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Ashes 2005 - United Kingdom
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Ashes Tour - 5 September
The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England women v Australia women, Twenty20 Australia 152 for 3 (Rolton 96*, K Blackwell 43*) beat England 151 for 7 (Edwards 42) by seven wickets
Karen Rolton produced a stunning allround performance, as Australia's women finished their tour on a high with a seven-wicket victory in the one-off Twenty20 international at Taunton. Coming to the crease at a disastrous 6 for 3 in pursuit of England's impressive 151 for 7, Rolton romped to an unbeaten 96 from just 53 balls, to seal victory with 14 balls of the match to spare.
She was aided and abetted in her onslaught by Kate Blackwell, who opted not to mess around with victory in sight and hit the winning boundary to finish not out on 43, and deny Rolton a much-deserved century.
The win followed hot on the heels of Australia's series-clinching four-run win in yesterday's fifth one-day international, and ensured that a host of Australian stars, including Belinda Clark, Lisa Keightley and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, completed their final tour of England on a high.
Victory looked a long way off for Australia for much of the match. Laura Newton and Charlotte Edwards gave England the perfect start with an opening stand of 77, but Rolton then made the first of her interventions, picking up 2 for 13 in her last three overs to stifle England's innings just when it seemed set to take off.
Their total of 151 looked ample, however, once Katherine Brunt had got stuck in with the new ball. She took three wickets in quick succession as the top of the Australian order imploded, but Rolton soon made mincemeat of the rest of the attack to complete a memorable tour.
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Ashes Tour - 2 September The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England women v Australia women, 5th ODI, Taunton
Australia hold nerve in four-run win Australia 260 for 6 (Keightley 58, Rolton 62, Sthalekar 53) beat England 256 (Fitzpatrick 4-52) by four runs
England's captain Clare Connor admitted before the decider at Taunton that to win the NatWest Series would be "beyond our wildest dreams". They may have had a dream summer, winning the Ashes and playing themselves right back into contention in this competition, but in the end, reality bit back in a gripping series-decider, as Australia held their nerve to clinch a four-run victory with just three balls to spare. In a summer of nailbiters, this was right up there with the best.
Such a tight finish never looked remotely on the cards in the opening exchanges. Australia looked every inch the World Champions as they cruised to 260 for 6 after Clare Connor sent them in. Quickfire half-centuries from Karen Rolton, Lisa Keightley and Lisa Sthalekar combined to set England their stiffest target this year, but from the moment that England's openers, Laura Newton and Charlotte Edwards, responded with a stand of 94, an intrigued Taunton crowd sensed an upset.
Edwards made 57 and Newton 61, but the introduction of Cathryn Fitzpatrick, for possibly the last match of her 14-year career, changed the face of the innings. Fitzpatrick dismissed Edwards en route to figures of 4 for 52, and as the runs/balls equation approached parity, England's running began to cross the divide between inspired and suicidal.
Arran Brindle, who has enjoyed a superb summer, held the middle-order together with a 49-ball 50, but England's prospects were hampered by an elbow injury to Connor, who did not appear until Brindle played around a full delivery from Fitzpatrick at 240 for 6. But suddenly her lurking presence down the order was an asset, and when she clipped two boundaries off her pads, England were suddenly favourites for a famous victory.
But Beth Morgan was run out by a brilliant direct hit from square leg, and Katherine Brunt backed up too far and was beaten as Fitzpatrick fielded and shied in her followthrough, which left Connor to score the final six runs with just Isa Guha for company. But, with four balls to come, she top-edged a swirling chance to Kirsten Pike off Rolton, and Australia had clinched a 3-2 victory in nailbiting circumstances.
Connor couldn't hide her disappointment after the game, but when the pain of defeat has subsided, England will be delighted with their efforts this summer. They have just reclaimed the Ashes for the first time in 42 years, and until their two straight victories to level this series, they hadn't beaten Australia in a one-dayer since 1993. And rather like their male counterparts, they are a young team on the up, while an ageing Australian side have displayed some rare signs of fallibility on this trip, even though they held their nerve at the end. Those of a superstitious bent might like to ponder that ahead of next week's showdown.
