32nd over: Australia 54-2 (Blackwell 1, Perry 0) Always great seeing a young bowler take their maiden wicket. Usually there’s a bit of OTT celebrating – again, great to see – but Ecclestone was subdued, knowing it was a bit of a gift from Beth Mooney. Her England teammates had other ideas:
Sophie Ecclestone has her maiden Test wicket! Sure, it’s come from a little bit of trash: much like the first wicket, it’s a short ball that’s been clouted straight to midwicket – Nat Sciver didn’t have to move an inch – but Mooney’s been kept in check for more than 100 balls and couldn’t put the bad one away.
31st over: Australia 54-1 (Mooney 27, Blackwell 1)
Getting some shin-pads on with another close catcher. Wilson is under the lid at very short cover. Helmet as well. So, two catchers in front of the wicket, plus Winfield at slip and Taylor behind the wicket. Plenty of pressure on Blackwell against Marsh. England know how badly they need to get rid of Australia’s calmest and most versatile player with the bat. A few yells, a couple of appeals. Enthused stuff. But, “Don’t you… forget Abood me,” sings umpire Gerard. He won’t give anything out in this over.
Don’t forget about me, either. But I’m gone. It’s now time for drinks, which means it’s also time for Vithushan Ehantharajah. And tomorrow, the Australian half of the OBO will be taken by Adam Collins. By Gawd, it’s been a pleasure bringing this Test to you. Let’s do it again reeeeeal soon.
30th over: Australia 53-1 (Mooney 26, Blackwell 1)
Mooney takes one. Ecclestone turning the ball away from Blackwell from outside off, and Blackwell thrusts the pad forward to knock it away. Dangerous, if she gets a straight one coming on with the arm. Really nice flight from Sophie, and respectful defensive strokes are earned from Blackwell. Happy to use her feet while defending as well, always positive to see versus a spinner. Getting oneself in a position to score, even if one doesn’t choose to follow through with it.
29th over: Australia 52-1 (Mooney 25, Blackwell 1)
Marsh lobs up a full toss, and Mooney doesn’t try to do too much with it. Sweeps away off the top edge, and it bounds down to deep backward square with a few bounces for a single. There’s cover in the deep out there. For Blackwell, a slip and a short leg against the offie. Backward point, cover, mid-off, mid-on, short midwicket, backward square, deep backward square.
28th over: Australia 51-1 (Mooney 24, Blackwell 1)
Ecclestone to Mooney, who works a run square, then Blackwell gets off the mark to midwicket. She’s a great manipulator of the field, Alex Blackwell. Well suited to this form of the game, though she’s never made a Test hundred. The team 50 comes up. Mooney finishes the over with another single.
27th over: Australia 48-1 (Mooney 22, Blackwell 0)
Bolton goes second ball of the over. There’s a big appeal against Blackwell first ball, as she lunged forward. That hit pad before bat, I fancy, and she wasn’t playing a shot even though it maybe hit outside the line. Marsh was jumping up and down. That could have been given, by a more adventurous umpire. Blackwell gets tangled up next ball, but gets through the over. Marsh immediately over the wicket to the right-hander, and England suddenly chirpy and bubbly around the bat.
Finally, for England! The first breakthrough, as Marsh dropped a long-hop down, and Bolton tried to slap it through leg. Instead she hit it toward Shrubsole, who had to tumble away to her side but completed the snare.
26th over: Australia 48-0 (Bolton 24, Mooney 22)
Sophie Ecclestone is back into action, drawing a defensive shot from Mooney. She’s bowling over the wicket, as a left-armer. Mooney drives a couple through cover, misses another that she chops down into the ground by her wicket in somewhat perilous fashion, then drives another couple through cover. She’s starting to find her feet now, on Test debut.
The late sunshine is getting very pleasant here at North Sydney Oval, as Charlotte Edwards waxes lyrical on ABC radio about what a lovely ground it is.
25th over: Australia 44-0 (Bolton 24, Mooney 18)
Mark me down for a caught-and-bowled for Marsh sometime today. A couple more shots played back to her on the bounce, and I just feel like one is going to carry at some stage.
24th over: Australia 44-0 (Bolton 24, Mooney 18)
That’s the Mooney we know from the WBBL. Poise and class in her off-side play. She backs away from Sciver a touch, finds some room given the angle over the wicket, and cuts smoothly for four! That looked good, after hitting Fran Wilson a number of times fielding in that position. This time Mooney got the placement. Sciver goes straighter, and Mooney is able to work to fine leg this time for two more runs. Must be her most prolific over so far today.
