THE Suffolk Under-13 girls reached peak performance at the end of the competitive season when they beat Essex and finished runners-up in a tournament at Beaconsfield CC last week.

Four county teams travelled to join host team Bucks for a one-day tournament. Despite a tough draw, Suffolk convincingly beat Berks and Essex to make the final against home favourites Bucks.

Expectations were high that Essex would triumph but Suffolk batted first and set a standard Essex could not match. A 42-run partnership between Shannon Sayers (23 not including five fours) and Plum O’Riordan (four) was the backbone of the innings, Suffolk finishing on 52 for two off eight overs.

The Suffolk fielders then pressurised Essex into a run out, a stumping by wicket-keeper Megan Garrod and an lbw from captain Fran Auchterlonie. Essex finished three runs short on 39 - a shock defeat for the first-class county by their minor county neighbours.

In the final, the more experienced Bucks side, coached by former England Test cricketer Aftab Habib, found the boundary consistently and scored 60 runs. For Suffolk, Polly Dodds and Jo Jo Maberly compiled a valiant 29-run partnership, one run at a time. But the run rate wasn’t enough to get them home and Bucks won by 21 runs.

In addition to being awarded their runner-up medals, Suffolk players Fran Auchterlonie and Lizzie Brisbane were also recognised for being in the top three bowling performances of the day with five wickets each.

“The Suffolk girls have shown total commitment to improving their game this season after a 12-week winter training programme,” commented coach Mary Munley.

“Their success is also thanks to the supportive, taxi-driving parents who give up so much time.”

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