Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Holly Garton celebrates dismissing Tammy Beaumont at Trent Bridge yesterday. She added the other notable scalps of Kathryn Bryce and Georgia Elwiss.
All hail Holly was the message from the Yorkshire dressing room yesterday afternoon, despite an opening day Vitality Blast defeat to The Blaze at Trent Bridge.
The county’s development over the last couple of months in the early stages of their Tier 1 journey has mixed positivity with frustration, and this fixture was no different.
You could make a case to say that Yorkshire could have won every single game this season in both the Blast and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup. Unfortunately, they have only won two, tied one and lost six.
On the positive side is the development of individual players, both young and experienced. Jess Jonassen is in the form of her life with bat and ball, Sterre Kalis is going nicely with the bat, Ines Blackwell has broken through as well.
Yesterday, you can add 17-year-old Academy leg-spinner Holly Garton to that list. In a defence of 180, she claimed 3-23 from four overs having come into the side in place of Claudie Cooper, who was sidelined through injury.
Garton took the notable wickets of Tammy Beaumont, Kathryn Bryce and Georgia Elwiss. Not bad for your first Tier 1 outing, hey.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, Kalis praised her.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Rachel Slater, full of praise for Holly Garton.
And so too vice captain Rachel Slater, for the purposes of this preview, looking ahead to tomorrow’s clash with defending champions Surrey at Headingley (11.30am).
New-ball swing bowler Slater said: “I don’t even think she was expecting to play, so she was buzzing when she was told.
“She’s been really good, to be fair. She played a couple of games last year and did really well. She’s done well in pre-season as well.
“I don’t think it’s that much of a surprise to us. But, still, to do at 17, a leg-spinner bowling in the powerplay as well, it’s tough.
“She got three massive wickets – great names – and I’m really pleased for her. It’s a massive positive for us.”
Slater continued: “When you come into a squad whose leg-spinners are Sarah Glenn and Liv Thomas, who has done incredibly well for us last year, and be so at ease and so natural, it shows just what she’s about.
“She’s very relaxed and is unfazed by everything.
Picture by Gareth Copley/Getty Images. Another leg-spinner, Olivia Thomas, back in action for Yorkshire yesterday following injury.
“For a young player to come in and bowl like that on a good pitch when no-one else in the game has got close to that, it’s very impressive.”
Yorkshire were beaten by four wickets yesterday, against last year’s beaten semi-finalists. It doesn’t get any easier, with Surrey next up. Last year’s winners got their campaign up and running yesterday with a six-wicket win over Lancashire at the Kia Oval, chasing 186 to win with seven balls remaining.
Their captain Bryony Smith was the star in a high-scoring game with 71 off 35 balls. Seamer Alice Monaghan struck twice, including getting the prized scalp of Meg Lanning for 40 as Lancashire totalled 185-7.
Yorkshire have already played Surrey this summer, losing against them in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at the Kia Oval last month. In that game, Australian fast bowler Maitlin Brown played for them as their overseas player. She has since been replaced by big-hitting compatriot Laura Harris, who in 2021 called Headingley home as she played in The Hundred for the Northern Superchargers.
Slater added: “We know we’re not far off.
“I know we say it every game, but we took it deep against The Blaze, who are one of the best teams in the country.
“We know we’re close, but we also need to be better in some other elements. Our fielding let us down again.
Picture by Alex Davidson/Getty Images. Surrey’s new Blast overseas signing Laura Harris.
“Batting and bowling, we matched them, if not played better than them. It was the fielding that was the difference. At this level, you can’t get away with it. It will cost you. It’s definitely not through a lack of effort. We’re working hard on it. But it has to improve.”
This forms part of a daily double header with Yorkshire’s men, as was the case at Trent Bridge yesterday. The men won their evening game with Nottinghamshire Outlaws.
Jonny Bairstow’s men take on North Group rivals Derbyshire Falcons from 3.30pm.