23rd over: Australia 38-0 (Bolton 24, Mooney 12)
Marsh still working beautiful shape. Lots of flight, getting some drift. There’s a litte bit of breeze ruffling the palm trees that loom behind the observation tower at the western end of the ground, and Marsh is lobbing the ball into that breeze as it blows from off side to leg for the left-handers. Mooney nearly beats cover with one drive, then plays tip-and-run to mid-off to keep the strike.
22nd over: Australia 37-0 (Bolton 20, Mooney 11)
Edged for four! Bolton has a big drive at Sciver, and flashes just past first slip! That was so nearly a chance, but the player with the bat gets the reward. Mooney started the over with a single.
21st over: Australia 32-0 (Bolton 20, Mooney 10)
Strange stuff. Bolton drops to one knee looking for a giant sweep shot, misses it completely, and it goes down leg. Marsh could have bowled her there. Got away with it. She flicks a couple of runs between the legs of short leg, racing back.
20th over: Australia 30-0 (Bolton 18, Mooney 10)
Sciver bowling. Mooney clips the ball to midwicket, and Brunt dives in crazy fashion and saves a run! Great fielding, and Bolton at the other end has to put in the big U-turn and scramble back into her ground with a lunge just in case Brunt threw the stumps down. Bolton thought that was through. Mooney cracks a cut show straight to point. Just the single from the first ball of the over, in the end.
19th over: Australia 29-0 (Bolton 17, Mooney 10)
Marsh settling into her line now, looping in around the wicket and landing the ball near Mooney’s feet. One nearly takes the leading edge back toward the bowler. This could be a good contest.
18th over: Australia 29-0 (Bolton 17, Mooney 10)
Sciver over the wicket, Mooney gliding between point and gully, and Wilson puts in a good diving stop that drags the bal back with one hand. Keeps two or four runs to a single. Shrubsole puts in a good diving stop at short cover.
17th over: Australia 28-0 (Bolton 17, Mooney 9)
Right-arm ortho Marsh will replace left-arm ortho Ecclestone from the Moreton Bay Fig end. Quite a long run-up for Marsh, 11 paces to the wicket, then whirls the arm. She’s bowling round the wicket. Bolton walks at her and drives a run to long-on, Mooney does the same and finds one into the covers. Mooney very sedate, 9 from 46 balls, not quite Lauren Winfield but not much faster. Bolton glances a couple of runs – nope, the umpire does the stork signal, and follows the leg byes by delivering a baby to some religious puritans who can’t bear to discuss procreation.
16th over: Australia 24-0 (Bolton 16, Mooney 8)
And England into the holding bowlers already. Nat Sciver is on to bowl medium pace, stump to stump. She’s over the wicket at least, instead of around. Mooney her target, and Sciver just tucks her up a couple of times, a leading edge at one stage. Sciver’s style of bowling might get some deliveries to hold up, which could lead to a return catch or a snare in front of the wicket. Starts with a maiden.
15th over: Australia 24-0 (Bolton 16, Mooney 8)
Sophie Ecclestone will start after the tea break, the tall left-arm spinner. Too straight for Bolton, who works it square for one, then too short for Mooney, who cuts a run. There’s an LBW appeal hitting very high, and even for a player of Bolton’s diminutive stature that’s going over the top.
Few fireworks in that session, but a few lovely shots showing what these Australians can do. They’ll look to come out and express themselves more fulsomely after the break, or at least I hope they will. England were bowled out earlier in the session for what should be a competitive 280, but so far have looked a little short of ideas in the bowling department.
This is how the Women’s Ashes Test looks if you’re in Australia…
And this is how it looks if you’re in England.
14th over: Australia 22-0 (Bolton 15, Mooney 7)
And the traditional sole over of spin before tea. Classic. Laura Marsh will bowl her off-breaks, also around the wicket. England very determined about this today. There’s a slip, a short leg, backward square and deep square. Turning the ball away from the leftie’s bat. Getting some turn already, Marsh, but also bowling loose stuff, short and wide. Mooney doesn’t care, just wants to get through. Leaves those, defends when the ball is straighter. A maiden, the tea break, and Australia consolidating well.
