Sussex Women slip to first defeat of the season

Sussex Women fell to their first defeat of the season on Sunday, as Essex Women won by 45 runs at the Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.

Sussex have started the Royal London One-Day Championship season on fire, with maximum points from their opening three games sending them top of division two. 

However, a young Sussex side which was missing England trio Sarah Taylor, Danni Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss couldn't continue their impressive early season form after being bowled out for 114 by Essex - but there were still positives take. 

With the ball, Sussex excelled once more, with Linsey Smith dismissing Essex opener Sterre Kallis for eight. Smith soon claimed her second wicket, trapping Cordelia Griffith LBW, and when Beth Dodd was caught behind for 12, Smith had her third wicket of the day and Essex were 65-3 off 23 overs. 

A great Lucy Western catch at square leg earned Chiara Green a wicket, and had Essex perilously poised on 69/4, but they recovered well thanks to a 70-run partnership between Megan Janman and Mady Villiers.

Former Sussex player Janman was eventually out for 38, with Paige Scholfield breaking the partnership, before Villiers was dismissed by Tara Norris for an excellent 68. 

Scholfield and Norris both ended the innings with two wickets each, as Jessica Bird was clean bowled by Scholfield, and then Hayley Arrol out for one off Norris. When Clare Heywood was run out off the final ball of the innings, Essex finished on 159-9 with Sussex securing maximum bowling points in the process. 

Sussex started positively with the bat, with openers Green and Georgia Adams putting on a solid 39-run partnership before Green fell for 20. Adams was joined at the crease by Ella Mccaughan, but she fell for 0 and then captain Adams departed shortly afterwards for 32.

The wickets then started to tumble more regularly, with Scholfield and Ella Wadey out in quick succession, and when wicketkeeper Abigail Freeborn was out for 17, Sussex were struggling on 91-6.

The very next ball, Norris was out, bowled by Janman for 0, before Western, Smith and Cassidy McCarthy could only add a further 14 runs, and Sussex ended 45 runs short of their target on 114.

Sussex took six points from the match, but slipped to second in the division, with Essex leapfrogging them. A full scorecard of the match can be found HERE.