Worcestershire Women’s Rapids Under-18 have made an impressive start to their ECB Girls Under-18 County Cup campaign with victories over Warwickshire and Shropshire in Group Two.
They defeated Warwickshire by six wickets at Harborne and then overcame Shropshire by five wickets at Bromsgrove in the 40-over competition.
Against Warwickshire, the Worcestershire new ball attack of captain Ellie Anderson and Amy Maund were in superb form.
They both picked up two wickets in reducing Warwickshire to 26-4 in fully justifying Anderson’s decision to bowl first.
Maund returned to the attack to pick up two more wickets and finished with figures of 7-1-17-4. Anderson ended with 8-2-21-2 and Hannah Hardwick 7-2-33-2 in a Warwickshire total of 190-9.
Charis Pavely then put Worcestershire on the path to victory as she raced to 81 off 50 balls with three sixes and 14 fours.
Pavely also hit an unbeaten century against Warwickshire in a 40-over friendly at Bromsgrove School last month.
She dominated a second-wicket stand of 97 with Rosie Ward (33).
Anderson completed a fine all-round display by making 53 off 50 balls with seven boundaries as Worcestershire won with 3.1 overs to spare.
After Shropshire chose to bat, Anderson (5-0-18-1) made an early breakthrough before Emily Churns (82), and Erin Newey (29) added 139 for the second wicket.
Both fell to Danielle Williams (7-0-27-3), but Worcestershire conceded 44 extras, including 23 wides, to lift Shropshire’s final total to 220-8.
Anderson again played a crucial part with the bat in making another half-century as Worcestershire reached their target in 37.2 overs.
She saw her side over the finishing line with a run-a-ball 53 not out with six fours and shared an unbroken stand of 67 with Hannah Hardwick (23 not out).
Openers Katie Allerton (15) and Lisette Barden (42) laid the foundations with a stand of 61 before Pavely made a quickfire 26 off 20 balls.
Worcestershire will next be in ECB Girls Under-18 County Cup action on July 14 against Staffordshire Under-18s at Milford Hall CC.
