Glamorgan Preview: Rapids chase for qualification heats up

Metro Bank One Day Cup Women’s League Two : Worcestershire Rapids Women v Glamorgan Women

Venue: The Josh Baker Oval, Astwood Bank CC, Redditch

Date: Monday 25th August

Scheduled start time: 10:30am

With just two games remaining to book a spot on the quarter finals of the Metro Bank One Day Cup, Worcestershire Women’s Rapids face Glamorgan on Monday, with a win paramount if the chasing Rapids are to extend their season beyond the group stage.

With the day dedicated to Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven, the players will be wearing specially designed pink t-shirts in the warm-up whilst the organisation will have volunteers wearing pink T-shirts, bringing a pink gazebo as a focal point and carrying out collections using shaker buckets around the ground.

Worcestershire Women’s Rapids batted Derbyshire out of the contest as they recorded a crushing 170 run win in the Women’s League Two of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

Clare Boycott starred with a superb 112 at the top of the order for her side, as Gwen Davies (78) batted in fluent style to help add 150 for the first wicket.

Bryony Gillgrass slammed 65 from 39 balls whilst Sophie Beech (69) added a half century of her own as the Rapids punished some wayward Falcons bowling.

Jess Beach took 4-23 to lead the way for her side in the second innings, as contributions across the bowling unit saw them bowl Derbyshire out for 210.

Ed Wilson says his side are “itching to get back in action” and take on Glamorgan this Monday, after last week’s big win at Derbyshire kept the Rapids in the hunt for a qualification spot in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.

The side could not be better placed for their forthcoming match, with confidence sky high after a commanding 170-run win against the Falcons keeping Worcestershire in fifth spot in the group, within touching distance of the qualification places.

With Glamorgan lying in wait on Bank Holiday Monday, Wilson is more than aware of the threat posed by the team who have only lost one game during this year’s competition.

“Last week was a proper performance and the kind of display every team chases, where you dominate first up with a big score and allow your bowlers to and express themselves and do their thing. 

“Clare, Bryony, Sophie and Gwen batted with absolute confidence and played the situations perfectly, which is all we can ask of them whenever they get out into the middle – and it was just one of those days where everything payed off. 

“That is behind us now and ahead of our game against Glamorgan we know that result is now irrelevant in many ways. Of course, we will take loads of confidence from it, but in the same breathe we have a lot of respect for Glamorgan and go into that game knowing we need to be right at our best of we are to get another result.”

Consistency has been key for Wilson’s side since the back end of the Vitality T20 Blast campaign, where the change in fortunes has seen the Rapids win four of their last seven matches across both white-ball competitions and keep them in the hunt for the knock-out stages of the longer format.

However, the Rapids will be missing some key faces for the clash with Glamorgan on Monday as a direct result of the upturn in fortunes, with Bryony Gillgrass and Sophie Beech both named to play in the North v South fixture on the same day, ruling them out of the reckoning for Worcestershire.

Head Coach, Wilson says despite the unavailability of some crucial players, the opportunity will fall on other squad members to stake their claim for selection.

“Bryony Gillgrass and Sophie Beech have both been selected for the north v south game, which is a fantastic achievement and opportunity for them to go and show their skills on the big stage. 

“Ebony-Jade Tweats is also unavailable so Ruby Davis, Amy Wheeler and Caitlin Baker-Smith come back into the squad. 

“From my point of view we are so happy for them and proud of them being selected, they have been really consistent especially in the last couple of games and we will miss them, but it gives opportunities for someone else to step in and perform.

“I know that all of the girls who have been playing and those coming back in are itching to get back in action.”

Glamorgan Women

Glamorgan have made an excellent start to the competition, with their impressive form seeing them rise to third in the table, having only lost one of their opening seven group matches.

The away side need just one win from their remaining two fixtures to secure qualification, and may not even need that if other results go their way this weekend.

The visitors travel to Redditch in good form, on the back of a dominant six-wicket win over Kent in their previous outing, where they knocked off 227 with relative ease.

The Rapids don’t have to look any further than Glamorgan’s top-order batter Lauren Parfitt for the side’s main threat, with the opening batter fresh off scoring 111 not-out during the aforementioned game.