Bryony Gillgrass insists she remained calm and composed as the Women’s Rapids’ T20 Blast action was decided in the final over away to Kent, in which the all-rounder was quick to highlight teammate Amy Maund’s brilliance with the ball.
Having tasted defeat in their previous two Blast outings, Ed Wilson’s side were eager to change their fortunes away to a Kent side who boasted an identical competition record, having won one and lost two matches.
Despite Gillgrass proving stubborn at the crease to top the Rapids’ batting card with 34, a lack of meaningful support saw the away side scrape to a total of 104-8 at the close of their allotted 20 overs.
An inspired performance with the ball, spearheaded by Amy Maund (4-7), ensured Worcestershire remained competitive however; ultimately securing a 3-run victory, with Kent squandering their chance of success after needing five off the last three deliveries.
As the overs ticked by, the pressure mounted, but Gillgrass remained ever confident.
“Honestly, I wasn’t nervous the whole time.
“I thought we had it in the bag after taking a couple of wickets early on, with Maundy’s incredible spell.
“From that point onwards, I felt we had it in the bag. I maybe got a little bit nervous later on, but I was pretty confident we’d stick at it.”
Having struggled to post imposing totals of late, making 109 and 101 in their last two outings respectively, Gillgrass reiterates her side’s commitment to their fresh playing philosophy, alongside how her role changed as wickets fell around her.
“I think me and Polly [Elicia Pollard] had a really positive start, we were 25-0 after the first three, which is where we want to be in the T20 as we look to attack the powerplay hard.
“Obviously, we then lost a couple of wickets at the back end of the powerplay, and I just knew that I had to carry on batting for the team and just be in there as late as possible.
“I wanted to attack the last overs a little bit more, but pulled out to the boundary, so that didn’t quite go to plan.
“But I just knew if I stuck around and continued knocking it around, we’d be able to post a total to defend.”
With Worcestershire’s batters yet to properly fire in the competition, the responsibility held by the Rapids’ bowling unit has only increased.
Led by the ever-present Jess Beach, the Rapids bowling unit has experienced a fair degree of rotation due to injury; however, the away side’s stellar showing at Kent with the ball in hand has proved how dangerous it remains.
“With our bowling attack, we can defend most scores.
“I think at times we’ve had that many runs on the board in the last two years and got close, but haven’t quite got it over the line.
“So I was really pleased that we got them seven down and carried on taking a few more wickets because we’ve been in that position a couple of times in the last couple of years and haven’t quite managed it, so I’m glad we got it over the line today.”
One Rapid returning to bolster the Worcestershire armoury was Amy Maund, who made her first appearance in over two years last time out against Derbyshire Falcons.
Having endured an arduous recovery period, Maund was eager to make up for lost time, as she got back amongst the wickets in dramatic fashion against Kent, posting a sublime return of 4-7 from her four overs, having at one point been on a hat-trick.
“It’s so good to have Maundy back.
“I’m really good friends with Maundy off the pitch as well, and I know how hard she has worked over the last couple of years to get her action in a better shape so she doesn’t injure herself again.
“To see her come on and take a wicket with her first ball, the joy on her face after the last two years was really nice to watch.”
The young pacers’ brilliance proved inspiring to the rest of her side, as Gillgrass picked up from where Maund left off to claim three wickets herself.
Self-proclaiming that she has not yet had the impact she had wished for at the outset of the season, Rapids supporters will be hoping that Gillgrass’ performance with the ball, as well as her 34 with the bat, will act as the catalyst to push her on through the remainder of the summer.
“I haven’t performed as well as I’ve wanted to with the ball or the bat in the competition so far.
“I came in to today really wanting to prove myself a little bit more, and ultimately help the team win games, which I haven’t felt like I’ve done this year so far.
“So to get a few with the bat and go take a few with the ball as well was a bit of a relief more than anything.”
Such is the nature of the Vitality T20 Blast that the Rapids are back in action as soon as Sunday, facing another away trip, this time to Gloucestershire.
The England U19 star highlights just how important arriving at the Seat Unique Stadium off the back of a victory could prove for the remainder of the season.
“Today’s the fourth game of the T20 Blast, and it could have been two losses and two wins or three losses and one win.
“I think making it two and two at the halfway stage in the competition makes a massive difference; we can take that confidence into Sunday.
“With a few players back for us on Sunday, we can hopefully make it two wins in three days and be right back at the top of the leaderboard.”
