Worcestershire Women’s Rapids launched their ECB County T20 Group Two programme with a 29 run success over Staffordshire Women at Milford Hall CC.
Ami Campbell marked her Rapids debut by top-scoring with 38 not out after captain Chloe Hill elected to bat.
Georgina Macey (28) and Milly Home (21) laid a solid base for the Rapids with an opening stand of 56.
Campbell then struck four fours in her 30 ball knock with Emily Arlott, 35 not out from 25 deliveries with five boundaries, helping her add an unbeaten 54 in a total of 144-3.
When Staffordshire batted, the new ball attack of Arlott and Ellie Anderson both picked up an early wicket and set the tone for an excellent display by the Rapids bowlers.
Arlott finished with figures of 3-1-12-1 and Anderson 4-0-11-1, and they were well supported by Clare Boycott, 4-0-21-1, and Flora Bertwhistle, 4-1-27-1.
It was Bertwhistle who dismissed Staffordshire’s top scorer Davina Penn after she had made 59 off 43 balls.
The result was reversed in Game Two, with Staffordshire winning by seven wickets.
Macey (34) and Home (27) again gave the Rapids a decent start with another stand of 56.
Hill, with 29 off 31 balls, and Arlott, 14 not out, were the other main contributors to a total of 115-4 after the Rapids had been put into bat.
Boycott made the first breakthrough when Staffordshire replied in dismissing Perrins for 23, and Bertwhistle had Stephanie Butler (14) stumped by Hill.
England spinner, Sarah Glenn, made her first appearance of the season for the Rapids and bowled four overs for just 19 runs.
But Lydia Perry (42) and Anney Freeborn (25 not out) saw Staffordshire home with nine balls to spare.
Arlott eventually bowled Perry and ended with 3.3-0-19-1, with Boycott returning 3-0-15-1 and Bertwhistle 3-0-18-1.
Women’s Rapids Captain Chloe Hill said: “It was great to see Ami score runs on her debut. We knew that she was returning from a little pre-season injury and was allowed to play one game.
“It was good to see that she got going in that first game and looked really comfortable out there with the bat.
“We had a strong powerplay, and then Ami and Emily did what you should do at the back end of a T20 innings, in continuing to score boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
“Emily then bowled a tremendous first over, a wicket maiden, and I’ve never seen her bowl so well.
“The ball was moving about, and, with the pace she has, it was one of her best overs.
“It was a good all-round performance from everyone in the first game.
“In the second game, the wicket slowed up massively, and both teams struggled to score.
“Staffordshire struggled to chase our score down, but they had one over, the 17th, where they managed to get two boundaries away, and that just changed things when we could have sneaked a victory.
“We started off strong again with the bat but we then went on the brakes a little bit more and struggled to score the boundaries.”
*The Women’s Rapids are back in action on Sunday (April 24) with two ECB County T20 matches against Berkshire at Bromsgrove at 11am and 3pm.
