demonstrate their unwavering enthusiasm once again.