Rainhill Women Complete the Double with Super 8s Plate Triumph

League champions.
Promotion secured.
And now, Plate winners too.

Rainhill Women completed a memorable double at Moor Park on Sunday, lifting the Women’s Hardball Super 8s Plate after producing their best all-round performance of the season when it mattered most.
There were understandable nerves before the final against Sefton Park. The league title and promotion were already secured, but there was one more opportunity in front of them: win the final and turn a brilliant season into a double-winning one. Once the game began, those nerves quickly gave way to a performance full of energy, discipline and togetherness.

Rainhill won the toss and elected to field, and from the opening overs there was a sharpness about them. Sefton Park scored 80 from their 16 overs, but in the pairs format wickets are crucial, with five runs deducted each time one falls. Rainhill took nine of them, knocking 45 runs from the total and restricting Sefton Park to just 35 net runs.

Sarah Lawler led another superb bowling effort, taking 4 for 17 from her four overs, while Lucy Strettle returned an excellent 2 for 11, Annabelle Clifford picked up 2 for 24, and captain Sarah Curlett added another wicket. Just as impressive was the control: across the entire 16 overs Rainhill conceded only two wides and one no-ball.

The bowling figures, though, tell only part of the story. This was arguably Rainhill’s finest fielding performance of the season.

Everyone was switched on. The backing-up was excellent, the ground fielding was sharp and there were very few easy runs available. Sefton Park had to genuinely find the gaps to get the ball away; otherwise Rainhill were there, cutting it off and so often restricting them to a single. It was excellent team fielding, with every player contributing to the pressure.

Emily Lowrie had an outstanding game in that respect. She stopped three balls that looked certain to reach the boundary, potentially saving 12 runs through sheer commitment in the field. In a format where every single run matters, those interventions were hugely important, and she would later back up that effort with the bat.

There were some spectacular moments too, none more so than Lucy Strettle’s remarkable caught-and-bowled. Having delivered the ball, Lucy saw it struck back over her head and immediately ran backwards, somehow reaching up to take a brilliant one-handed catch with the ball behind her – it was an great piece of athleticism.

Erin Jones also held a tricky chance, that came at her flat and fast, as Rainhill continued to make their opportunities count, while Sarah Lawler produced another superb catch late in the innings. The ball went high into the air and seemed to stay there forever, but Sarah settled underneath it, watched it all the way and took it cleanly with excellent technique.

Nine wickets, excellent bowling and a superb collective effort in the field had reduced Sefton Park’s 80 runs to just 35 net. Rainhill could hardly have given themselves a better platform. Now it was over to the batters.

And they responded emphatically.

One of the great strengths of Rainhill’s innings was that there was no reliance on a single player. Contributions came throughout the order, partnerships kept moving the score forward and wickets were protected.

Annabelle Clifford made 10 before Emily completed an excellent individual final by striking 14 from just nine balls. Niamh Scarborough added 11 from eight, Jess McKenzie made an unbeaten 15, and Lucy followed her bowling and fielding heroics with an attacking 20 from only 11 deliveries.

Erin then produced an excellent unbeaten 16 from 13 balls, before captain Sarah Curlett drove the innings onwards with 29 from just 14, the highest Rainhill score of the final. Sarah Lawler rounded things off with an unbeaten eight.

Rainhill finished with 158 on the board and had lost only four wickets. After the 20-run deduction, that left them with 138 net runs against Sefton Park’s 35 – a huge 103-run victory and Rainhill’s highest net total of the entire Super 8s campaign.

It was a fitting conclusion to a competition in which Rainhill had been impressive from beginning to end.

The journey started against Merseyside Ladies in June. Rainhill took 12 wickets to restrict their opponents to 34 net runs before responding with 118 net themselves. Sarah Curlett struck 22 from only 10 balls and took three wickets, Niamh made 17, April Jones an unbeaten 16, while Annabelle and April each picked up two wickets in an emphatic opening victory.

Hightown Hurricanes came next, and Rainhill again demonstrated their strength across the side. The bowlers and fielders restricted Hightown to 38 net runs before Rainhill lost only two wickets in their own innings. April produced one of the standout knocks of the competition, smashing 30 from just 13 balls, Annabelle made an unbeaten 18 and Sarah Lawler an unbeaten 14 as Rainhill finished on 97 net.

Then came Liverpool and a place in the final at stake. Rainhill’s bowlers again provided the foundation, taking 12 wickets. Sarah Lawler claimed 4 for 18, Sarah Curlett took 3 for 22 including a maiden, Annabelle picked up two, while Erin conceded just two runs from her two overs and took a wicket. With the bat, Annabelle led the way with 29, Niamh made an unbeaten 17 and Sarah Curlett struck an unbeaten 19 from 11 balls as Rainhill booked their place at Moor Park.

Four matches. Four victories. 41 opposition wickets taken, with Rainhill losing only 14 themselves. And when the biggest day of the competition arrived, they saved their best overall performance for the final.

At the heart of the campaign has been the captaincy of Sarah Curlett. Sarah has led by example throughout, producing important performances herself whenever the team has needed them. Across the competition she contributed runs, wickets and energy in the field, culminating in that 29 from 14 in the final. But her influence has extended well beyond her own figures. Her judgement over when to introduce particular bowlers has repeatedly paid off, while the thought behind Rainhill’s batting pairings has been especially important in a format where wickets carry such a heavy penalty. Sarah has trusted her players, made good decisions at important moments and, time after time, shown from the middle exactly the standards she expects from the team around her.

Another hugely important constant has been Niamh Scarborough behind the stumps. Wicketkeeping can sometimes disappear into the background when looking at a scorecard, but Niamh’s work has been one of Rainhill’s real strengths. Her keeping throughout the competition has been excellent, with clean, reliable work behind the stumps and very few byes allowed. In Super 8s, where every run saved can have a significant effect on the net score, that is enormously valuable. Her standard behind the stumps has stood out throughout the campaign, and she has combined it with consistent contributions with the bat.

The success has belonged to the whole squad.
Scarlett Ashton-Smith played her part in the victory over Hightown, while Kerry Lawler came into the side for the crucial semi-final against Liverpool.
Every appearance, every over, every partnership and every run saved helped Rainhill reach Moor Park with the opportunity to lift the trophy.

There is also something particularly exciting about the age profile of this team. Erin Jones, Sarah Lawler, Annabelle Clifford and Jess McKenzie are all just 13 years old. They aren’t simply being introduced to senior women’s cricket or making up the numbers in a successful side – they are making significant contributions to it.
Sarah took four wickets in both the semi-final and final, Annabelle has contributed with bat and ball throughout, Erin has produced important runs, tight overs and excellent fielding, while Jess has played her part with bat and ball and finished unbeaten on 15 in the final. Alongside the experience and leadership around them, those young players are already showing just how exciting the future of Rainhill women’s cricket can be.

Perhaps that is what made Sunday’s performance so satisfying. It wasn’t built around one player or one spectacular individual effort. There were plenty of those moments, but what stood out most was the collective standard. Bowlers kept applying pressure, catches were taken, boundaries were stopped, players backed one another up, partnerships worked, wickets were protected and contributions came from throughout the side.

With a trophy on the line and a few nerves naturally jangling beforehand, Rainhill produced their most complete performance of the season.

League champions. Promotion secured. Super 8s Plate winners. The double is complete.

A fantastic achievement for Rainhill Women and another huge step forward for women’s and girls’ cricket at the club. There is plenty to celebrate about what this team has already achieved – and with the leadership, togetherness and young talent within the group, there is every reason to be excited about where they can go next.