Sunday 26 July 2026

The forecast spent the morning threatening to spoil things, and for a while it looked touch and go. Emma made the call to press ahead anyway, a 10 for 10:30 start, fingers crossed against the sky. Good decision. The rain held off, the cricket flowed, and Penrith walked away with one of their most comfortable wins of the season, home by 57 runs.

It could have been a difficult morning before a ball was bowled. Kelly woke up unwell and had to pull out, which briefly left the side staring at seven. A quick head count settled the nerves: with Millie stepping in, Penrith had their eight and were good to go.

Setting up the chase

With the opposition batting first, Penrith's job was to keep the target within reach, and they did it well. The bowling and fielding kept the pressure on throughout, wickets came at regular intervals, and the visitors were never allowed to cut loose and set a total that would trouble the run chase.

Chasing it down

The reply left no doubt. Penrith finished on 156, made up of 113 off the bat and a hefty 43 in extras, comfortably clear of the target and home by 57 runs.

Emma led from the front with the bat as well as the armband, top-scoring with 24 and setting the tone at the heart of the innings. Millie was next with a lively 18, full of intent, and there were near-matching efforts from Erin and Ella, who made 17 apiece and kept the scoreboard ticking through the middle. Isla weighed in with 11 at the top, opening alongside Debs, while Tallis chipped in across two visits to the crease and Claire and Debbie added useful runs of their own.

The real feature was the boundaries. There were fours everywhere, more than the side usually manages in a single innings, and the running between the wickets was sharp. Just as pleasing was the game-sense: when the situation called for it, the batters were happy to dig in and defend rather than throw it away, protecting their wickets and seeing the chase through. That kind of judgement is often the difference between getting close and getting over the line.

For a side that knows how often the results go the other way, and usually by fine margins, this was a day to enjoy. As Ben put it afterwards, winners are grinners.

Batting card
# Batter Runs
1 Debbie 7
2 Isla 11
3 Tallis 7
4 Millie 18
5 Claire 3
6 Emma 24
7 Erin 17
8 Ella 17
9 Millie 1
10 Tallis 8
Extras 43
Total 156

Result: Penrith won by 57 runs.

Thank yous

A big thank you to Ben, whose steady hand steering things from the sidelines made a real difference, and to Emma for a first-rate job as captain. Thanks also to Stephen for taking on the scoring (we hope it wasn't too traumatic) and to Mike for umpiring, both of which kept the day running smoothly. And a special mention to Alison, who came to the rescue on catering with pizza, an extra one cooked to feed the team.

A good day all round. Onto the next one.