Grimston ladies debut at softball festival

Grimston Cricket Club’s ladies’ team made their official debut on Saturday in the Norfolk Indoor Softball Festival.Facing cricketing powerhouses such as Downham Stow, Snettisham and Sheringham, the Grimston outfit took to the field at Lynnsport as major underdogs.Captain C. Nichols was realistic about expectations, stating: “Some of us have only held a bat for a few hours before now.”

Their opening fixture was against Downham Stow, and after some early nerves Grimston settled into the task with aplomb. Standout performances with the bat from Becky Barnes, and Elaine Oldroyd bowling some superb deliveries.Despite a strong showing, the quality of the Downham Stow line-up told as Grimston fell to a 131 vs 190 loss.Next up were Snettisham, which saw Grimston Ladies record their first-ever win in a thrilling game.M. Lambert opened the bowling with pace and accuracy, and S. Oxby was the standout batting performer with a beautifully timed drive for six runs.Sheringham were the opposition for Grimston’s final match-up, with everything to play for.Grimston lost the toss and were put into bat, with B. Garnett scoring well.As the game went down to the final ball, captain Nichols stepped up and delivered with a stumping which saw Grimston win by a solitary run – it truly was by the barest of margins.Finishing in second place overall behind Downham Stow, Grimston could be proud of their performance.Vice-captain Megan Shackcloth summed up the mood in camp in saying: “We came in with no expectations, and came away having finished second. It was an amazing effort and we had so much fun.”Grimston Ladies train on Wednesday nights, between 7 and 8pm at Springwood High School.New members of any ability would be very welcome.