England 1 Charlotte Edwards, 2 Laura Newton, 3 Claire Taylor, 4 Clare Connor (capt), 5 Arran Brindle, 6 Jenny Gunn, 7 Lydia Greenway, 8 Jane Smit (wk), 9 Katherine Brunt, 10 Isa Guha, 11 Clare Taylor.
Australia 1 Belinda Clark (capt), 2 Lisa Keightley, 3 Karen Rolton, 4 Lisa Sthalekar, 5 Kate Blackwell, 7 Alex Blackwell, 8 Cathryn Fitzpatrick, 9 Sarah Edwards, 10 Julia Price (wk), 11 Kirsten Pike.
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Ashes Tour - 31 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England Women v Australia Women, 4th ODI, Taunton England Women 216 for 6 (Taylor 116) beat Australia Women 215 for 5 (Keightley 78, Rolton 54) by four wickets
Following their Ashes series triumph England have taken their one-day series against Australia to a deciding match after a superbly timed four-wicket win at Taunton. They were led by a century from Claire Taylor and chasing 216 reached their target with nine balls to spare.
Taylor allowed England to recover from the early loss of Charlotte Edwards and was well supported with three useful partnerships. Laura Newton helped her add 65 for the second wicket and then Arran Brindle combined to put on 61 for the fourth. But when Brindle was caught behind off Karen Rolton England still needed another substantial partnership to see them towards the target.
Jenny Gunn provided the perfect foil for Taylor - who was now well into her stride - and the pair's fifth wicket stand accrued 65 priceless runs. Although both fell with the target in sight they had done enough and England had breathing space when the winning runs came. After not beating the Australians in ODIs since 1993 they have now done it twice in two matches.
Australia's competitive total was based around a second wicket stand of 115 between Rolton and Lisa Keightley. Keightley's 78 held the innings together as she faced 129 balls and struck nine boundaries. Rolton was the aggressor, with her 54 taking 72 deliveries, and the innings was given a final flourish through a rapid stand of 37 between Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Alex Blackwell.
But Taunton is known as one of the best batting strips, and fastest scoring grounds in the country, and England took advantage of the conditions to leave this Anglo-Australian contest heading for a deciding match on Thursday.
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Ashes Tour - 29 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 2nd women's Test, Worcester, 4th day England 298 and 75 for 4 beat Australia 131 and 232 (Nitschke 88*, K Blackwell 72, Brunt 4-64) by six wickets
England survived a few scares and a determined Australian assault with the ball to win the second Test at Worcester by six wickets. It was their first victory over Australia since December 1984, and after 42 years it meant that England regained the Ashes.
Set a modest target of 76 in two-and-a-bit sessions, Australia reduced England to 4 for 2 in four overs before lunch, Emma Liddell removing Laura Newton and Jenny Gunn with successive deliveries. Charlotte Edwards and Clare Connor weathered all that Liddell and Cathryn Fitzpatrick threw at them after the break, but just as nerves were beginning to settle, Fitzpatrick dismissed them both within an over to leave England 39 for 4.
With Claire Taylor incapacitated with a muscle strain, much depended on Arran Brindle and she responded with a determined 24 not out, as England eked out the runs.
"We've been watching the guys and been inspired by their fight and the way they're playing," Connor told BBC Sport. "After the disappointment of losing in the semi-finals of the World Cup to Australia only four or five months ago, this is just amazing. The girls are over the moon. It just means the world to us If the media give us some positive exposure on the back of this achievement it will do heaps for women's cricket."
Katherine Brunt, who took nine wickets in the match and chipped in with a vital first-innings 52, was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series. "It's a great feeling to win after so many years of losing to Australia and for me to pull out my best performance since I've been with England is great," she beamed.
Australia resumed on 179 for 7, although England would have had the nagging memory that in the first Test at Hove their last three wickets added 240 runs. Any fears of a repetition were quickly extinguished when Kate Blackwell was caught by Lydia Greenway off Brunt without addition to her overnight score. Blackwell had batted five hours and faced 284 balls for her 72. With her next ball Brunt trapped Julia Price leg-before and the end was in sight.