13th over: Australia 22-0 (Bolton 15, Mooney 7)
“We’re in the holding pattern, as an airline pilot might say,” says Jim Maxwell on ABC radio. “Not going anywhere, not coming in to land.” Brunt bowls dot ball after dot ball. But finally Bolton can’t resist a full one. Lovely straight drive, down the ground for four. Just to the on side of straight.
12th over: Australia 18-0 (Bolton 11, Mooney 7)
Five minutes to the break, and Australia determined just to defend things out and get there no wicket down. Another maiden to Shrubsole. Worth a bowling change for England, you’d think, to try something else? I believe I mentioned Gordon Cricket Club yesterday, which is near our North Sydney locale. And here they are turning out today.
11th over: Australia 18-0 (Bolton 11, Mooney 7)
Another maiden to Brunt, attacking the stumps round the wicket. Last one of these, I promise, but this is gold. The Guardian’s Mel Jones:
10th over: Australia 18-0 (Bolton 11, Mooney 7)
Cover drives, hey? Yes please, says Mooney, opening the face and sending Shrubsole away. This one doesn’t quite make it, hauled back in a tag-team fielding scenario. Two runs.
9th over: Australia 16-0 (Bolton 11, Mooney 5)
Nicole. Hello. Brunt round the wicket, slips too wide and too full, and Bolton launches into a thumping cover drive. Four runs. Angled back in next ball, and Bolton resumes defence. This is a good tussle so far, the Australians not overreaching themeslves, just waiting for the one they want to attack.
Tammy Beaumont yesterday described Test batting for her as “knowing which scoring options you were going to commit to”, and not being flustered if you had to wait. As good a description I’ve heard as any, up there with Simon Katich saying “Surviving a hundred balls is about making a hundred good decisions.”
8th over: Australia 12-0 (Bolton 7, Mooney 5)
Now Shrubsole is back over the wicket. Ducks and drakes, musical chairs, docie-do. Misfield from Wilson at point as Bolton drives square, and the openers are able to dash a single as the rebound was collected at cover. Shrubsole goes over the wicket to Mooney now, bowls wide and full, and Mooney will be annoyed at missing out there. She lashed the drive at the ball, but squirted it too square, and Wilson at point was able to stop it this time.
7th over: Australia 11-0 (Bolton 6, Mooney 5)
Now Brunt has come around the wicket. Dagnall will be losing his mind. Left-handers, sure, but surely you’re better off using your angle. Mooney playing a patience game. Brunt spearing the ball in towards Mooney. Three in the cordon still. Another maiden. I’m told there are a lot of female Richies among the group today, which is excellent to see.
6th over: Australia 11-0 (Bolton 6, Mooney 5)
Shrubbers attacking the pads again, this time Bolton can find a gap at square leg with the flick away. Only a single, as there’s a deep backward square leg. Also two slips, a gully, point, cover, mid-off, a strongly off-side field given the bowler’s angle. Mid-on and midwicket are the other two on the leg-side. Another appeal comes through for another leg-side slider. Finally, Mooney gets just a touch of width. Not much, but she’s prolific behind point. Opens the face, finds the gap, and glides four!
5th over: Australia 5-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 1)
Brunt is bowling just back of a length, angling across, looking for bounce. If there’s any swing in that ball, she won’t be finding it, but she’s hoping for some bounce or movement off the seam. Loses her line from the fourth ball and pushes it very wide, throws her head back in frustration. Every little thing infuriates Brunt. She’s basically fury held together by a cricket uniform.
4th over: Australia 5-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 1)
Shrubsole continuing around the wicket. Trying to get the ball tailing in towards the stumps, looking for an LBW or bowled. Bolton keeps playing to the leg-side, given the angle, but can’t get through the field. So another maiden for England. Australia starting with a touch more purpose than England did, even if the score isn’t racing along.
3rd over: Australia 5-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 1)
Brunty. You have to pronounce this as “Broonty”. It channels her no-nonsense northern attitude. She’s a ball of muscle and aggression. Fabulous cricketer. Mooney on strike to her this time, watchfully seeing off the over. In the men’s tour match, Stoneman is on 41 and Cook on 23, a lead of 125 against a CA XI at Adelaide Oval.
