Lady Llamas launch season with victory

The Lady llamas opened their Elite T20 league campaign away at Sutton.
Put into bat Priory Openers Lucy Harris and Izzy Cooper scored at about a run a ball to see the Llamas reach 50 in the 9th over. Sutton opening bowler Rebecca Denman, who surprisingly didn’t bowl her full 5 over allowance, was the only bowler to slow the run rate with her 3 overs for 15 runs; although Sutton’s young fast bowler Georgia Alger, who looks a fine prospect, bowled her 1st 2 overs for just 7 runs before 14 runs by Izzy, in Georgia’s 3rd over, slightly spoiled her figures (3-0-21-0)
Lucy Harris, with 9 fours and Izzy Cooper with 8 fours and a six, almost reached their 100 partnership when Lucy, with a 50 in her sights, came down the wicket and was stumped by Aarti Karunakaran off the bowling of Eleanor Waite for 44 to see the 1st Llama wicket fall in the 14th over with the score on 95. In the 16th over Kate Mehmood was bowled for 9 to become Eleanor Waite’s 2nd wicket (3-0-22-2) and with the score on 109 Llama Captain Jess Whitcher joined Izzy and was quickly into the runs (18 not out from 13 balls) with a six and 2 fours; the pick being a (very) straight drive back past the stumps.
In the final over, with the score on 148-2, Izzy Cooper was the 3rd Llama wicket to fall when she was run out by Sneha Mohan for the top score of 57. A boundary 4 to incoming bat Lily Foster saw the Llamas to 158-3 at the end of their 20 overs.
Eleanor Waite and Rebecca Denman opened the reply for Sutton. A couple of wides from Vicki Howard before Vicki adjusted her radar and got the last ball of the 1st over through Eleanor Waite’s defences to bowl Eleanor for 2 with the Sutton reply at 6-1. Vicki’s accuracy remained for the rest of her bowling spell (3-0-14-1).
Sofia Stapleton-Parslow and Rebecca Denman built a partnership without ever threatening the required run rate as the run rate was kept in check by Izzy Wall (4-0-22-0) and Lucy Harris who bowled with good pace and Lucy’s figures of 3-0-21-0 would have looked much better without her 4 front foot no balls but that is perhaps being picky in what was otherwise an excellent spell. Although it was Izzy Wall and Lucy Harris keeping control of the run rate it was the next change bowlers Lily Foster and Ellie Thomas who made the breakthrough. It wasn’t just the bowlers keeping the run rate in check as Vicki saved what looked to be a certain 4 with a goalkeeping style save on the boundary rope.
Rebecca Denham smashed a ball from Ellie Thomas back down the wicket where the Umpire (her dad Alan) was saved from being hit as the ball crashed into the wicket to save both 4 runs (and Alan). The 50 partnership was reached in the 12th over when Sofia Stapleton-Parslow (21) became Lily Foster’s opening wicket with the help of catch by Ellie Thomas to see Sutton lose their 2nd wicket (57-2). 2 overs later it was Lily again, getting her 2nd wicket (5-0-21-2), this time bowling Sutton wicket-keeper Aarti Karunakaran (1) and Sutton were now 67-3 in the 14th over.
Sutton still needed over 90 runs with only 6 overs left and their prospects didn’t improve as Lily Foster and Ellie Thomas combined again with Lily taking the catch from Ellie’s bowling (3-0-12-1) to dismiss Georgia Alger (4) as Sutton were now 74-4 in the 15th over.
Amba Conway-Sparks and Holly Bolton bowled an over each before Izzy Wall returned to complete her spell of (4-0-22-0) to bowl the last over where Sutton opener Rebecca Denman reached a fine 50 not out to see Sutton finish on 117-4; 41 runs short which probably confirmed the placing between the sides where Sutton play their longer format league games in the Championship, 1 level below the Premiership Llamas.