But Shelley Nitschke (88*) and Liddell (24) stubbornly clung on, putting on 53 for the last wicket before Beth Morgan ended their resistance, although as they found out, there was still work to be done.
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Ashes Tour - 26 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 2nd women's Test, Worcester, 2nd day 222 for 9 (Liddell 4-45) lead Australia 131 (Brunt 5-47) by 91 runs
England ground out a first-innings lead over Australia on the second day of the second Test at Worcester, but it was an affair for the diehards. In 101 overs, they reached 222 for 9 at the close, a lead of 91.
Australia's tail had wagged to great affect in the first Test at Hove, but it succumbed with barely a whimper in the opening overs today as their last three wicket added only five runs to their overnight 126 for 7. In 15 balls Katherine Brunt took all three wickets, giving her a Test-best 5 for 47.
England's innings was solid but never remotely spectacular, with the run rate struggling to stay above two an over for most of the day. Jenny Gunn (38) Clare Connor (37) and Claire Taylor (43) all played themselves in without ever accelerating, but in the context of the match it was important for England to build a lead, and they had the luxury of having the time to do so.
Cathryn Fitzpatrick led the attack with typical fire, taking 3 for 76, while Emma Liddell took crucial late wickets, finishing with 4 for 45.
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Ashes Tour - 25 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 2nd women's Test, Worcester, 1st day Australia 126 for 7 v England
England ripped through Australia after a delayed start to the second Test at Worcester, reducing the visitors to 126 for 7 by the close.
Heavy rain prevented any play until 3pm, and with moisture in the pitch and low clouds, England gambled by putting Australia in. The decision soon paid dividends. Belinda Clark looked fairly comfortable, but Lisa Keightley's run out triggered a collapse which saw them slip from 27 for 0 to 49 for 4.
Lisa Sthalekar led a mini recovery with a spirited 34, but her dismissal brought more wickets and England ended in a good position - although they will not be too complacent. In the first Test at Hove, they had Australia 115 for 7 only for the last three wickets to add 230 runs. Julie Hayes and Shelley Nitschke, who did much of the damage them, are still at the crease .
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Ashes Tour - 21 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 3rd women's ODI, Stratford-upon-Avon England women 200 (Taylor 82) defeated Australia women 198 for 7 by two runs
In dramatic scenes reminiscent of Edgbaston, England women held their nerve to pull off a nail-biting two-run victory against Australia. This time, though, the setting was Stratford-upon-Avon and victory for England was vital to keep the NatWest Series alive.
Is the Australian regime crumbling? Probably not, but it is the first time England's women have defeated Australia in 23 matches - the last victory was in the World Cup in 1993, which England went on to win - and the first time Clare Connor, England's captain, has ever been in a successful side against the old enemy.
Shakespeare himself couldn't have scripted a closer match: Australia needed six runs from the last over, but England had the last word, with two wickets to bring England right back into the hunt for the one-day honours. Katherine Brunt had the last over, and she kept her cool to dismiss Cathryn Fitzpatrick, stumped, and then a run out removed Shelley Nitschke.
In the first act, Claire Taylor blasted a typically elegant 82 runs to lift England to 200. She and Charlotte Edwards put on 61 for the second wicket to set a platform for England. But the total was shy of what they could have expected: after the second-wicket stand, England looked set for a target way in excess of 250.
Australia, though, broke partnerships at key moments to check their progress, with all of their six bowlers picking up one wicket each. It was testament to a team effort in the bowling department, although Fitzpatrick was unusually expensive - her solitary wicket late on cost 61 runs from her ten overs. Nitschke, who cleaned up at Kidderminster with seven wickets, had to be content with just the one here, at a cost of 34.
Fitzpatrick made amends with the bat: a habit she has got into this tour. England's bowlers contained Australia early on, Jenny Gunn trapping Belinda Clark for a duck, Brunt adding the dangerous Karen Rolton for 16 shortly after and the visitors fell well behind the run rate.
