As we arrived at the ground at Portsmouth, spirits were high despite the stiff sea breeze and we were confident that we could make a good game of the fixture, maybe even beating the strong Hampshire opposition.

Our temporary captain and vice, Jaya Pindoria and Victoria Begg quickly adapted to their new roles within the team and, having won the toss, elected to field.

The bowlers opened on a sloping ground and with a crosswind, which together resulted in a lot of swing and perhaps a few more extras than we would have liked. Jaya and Sara Begg, however, kept the openers restricted, Sara making the first breakthrough, her swinging ball ripping out the stump of the left handed opener.

After a stoic performance filling the keepers gloves, Emma Thompson went on to take three brilliant wickets with the ball, backed by consistent, economic bowling and energetic fielding from the rest of the team.

Having restricted Hampshire to a low total at tea, we were all prepared to go out and hit the runs. Despite loosing a few early wickets, Hannah Rea stepped up and delivered a match-winning knock of 25 with the other batters playing their part. A mention to Hannah Stobbs who gave the final drive to get the runs needed to win the match.

Well done again to all the players and a big ‘thank you’ to Khimji and all the other parents for all their help in organising the team.