Women’s Rapids Preview: Beach b-lines for rapids bounce back

Vitality T20 Blast: Leicestershire Women v Worcestershire Rapids Women

Venue: Grace Road

Date: Sunday 15th June

Scheduled start time: 12pm

Worcestershire Rapids Women return to action on Sunday, as they travel to Leicestershire looking to avenge last week’s Vitality Blast T20 double-header defeat.

With the trip to Grace Road providing the team with an opportunity to earn some vital points, Ed Wilson’s side will be keen to convert their opportunities and kickstart their campaign.

Worcestershire Rapids Women welcomed both Derbyshire Falcons and Northants Steelbacks to Visit Worcestershire New Road on Sunday, but walked away empty-handed as they fell to defeat in both games on their return to Vitality T20 Blast action.

After setting an under-par total of 53, the Rapids made Derbyshire, work for every run in the chase, but couldn’t prevent their opponents earning a seven-wicket win in the 18th over of the match.

In the second match of the double header, the Rapids looked set to chase down Northants Steelbacks target of 134-8, requiring 27 to win off the final 27 balls, with eight wickets in hand.

Unfortunately however, the home side couldn’t close the game out and let the match slip through their grasp, as they fell to a disappointing 16-run defeat.

Worcestershire Rapids Women bowler, Jess Beach, made it very clear that her side must improve, as they look to bounce back when they return to action against Leicestershire Women, this Sunday.

After a frustrating defeat last time out, Beach, said her side have focussed on specific facets of the game to help turn things around and convert the near misses, into vital wins.

“We’re pretty annoyed that we didn’t get the win in both those games. We can obviously take the positives from both the games and take that forward but also take what we maybe didn’t do so well and use that to help us.

“We obviously didn’t post a lot, but we knew that with the bowling behind us, that we could try and restrict them to as much as possible to try and find those wickets.

“It was really nice to see Gwen go up top and be quite aggressive. I know she likes to do that and it was great that it paid off. We just needed someone to kind of sit there to the end and steer us home. It was pretty gutting that we couldn’t get it done.

After showing defiance in both matches at Visit Worcestershire New Road, despite being against the odds for large parts, the signs are positive for Head Coach, Ed Wilson, and his coaching staff.

Beach, said her team have prepared well for the challenge, but need to prioritise playing to their strengths.

“I think we just want to keep backing ourselves and keep trying to do all the good things for longer periods, this Sunday. We’ve got some good players behind us, so if it all comes together on the day, then hopefully we’ll get that win.

“We have played them once in the 50 over competition, so we kind of know a little bit about them, both their batters and bowlers. I know we did a bit of trying to replicate what we might face last night at training. So hopefully that’s going to help us ahead of Sunday.”

The Vitality Blast brings it’s own unique challenges for sides, with the change in format providing the Rapids Women with an opportunity to reinvigorate what has been a difficult start to the season.

Despite results not going in their favour up until this point, Beach, is keen that the squad maximise the opportunity in playing a double-header with the men’s side, at Grace Road.

“You’ve seen it done with The Hundred, which is nice that they brought it forward into the county stuff this year. We’ve not done it before, so it’ll be something new and exciting, and hopefully we can back it up and get the win.”

Leicestershire Foxes Women

The Foxes come into the contest on the back of defeat in their previous fixture, as they went down by 26 runs to Yorkshire Women.

Leicestershire have endured a similar start to the campaign as the Rapids, losing their first two games of the group stage, leaving them eighth in the table.

A win against Worcestershire however, would see them overtake their rivals and launch them back into contention for the knockout.

Leicestershire, will be looking to avenge their defeat from earlier in the season, when the two sides met in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and Worcestershire ran-out 63-run winners.