2nd over: Australia 5-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 1)
Shrubsole, right-handed swing bowler, is starting around the wicket. Charles Dagnall of the BBC is unimpressed on the radio. “You’re most vulnerable in your first three or four balls,” he says. “Make them play. Use that natural angle, swing it away, bring your slips into play.” Shrubsole instead spears one into Mooney, hits the pad, big appeal but it’s going well down leg. Mooney nearly falls over stabbing a ball into the on-side, btu gets off the mark.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Bolton 4, Mooney 0)
Katherine Brunt starting with the ball, and Bolton with the bat. Two left-handed bats at the top of the order. Bolton gets one ball she likes, and clips it cleanly behind square leg for four.
Remember if you want to contribute to the OBO – thoughts, reflections, enthusiasms, memories, square-dancing moves – you can get me on Twitter at @GeoffLemonSport, or email [email protected].
“Is there a big crowd there today/night with Ostraylia likely to bat later in the day?” asks Citrus Bob on the email. Not as big as yesterday, yet, but a decent scattering of people on the grassy banks on the southern side of the ground, and the O’Reilly stand on the northern. If yesterday is a guide, there’ll be an influx later in the day.
A solid score, in the end, though England would think they’re perhaps 50 runs light given the batting conditions and their own carelessness in several of those dismissals. It now falls to Australia to show greater discipline and take the advantage, or fail and surrender it. Or it falls to England to bowl out of their skins. We’ve had just over an hour of play, so a good three hours of friendly batting conditions remain for the Aussies. Bolton and Mooney will presumably open, and should be out to the crease shortly.
115.5 overs: England 280-10 (Ecclestone 8)
Perry with some width, Marsh lashes it over backward point for four! Not perfectly timed, but it bounces down to the boundary rope. The mark ticks up to 280. If this last pair could get England to 300, it would see them go into the field very cheerfully.
But no! Marsh backs away again, Perry bowls straight and a bit short, Marsh prods at it, and there goes the nick to the keeper. Exactly what you risk happening with that mode of batting. England’s innings is done.
115th over: England 276-9 (Marsh 9, Ecclestone 8)
Shots all round the wicket! Ecclestone drives Wellington to midwicket for a couple, then through cover for a couple more. Every time I see her name, I can’t help shortening it to Eccles. And then this happens.
114th over: England 272-9 (Marsh 9, Ecclestone 4)
Perry back, and a misfield lets Marsh sneak a cut through the infield for a couple of runs. Perry bowls a no-ball – she’s a bit of a culprit for that, when the umpires are paying attention. Marsh is playing with a strange shape – seeming to back away a little, then jutting that bat out to defend balls off her stumps. Seems risky, defending outside the line of your body rather than getting behind the ball. But what would cricket be without weird batting stances?
113th over: England 269-9 (Marsh 7, Ecclestone 4)
“Aeroplane Welly” is the song for Amanda Wellington, as she fields multiple times from her own bowling. A single from the over.
Constructive criticism always welcome.
112th over: England 268-9 (Marsh 6, Ecclestone 4)
Ellyse Perry the other half of a dual bowling change. She immediately decides to drop shot, and Sophie Ecclestone pulls it for four! She’s probably the tallest on the England team, is Sophie, and she used every bit of that height. Arched her back, got up on her toes, and lifted it over midwicket. Lovely shot for her first runs in Test cricket.
111th over: England 264-9 (Marsh 6, Ecclestone 0)
Amanda Wellington on to try to finish things off with turn. She has 1 for 56 so far, having knocked off top-scorer Tammy Beaumont yesterday with a ball that spun sharply and was taken at second slip. This first over she’s maybe a fraction too short, meaning there’s time to assess the turn, and Marsh is able to hang back a bit and watch the ball closely. A maiden for Wellington, who’ll be better for having turned the arm over a few times.
110th over: England 264-9 (Marsh 6, Ecclestone 0)
“I’ve been really impressed with her batting,” says former England captain Charlotte Edwards of Ecclestone, speaking on ABC Grandstand. Ecclestone gets through a McGrath maiden with a couple of false shots, but survives.
109th over: England 264-9 (Marsh 6, Ecclestone 0)
2 for 51 for Megan Schutt now, as England’s No11 comes to the crease. Shrubsole made her highest Test score, but rather threw it away. Sophie Ecclestone is 18 years old, and having her first hit in Test cricket. Nervous, or loving it?
Another one for Schutt, and another on the short ball. Insane stuff from England, coming out blazing when they could have built an innings. Shrubsole tries a mighty pull shot, gets plenty of it, and it carries to Villani at deep backward square. Got completely sucked in.
