Maldon Ladies were away to Shenfield for a friendly match on the hottest day of the year so far (~32 degrees at start of match). Having lost a few players during the week, the Maldon side had to go ahead with only eight.
Shenfield decided to field first, leaving captain Jess Walton and Michelle Field to open the batting. The wicket was infuriatingly inconsistent, with balls either popping up or staying very low. After a slow start, with Field eventually given out LBW for 9, Em Herron came in and sped up the scoring with 11 off 14 balls. After a minor flurry of wickets, Bethan Bailey and Sue Thornett came out and steadied the innings – running lots of quick singles despite the heat. Maldon finished 89-4 after 20 overs, with Bailey 22* and Thornett 10*.
Shenfield kindly lent us one of their players in the field. Bailey and Thornett then proceeded to open the bowling with four overs each, with very accurate and consistent bowling resulting in 1-10 and 0-17, respectively. Maldon were on fire in the field, with run-out chances – mostly due to Thornett’s accurate arm – seen practically every other ball. The commitment and energy in the field finally paid off, with Sarah Welton running opening batter Judd out with an excellent throw. Herron and Field then carried on the bowling and were unfortunately punished by a series of leg-side slog shots. Herron did, however, manage to get Dunn caught behind for 19, with Walton taking her first catch as wicket-keeper.
Shenfield finished 94-3 with 14.3 overs gone. Sadly another loss for Maldon, but we produced an excellent attempt despite only eight players and extreme heat. The fielding commitment was outstanding this week and the game was played in great spirits.
Maldon Cricket Club 
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