The Lakehawks, the successful and massively enthusiastic women’s squad at Keswick Cricket Club, crowned an unbeaten season by winning the club’s first ever females county champions title at the finals held in Barrow.
This was a major triumph for team captain Grace Roper, her ebullient group of players and a tremendous feather in the cap of the cricket club. A bonus is that next year’s finals are now to be staged at Keswick’s award-winning Fitz Park ground, writes Keith Richardson.
The all-conquering Keswick team almost met their match in the semi-final where they came up against county title holders, Carnforth. This was a game that would have made for a very good final. However, one side had to fall at the semi-final stage, and it was Carnforth, beaten by just 12 runs, the nearest that any team this season has come to getting the better of the Keswick squad.
The soft ball version of the game is played over 20 overs per innings with 10 players in a team. Five pairs of batters each face four overs and teams start with a base of 200 runs to their credit. Runs are added to the total as the game progresses and subtracted by five runs every time a wicket falls.
Batting first, Carnforth made a challenging 264/8. Among the wickets for Keswick were Anna Broadbent, Charlotte Orton and young Scarlett Swift (two each) and Victoria Swift and Grace Roper. Megan (“Safe Hands”) Saxton helped her bowlers by taking three catches.
Scarlett Swift, the youngest member of the squad, has taken wickets all season thanks to her unerring accuracy and she (like many other young players at the club) has benefited enormously from the coaching of Keswick’s Sri Lankan professional, “Rishy” Upamal.
At the other end the raw pace of Rachel Gleaves has contributed to wickets taken by other bowlers as batters try to capitalise on less rapid deliveries.
A major factor in the team’s success is the skilful captaincy of Grace Roper.
Coach John Bryson remarked after the finals: “Grace’s calm captaincy and experience with Keswick junior teams and county age groups at hardball was invaluable as bowling order and changes are even more crucial in pairs cricket. These she handled extremely well, together with field placings.
“Not only that her accuracy when bowling and her forceful batting partnerships with Megan Saxton are vital at the top of the order.
“The team is full of all-rounders which is just as well as seven bowlers are needed. Anna Broadbent, Ruth Barnes and Megan Saxton are all superb in their roles. Several of the girls are top performers at different sports, and it is great that they also excel at cricket. “National sprinter Charlotte Orton covers the fine leg and third man fielding positions brilliantly and it was great to see her batting come to the fore in the final. Imogen Greenwood partners her well as speed is required when Charlotte takes off for a run!
“Annette Doyle, our wicket keeper for the day, did a good job, especially after the rain when the ball was skidding through at pace.”
In reply to Carnforth’s 264 in the semi, Keswick made a match winning 276/7. The leading run scorers were Megan Saxton (27) and Ruth Barnes (24) with Rachel Gleaves on 12.
Keswick met the host club, Barrow in the final and blasted them out of the water with an innings of 306/7 with first pair up Saxton (33 runs) and Roper (12) putting on 45 in an opening partnership that put the home side firmly on the back foot. Charlotte Orton added 23 (including two sixes).
Barrow were never really in it after that batting blitz but managed a respectable 255 in reply as wickets were taken by Scarlett Swift (three) Ruth Barnes, Grace Roper and Imogen Greenwood (two each) and Charlotte Orton and Annan Broadbent (one each).
Other highlights of a day at the finals that will live long in the memory were the immaculate team bus driving and all-round support of John Brack, the immaculate scoring of Sarah Brack, the celebratory Prosecco, and, last but not least, the post-match impressions of actress (and now rising cricket star) Imogen Greenwood.
