The Kent Girls’ Hardball Club County Cricket Finals wrapped up the 2026 season, with Bexley winning the Under 11 Girls Hardball title and Hayes taking the Under 13 Girls crown.
Both finals took place at Kings Hill Cricket Club in the middle of the county. The standard was superb and the matches were played in a fantastic spirit.
The Under 11 Girls’ Club Hardball Final was held on Tuesday 18th August. Teams came from the North Kent and Invicta Junior Leagues’ girls’ club divisions. Bexley, Hayes and Holmesdale were welcomed to the day. Hayes were last year’s winners and aimed to retain their title against two tough opponents. The format was a triangular round robin, with ties on points decided by net run rate.
All three games featured fantastic bowling, batting and fielding. The wickets were knocked out of the ground so often that repairs to the hard ground were needed. Going into the last match and final innings, the winner was still unclear. The final fixture was tight, with Holmesdale within touching distance of the title, but Hayes pulled out a win to give each team one victory. That meant net run rate decided it, and the margin was razor thin: 0.05 run rate separated the three teams. Bexley CC won by 1/100th, with Holmesdale CC second and Hayes third, though the title could have gone to any of the three clubs.
The Under 13 Girls’ Club Hardball Final took place on Wednesday 19th August, with teams from the Invicta League, Saxon Shore League, Weald of Kent League and North Kent Junior League. Four teams played at Kings Hill CC, and each side began with a semi-final. Match 1 saw Marden face St Lawrence and Highland Court, while Match 2 paired Sissinghurst against Hayes.
In Semi-Final 1, the quick outfield punished fielding errors with boundaries or extra runs. Once players settled, there were excellent displays of fielding and wonderful throws, including a great run out. Bowlers stayed on target all day, and missed shots led to wickets falling. St Lawrence and Highland Court emerged as winners and moved on to the final.
In Semi-Final 2, Hayes set a very high target of 160 for Sissinghurst to chase in 80 balls. The Hayes batters started fast and hard, and the quick outfield punished any fielding errors. Sissinghurst never gave up, working hard in the field to cut down boundaries. But in their batting innings, Sissinghurst couldn’t quite match the score, and Hayes won to progress to the final.
The final between Hayes and St Lawrence and Highland Court was an exciting match with plenty happening. Battles between bowler and batter were frequent, but Hayes’ batters did a great job in the middle, all contributing to the total. St Lawrence and Highland Court’s fielding side tried hard to restrict them, but Hayes emerged as the Under 13 Girls’ Club County Champions.
Sissinghurst faced Marden in the third-place match, and both teams made their clubs proud with their efforts throughout the day. Sissinghurst beat Marden to take third place.
Source: www.kentcricket.co.uk — Read the original article
Leave a Comment