Pressure brings best out of Northern Diamonds in Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, says Phoebe Graham
Phoebe Graham blogs on Northern Diamonds’ unbeaten start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, including her debut, ahead of the next round of matches…
So far, so good.
Three wins out of three for the Northern Diamonds and what an experience it’s been so far. The intensity and electricity of our training camp, some world-class performances and non-stop camaraderie/stick received about my fluorescent clothing and gold hoop earrings.
Ahead of our first game, we arrived at Headingley stadium for the kit collection and photo shoot. It was a moment I would never have imagined as a kid – I didn’t know England had a women’s team until 15, so playing professionally was beyond thinkable.
Most players took shots around their discipline, however not Katie Levick!
Yorkshire’s finest leg-spinner, who was crowned leading wicket-taker in the County Championships and the Guardian’s women’s cricketer of the year in 2019, saw this as an opportunity to take photos only with the bat. She showed the camera her infamous dab shot, and our favourite tail-ender was certainly showing her ambitions for the new comp!
The England international stars were released for the Bank Holiday weekend and we had the pick of the bunch: Nat Sciver, Katherine Brunt, Lauren Winfield-Hill and Lyndsey Smith. This was prior to scratching the surface of our squad: Jenny Gunn MBE (259 international caps), young Netherlands player Sterre Kalis and our two contracted players, with Big Bash and international experience: Holly Armitage and Beth Langston.
To be called into the 13 was a privilege and I loved being in the environment. It’s never a nice feeling being told you haven’t made the 11; no matter what level or competition, the feeling remains the same, as do the principles: a quick swallow of your pride, be a top teammate, give your best energy to the team and make 13th your new best mate.
I had the pleasure of being 12th /13th with young Layla Tipton, who at the start of the weekend I misnamed Tippy Tipton. A quality Geordie who asks 27 questions to people she hasn’t met, e.g. ‘if you had three items on a desert island PG, what would they be?’ or ‘what kind of animal do you reckon you’d be PG?’ or ‘if you could eat one thing for the rest of your life PG, what would it be’ etc, etc, etc. Young Tippy and I had six-over sanitising shifts down to a tee and we sat and enjoyed Brunt take a sterling 5-fer in the first game leading us to victory against the Central Sparks. Sparks vs Diamonds scorecard
Then it was back on the coach with the girls and time to play more games of psyche en route to Durham.
I enjoyed a day in Durham, meeting my Auntie and Uncle who told me all about their farm and how the sheep market is booming yet you can’t sell wool for toffee.
Then the next day it was time for the Lightning game at Chester-le-Street.
Things weren’t looking the brightest and Tippy and I were back and forth in the middle with the Diamonds 24-4. Nat steadied the innings partnered with some courageous batting from Jenny, Alex Macdonald and Lynsey Smith.
The girls showed grit and resilience, posting 226. Having a total meant we were always in the game, despite Lightning being 117-0 prior to losing their first wicket. This showed how critical taking wickets is in 50-over cricket. We held our nerve with the ball, Smith took two effortless wickets and the Diamonds walked off the field victorious in a close battle winning by nine runs. Diamonds vs Lightning scorecard
- Sky Sports to show RHF Trophy final live
I was back with the girls for our third game last weekend and having waved off our international stars, who had gone into the bubble.
There were a lot of nerves in camp and big boots to fill with four debutants to the team (myself included). Cricket can be unpredictable and there were moments where it looked like the game had run away from us.
Lightning posted 227, Sarah Bryce scoring a solid 50, but there were some cracking performances from the Diamonds. Ami Campbell scored sixes for fun, Macca bowled like a dream and we showed batting to 11 had a whole new meaning.
Chasing 227, we were 119-7. Gunn and Langston batted brilliantly in the middle, holding their nerve and got us to 200-8. Then I went in at 10, with seven overs left and 27 to win.
Batting with Jenny Gunn was delightful; ‘just enjoy it out here Phoebs, it’s lovely’, she said. That we did. A 15 not out from myself was capped by hitting the winning four in the second to last over, making the nail-biting victory even more sweet. Lightning vs Diamonds scorecard
Cricket is a funny old game. No matter what they say, you can’t predict it. It takes resilience, courage and strength of character in moments that matter. Within the space of three games, we’ve shown the Northern Diamonds have grit and determination to get the job done.
We’re at halfway and looking forward to seeing what the next three games bring…
Watch the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final at Edgbaston, live on Sky Sports on Sunday September 27.
England Women vs West Indies Women schedule (all games live on Sky Sports)
• Monday, September 21 – 1st Vitality IT20, 6.30pm
• Wednesday, September 23 – 2nd Vitality IT20, 6.30pm
• Saturday, September 26 – 3rd Vitality IT20, 1pm
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