108th over: England 262-8 (Shrubsole 20, Marsh 4)
Off the edge? Good idea, says Shrubsole, nicking McGrath for another boundary. Middle of the bat next ball, driven through covers for four more! Shrubsole made a duck off 47 balls against Australia in her last Test. She’s going nicely here. Gets a single to go to 20.
107th over: England 253-8 (Shrubsole 11, Marsh 4)
She’s not famous for fast scoring, Laura Marsh – made a Test 50 off 291 balls once. But she gets away quickly here, with a boundary off the outside edge. She did used to open in T20s at one stage. An study in constrast. Schutt finishes her successful over.
WILSON!
Given it away! That ball wasn’t even that short, but Wilson was trying to pull. Got herself in a tangle, almost tripped over her own feet trying to get back and around. Never in position to hit the shot, and the ball loops up comfortably for Perry at square leg. The Richies play the Imperial Death March on their trumpets as Laura Marsh comes in.
106th over: England 249-7 (Wilson 13, Shrubsole 11)
Sah-wing batter batter batter, and sah-wing bowler. Wilson gets off strike, and Shrubsole aims to clip McGrath through midwicket. Except that ball angling towards the stumps swings away sharply, and beats the outside edge. Cannons into Healy’s pad, keeping up to the stumps. No chance of a stumping though, as Shrubsole’s foot was well grounded.
105th over: England 248-7 (Wilson 12, Shrubsole 11)
Shrubbery! Anya gets some width from Schutt, opens the face of the bat, and directs the drive through backward point for four. Lovely stuff. Less elegant a couple of balls later, when she swings harder and gets a thick looping outside edge to the same region. Jonassen dives across to her right but can’t quite fingertip the ball, and it escapes for four more! It’s a no-ball, too, and Wilson started the over with a single. So, 10 from the over. Happy days.
104th over: England 238-7 (Wilson 11, Shrubsole 3)
McGrath parsimonious, as per her name. Still on that line outside off for another maiden. A trademark of England lately has been how much fun they have.
103rd over: England 238-7 (Wilson 11, Shrubsole 3)
Tell you what, Shooter McGavin is getting more movement than the old folks’ home on prune day. Starting the ball way outside off stump, then swinging it in. Using angle and movement to threaten the stumps. Shrubsole gets away from the examination by bunting one into the covers, and Wilson sees out the rest.
102nd over: England 237-7 (Wilson 11, Shrubsole 2)
The Richies are down here at North Sydney Oval, or at least a good slab of them. I’d say 60 or 80, in their traditional beige garb, out in the O’Reilly Stand. “Ooh, ahh, Tahlia McGrath!” they chant, which doesn’t really work syllabically but is made up for in enthusiasm. She bowls a steady line of nicely curving away-swingers outside off stump, and the Richies give a big “ooooh!” every time Wilson leaves one alone.
101st over: England 237-7 (Wilson 11, Shrubsole 2)
We are away! Fran Wilson is at the non-striker’s end, the dynamic and clever late-overs hitter in one-day cricket. She’ll need all that nous and adaptability today. Anya Shrubsole is at the other end, capable with the bat though not dominant, it would be fair to say. Megan Schutt zeroes in on the stumps as she ever does. Shrubbers defends a few, then works two runs through midwicket. Confident start.
It was a fun day yesterday after a slow start. Fun especially for Ellyse Perry, who was left in hysterics after taking an entirely accidental caught-and-bowled.
“I think I just slipped a little bit in some footmarks on that delivery and my head went down. I lost all sight of it. I think it was a pretty hideous delivery, I didn’t even see it. Then I looked up and the lights were a little bit in my eyes. And I think the first time I spotted the ball was pretty much just before it hit my arm. The rather embarrassingly I managed to catch it. I think I provided a lot of entertainment for everyone and I lost all composure and I’m really glad Rachael took me off after that. That’s all I’ve got for you…”
Good morning, afternoon, evening, friends and friands. Guess what? It’s another stonkingly gorgeous day here at North Sydney Oval. The players are out in the middle warming up. England will bat on, three wickets in hand and 235 on the board. If they can get to 300, they will well and truly have the upper hand here. The Aussies will need to find something, under sunlight with a ball 20 overs old.
Geoff will be here shortly. Here’s how things stand after the first day (and night) at North Sydney Oval: