18/10/2026
# 🏏💙🤍 DERWENT WOMEN START THE SEASON WITH A DOUBLE VICTORY!
# # # Two Teams. Two Wins. One Club, One Squad!
What a fantastic way to kick off the 2026/27 cricket season!
Both **Derwent Blue and Derwent White** opened their campaigns with victories, and while the wins came in different ways, both teams showed plenty of determination, teamwork and fighting spirit.
Even better, both sides bowled first and successfully chased down their opponents' totals!
# # # 💙 DERWENT BLUE – A FANTASTIC TEAM PERFORMANCE!
**Derwent Blue 4/99 defeated St Aidans 4/98**
What a terrific start to the season for our Blue girls!
Bowling first, the team produced an excellent all-round performance to restrict St Aidans to 98 runs.
**Jane Triffitt was outstanding with the ball**, claiming 2/10 from her four overs, while Catherine How (1/22) and Georgia Campbell (1/27) also picked up important wickets.
Special mention to **Frances Sullivan (0/14)** and **Lyndall Reading (0/15)**, who bowled beautifully through their four-over spells, keeping the pressure on the opposition.
With 99 needed for victory, the girls went about their chase with confidence.
**Catherine How led the charge with a fantastic 44 from 43 deliveries**, including eight boundaries. An excellent innings that gave the team a strong platform.
But cricket is a team game, and when wickets fell, someone needed to stand up.
Enter **Frances Sullivan!** 👏
Frances produced a brilliant unbeaten 34 from 43 balls, including five boundaries, helping guide the team to victory alongside Courtney Banks, who finished 1 not out.
**And the best part? Blue chased down the target with more than TWO OVERS TO SPARE!** 💙
A fantastic batting effort backed up by disciplined bowling.
What a way to start the season!
# # # 🤍 DERWENT WHITE – A THRILLING FINISH!
**Derwent White 0/133 defeated Montagu Bay Sharks 4/132**
If Blue delivered a confident chase, White certainly gave everyone something to cheer about!
Bowling first against Montagu Bay Sharks, the White girls restricted their opponents to 132 runs.
**Demi-May Rooke was exceptional with the ball**, finishing with 1/12 from four overs at an economy rate of just 3 runs per over.
Rachel Webb also delivered a terrific spell, claiming 1/19 from four overs, while Lillian Harris picked up a wicket.
Chasing 133 was never going to be easy, but the girls showed exactly what can happen when you back yourselves and work together.
**Demi-May Rooke was simply outstanding!** 🔥
After her brilliant bowling performance, Demi-May backed it up with a sensational **51 from just 39 deliveries**, including five fours and a six, before retiring not out.
What an all-round performance!
But there was another performance that deserves special recognition!
**Lillian Harris – TAKE A BOW!** 👏🏏
Opening the batting, Lillian showed tremendous patience, determination and composure, **carrying her bat from the very first ball of the innings right through to the winning run!**
Finishing unbeaten on **31 from 58 deliveries**, Lillian anchored the innings beautifully, providing the stability that allowed her teammates to play their natural game.
And what better way to finish than to **hit the winning run herself, with only a few balls remaining!** 💪
Laura Newell also played an important role, contributing an unbeaten 17 from 24 deliveries to help guide the team home.
**A ten-wicket victory, a half-century, an opening batter carrying her bat and a winning run struck under pressure!**
What a fantastic team effort and a brilliant example of why every contribution matters.
# # # 💙🤍 ONE CLUB, ONE SQUAD!
As coach, what excites me most isn't simply that both teams won.
It's seeing the girls putting into practice what we've been talking about leading into the season.
**Effort. Communication. Support. Unity.**
We've spoken about creating an environment where everyone feels valued, everyone contributes and everyone enjoys their cricket.
And after Round 1, I couldn't be happier with the start we've made.
One team chased down its target with more than two overs remaining, while the other took the game right down to the final few deliveries without losing a wicket.
Different games, different challenges, but the same determination to get the job done.
And that's exactly what we're trying to build at Derwent.
There will be tougher games ahead, there will be challenges, and not every weekend will produce two victories.
But if we continue to support each other, train with purpose, play with confidence and, most importantly, enjoy ourselves, we'll keep moving in the right direction.
A massive congratulations to every player who represented Derwent this weekend.
Whether you scored 50, took a wicket, saved runs in the field or encouraged your teammates, you all played a part.
**Remember, we're not just building two cricket teams. We're building one squad where everyone belongs, everyone matters and everyone has something to contribute.**
Let's take this confidence into Round 2, keep working hard for each other and continue enjoying our cricket!
**Two teams. Two victories. One Club, One Squad.**
**And we're only just getting started!**
💙🤍 **GO DERWENT!** 🏏
