Women Defeated By 26 Runs At Headingley
Sun 8 Jun 2025
A strong bowling performance from Leicestershire proved to be in vain as the Foxes fell to a 26-run defeat at Headingley.
The Foxes’ attack shared the wickets between them before Lucy Weston smashed a quickfire 25, but two separate batting collapses handed Yorkshire victory.
Captain Becki Brooker won the toss and elected to bowl first, with Flora Davies and D’Nica Roff returning to the XI in place of Hayley Brown and Aimee Colquhoun.
Brooker’s move to field first was immediately vindicated as Emma Thatcher pinned home opener Erin Thomas in front for a single after just four balls.
The hosts fought back impressively, with Georgie Boyce fronting a partnership worth 60 alongside Amelia Oliver. The duo began to accelerate, taking 30 off three overs as midway approached, before Roff entered the fray.
The South African leggie picked up both set batters, as Oliver (19) top-edged a sweep to Ellen Watson before Boyce (46) slapped a full toss straight to Davies at deep mid-wicket to leave Yorkshire 75 for three halfway through the eleventh.
Laura Crofts’ reintroduction to the attack reaped immediate rewards in the following over, as the dangerous Amy Campbell (5) spooned a chance to the tumbling Ellie Phillips at mid off.
Wickets continued to tumble as Leicestershire assumed the upper hand. Crofts uprooted home skipper Maddie Ward’s (11) middle stump, before some sharp work from Watson had Olivia Thomas stumped for three off the bowling of Francesa Sweet.
The Foxes wrapped up the Yorkshire innings with some exceptional death bowling, taking four wickets in as many overs. Roff ran out the indecisive Rebecca Duckworth (7) from point, while Thatcher and a couple of Phillips strikes derailed the hosts’ late innings momentum. Yorkshire all out for 127.
Leicestershire made a reasonable start to their pursuit, assembling a 28-run stand by the time Sweet (13) was bowled by Olivia Thomas.
Davies (0) and Brooker (20) fell shortly after, while Watson (14) was run out attempting to sneak a quick single, as the first mini collapse of the innings ensued towards the midway point of the chase.
Weston roared back emphatically, whacking a huge straight six and pulling powerfully for four from successive Ria Fackrell deliveries to take 12 off the 15th over, leaving a further 44 required from 30 balls.
But, after lofting Thomas to the ropes from the opening ball of the next over, a second collapse eviscerated Leicestershire’s chances, with four wickets tumbling in the space of seven balls.
Weston (25), Phillips (0), Crofts (13) and Holly Whitfield (0) all departed to reduce the Foxes to 91 for eight having been 88 for four. Roff (5) and Thatcher (1) were the last two to fall - to Holly Garton and Jess Woolston respectively - ending Leicestershire’s chase 26 runs shy of the target.