Lisa Sthalekar made 40 and Lisa Keightley added 66, but theirs were uncharacteristically slow contributions and Australia were feeling the heat. But Alex Blackwell and Fitzpatrick brought the tourists right back into the match, adding 44 in a sixth-wicket partnership that threatened to settle the series then and there.
They nearly succeeded. Victory for England, though, will be a huge psychological boost, not just because they haven't beaten Australia for 12 years, but because they proved they could hold on under the pressure.
Their 18-year-old offspinner Jo Watts is someone who knows about pressure. After making her debut in the series opener, Watts had failed to take a wicket in the first two matches. But finally she broke her duck, Laura Newton holding the catch to dismiss Kate Blackwell.
Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Cricinfo
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Ashes Tour - 19 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 2nd women's ODI, Kidderminster Australia women 193 for 8 (Keightley 58, Guha 3-24) beat England women 123 (Taylor 48, Nitschke 7-24) by 65 runs
Shelley Nitschke took seven wickets as Australia crushed England at Kidderminster. Nitschke, the slow left-arm spinner, took seven for 24 from 7.1 overs, including six wides, to give the tourists a 2-0 lead in the one-day series.
England had started their innings encouragingly, with Laura Newton making 45 and Claire Taylor, their wicketkeeper, falling two short of her second fifty in as many games. Their partnership of 79 ended when Taylor edged Julie Hayes behind, which opened the floodgates in dramatic fashion.
There were to be no near-heroics from Arran Brindle this time, as Nitschke dismissed her and Clare Connor for ducks. Nitschke continued to charge through England's lineup, although Jenny Gunn showed some resilience in lasting 20 balls for her six runs - but her wicket, one of three all with the score on 120, spelt the end for England. Nitschke's devastation caused England to lose nine wickets for 48 runs, as Australia romped home in the 39th over by 65 runs.
Earlier, Isa Guha picked up 3 for 24 with her medium pace as England restricted the Australians to 193 for 8 in their 50 overs. Lisa Keightley and Kate Blackwell carried Australia's innings, each making half-centuries, but with wickets tumbling regularly at the other end, there was little momentum to their performance.
Connor won the toss and chose to bowl first, and it was Connor herself who made the first breakthrough, as Belinda Clark was stumped for 10, the first of four dismissals by England's wicketkeeper, Claire Taylor. The other Clare Taylor then removed the dangerwoman Karen Rolton for 5, before Connor struck again to dismiss Lisa Sthalekar for a duck.
At 62 for 3, Australia were in some strife, but Keightley and Blackwell steadied the innings with a 43-run stand, before Keightley was run out for 58. Blackwell knuckled down, adding 61 for the fifth wicket with her twin sister, Alex, but Guha returned with a three-wicket burst to give England the upper hand at the half-way mark. But Australia's bowlers responded superbly to destroy England's hopes.
The two sides have three further one-day matches, the first of which is on Sunday. The second and final Test, which is the decider, begins on Wednesday August 24 at Worcester.
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Ashes Tour - 16 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 1st women's ODI, Cheltenham Australia 222 for 7 (Keightley 56, Rolton 41, Sthalekar 44) defeat England 210 (Brindle, Fitzpatrick 4-19) by 12 runs
England's tail choked spectacularly as they lost their last five wickets for three runs to gift Australia victory at Cheltenham. Cathryn Fitzpatrick starred with both bat and ball to help Australia to the first honours of the NatWest series, as they defeated England by 12 runs. Arran Brindle struck 81 from 78 balls to take England close to their target of 223, but they choked in the face of some hostile Fitzpatrick fire.
That the world's best bowler took 4 for 19 may have come as no surprise, but her batting has been a revelation this year, as she followed up her maiden Test fifty at Hove with 38 not out at Cheltenham.
Battling rearguards from Australian tails are becoming something of a feature this summer. They were given a cracking start by Lisa Keightley and Karen Rolton who took Australia to 101 for 2 and, although Clare Connor reversed the momentum with three quick wickets, Australia's tail fought back strongly - led by Fitzpatrick.
England were in early difficulty in their reply at 13 for 2 and couldn't generate enough momentum from there. Brindle was again in form, following up her century in the first Test with 81. By the time she came to the crease England were way behind the run rate and with much to do but, with the momentum-changing ability of Kevin Pietersen, she clubbed England close to victory. By the time she was out, she must have felt the job was virtually done, with England needing just 16 with four wickets remaining.
Not so. They utterly collapsed as Fitzpatrick and Emma Liddell pulled them apart. Liddell made the breakthrough with Brindle's wicket, and she ended with 3 for 29, a haul which was richly deserved.
Keightley led the initial charge with 56, with Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar both reaching their forties. They looked good for 250, but England dragged their way back into the match with Connor's three-card trick. Shortly after Rolton was run out, Connor removed the Blackwell twins and then added the dangerous Sthalekar as Australia wobbled from 150 for 2 to 176 for 5. But then came Fitzpatrick's boost which proved vital.
Belinda Clark's woes, meanwhile, continued. After bagging a pair in the first Test she at least got off the mark at Cheltenham but, after reaching 16 she fell to Isa Guha, who was returning after a thigh injury. Clare Taylor was also back in the side and took the vital wicket of Keightley, whose 56 included ten fours.
It wasn't a good match for Jo Watts on debut. After the much publicised inclusion of 15-year-old Holly Colvin at Hove, England blooded yet another teenage spin sensation. Watts, a comparative old-timer at 18, was handed her debut, having missed out to Colvin in the longer format. Colvin's debut made the front page of The Times, Watts' wasn't much to write home about: she went wicketless in her ten overs, which went for 42.
She will now head to Kidderminster on Friday in search of her first wicket, when England will look to level the five-match series.
Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Cricinfo
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Ashes Tour - 15 August (PM) The first ODI is scheduled to take place tonight at Cheltenham.
Australia and England have met 39 times in one day internationals with Australia holding a 30-6 advantage (they have also had a tie and two no results). Australia had won their past 16 encounters that have seen a result secured. England's last win was in the 1993 World Cup in England when they won by 43 runs on their way to winning their 2nd (and last) World Cup title.
In the current squads, Australia has three of the world's current top 10 run scorers - Belinda Clark 4763 (1st), Karen Rolton 3447 (3rd) and Lisa Keightley 2314 (6th) - while England has only one - Charlotte Edwards 2369 (5th). Claire Taylor is 13th with 1476.
Of the leading wicket-takers, each side has two of the top 10: Australia - Cathryn Fitzpatrick 150 (1st) and Karen Rolton 71 (9th); England - Clare Taylor 100 (3rd) and Clare Connor 72 (8th).
Belinda Clark (973 runs, 1 century) and Cathryn Fitzpatrick (31 wickets, 1 5 wicket innings) are Australia's leading batter and bowler respectively against England.
Ashes Tour - 15 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 1st women's Test, Hove, 4th day Australia 355 and 223 (Rolton 97, Sthalekar 40) drew with England 273 Edwards 69, Brindle 54)
Elsewhere in the country where the other Ashes are being played, you can get long odds on a draw. Stalemate hadn't seemed the likely outcome at Hove either, when Karen Rolton and Julie Hayes bowled Australia into a strong position early on the final day.
But England's Arran Brindle stood firm to rescue the draw with her first Test century, to add to her first-innings half-century. Her 101 not out ensured that both teams will head to the second and final Test at Worcester with everything still to play for.
Cathryn Fitzpatrick again threatened with the bat but the rest of the tail failed to wag: she struck 37 of the final 51 runs which Australia managed for their last five wickets. Clare Connor wrapped up the tail and ended with deserved figures of 4 for 68.
England were left to chase 306 runs for victory, but it was always going to be a stiff ask on a deteriorating pitch. They were soon in trouble with Australia reducing them to 14 for 3, Rolton sending both Laura Newton and Claire Taylor back to the pavilion for ducks and Hayes accounting for Charlotte Edwards for 13.
Patience became the name of the game for England, with Connor and Brindle stabilizing matters. Connor fell for a stoical 21, but Brindle stood firm while Jenny Gunn, Beth Morgan and then Rosalie Birch all gave good, solid support.
Brindle's innings was composed of her usual well-timed strokeplay, with 16 fours in her highest Test score. The support acts efforts weren't innings to entice the spectators - Gunn's 15 came from 66 balls, Morgan's 8 from 80, and Birch's 2 from 29 - but they did the job.
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Ashes Tour - 12 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 1st women's Test, Hove, 3rd day Australia 355 and 172 for 5 (Rolton 97) lead England 273 (Edwards 69, Brindle 54) by 254 runs
A determined 97 from Karen Rolton, her second fifty of the match, ensured that Australia ended the third day of the first Test at Hove in a strong position after Jenny Gunn had threatened to put the skids under their second innings. At the close, Australia were 172 for 5, a lead of 254.
Rolton's counter-attacking knock rescued Australia after a wretched start to their second innings. Gunn removed both Lisa Keightley and Belinda Clark for ducks either side of lunch - Clark collecting a pair in the process - to leave Australia on 7 for 2 before Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar steadied the ship with a third-wicket stand of 115.
England fought back in the late afternoon when Katherine Brunt had Sthalekar caught behind for 40 and then Clare Connor trapped Alex Blackwell lbw for 18. The vital wicket of Rolton came shortly before the close as she was run out three short of a deserved hundred. But by then she had put Australia in a good position on a pitch which was beginning to look worn, as could only be expected as the game started on an old track.
England had resumed on 230 for 4, only 125 in arrears, but Arran Brindle fell in the third over of the day after adding one to her overnight 53, and the remainder of the innings folded meekly. Only Gunn, with 16 from 65 deliveries, offered anything other than token resistance.
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Ashes Tour - 11 August The following report is from the Cricinfo website:
England v Australia, 1st women's Test, Hove The following report is from the Cricinfo website:Close England 230 for 4 (Edwards 69, Brindle 53*) trail Australia 355 (Rolton 71, Nitschke 81*) by 125 runs
The following report is from the Cricinfo website:A run-rate of 2.35 overs, and just five wickets falling in an entire day's play? The menfolk would scoff at such conservative cricket, but for England's women, discretion was the better part of valour as they closed in on Australia's first-innings total of 355, on the second day of the first Ashes Test at Hove.
The following report is from the Cricinfo website:After the disappointment of letting Australia's tail off the hook yesterday, England were determined to grind their way back into the game, as first Charlotte Edwards, and then Clare Connor and Arran Brindle inched England back into contention. After Laura Newton had launched the reply with a hardhitting 24 from 22 balls, Edwards dug in to anchor the innings with 69 from 171 balls, including 12 measured fours.
The following report is from the Cricinfo website:She was eventually bowled by Shelley Nitschke, who had done so much to frustrate England earlier in the match, after Australia had slumped to 115 for 7. Her unbeaten 81 from No. 10 was the highest international score of her career and her first international half-century as well, as she and Clea Smith (42) added a further 27 to their overnight 328 for 9.
The following report is from the Cricinfo website:Smith and Nitschke added 119 for the tenth wicket, until Katherine Brunt struck with her third wicket, for figures of 3 for 64. But the frustration that England's bowlers felt was matched by their Australian counterparts, as England ground their way towards first-innings parity. Claire Taylor chipped in with 35, before Connor (41) added 84 with Brindle for the fourth wicket.
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Rampant Rolton routs England's women
Cricinfo staff
Cricinfo staff
England Women take series to a decider
Cricinfo staff
England end the 42-year wait
Cricinfo staff
England grind out a crucial lead
Cricinfo staff
England shine in the gloom
Cricinfo staff
England women hold on for nailbiting win
The Bulletin by Jenny Thompson
Nitschke takes seven as England collapse
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Fitzpatrick stars as Aussies grab first blood
The Bulletin by Jenny Thompson
Brindle's hundred saves England
Cricinfo staff
Rolton puts Australia in the box seat
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Edwards leads England reply
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