HOLYWOOD women’s first team clinched a maiden Gallagher Women’s Challenge Cup title with a remarkable 244-run victory over Instonians at Stormont on Sunday.
The team had progressed to the cup decider courtesy of wins against Lisburn and Waringstown in previous rounds.
Holywood captain Madison Landsman won the toss and opted to bat first, knowing that putting up a good score has worked well so far this summer.
Landsman wasted little time in delivering 117 runs, supported by Erin Bond, who produced some stunning shots in a 56-run opening partnership, and Lara Maritz (86).
Nina Kerr kept the board ticking over with her energetic batting (19 not out), before the Holywood innings ended on an impressive 297 for 6.
When the Instonians innings began, Bond took the first wicket in the fourth over and followed up with two more for excellent figures of 3 for 17 from four overs, making her the top wicket-taker in the NCU.
She was well supported by the leading spinner in NCU cricket, and second leading wicket-taker, Nina Kerr, whose tidy 2 for 17 quickly moved the match towards a conclusion.
The team performed very well in the field, maintaining a good standard, which is not easy to do after posting such a high score.
Sometimes, the level of bowling and fielding can decrease with a good score on the board, but not on this occasion, as Maritz completed a run-out for a bonus wicket, Chrissy Soulsby made an excellent caught behind and Tillie Cunningham took three catches.
Finally, an excellent closing spell from Alexis MacDonald (3 for 3 from 1.5 overs), in her first year at Holywood, brought the match to an end with Instonians stuck at 53 all out.
Since they introduced a female section in 2018, Holywood Cricket Club have committed considerable resources to making progress towards their Challenge Cup triumph.
Now, the women’s firsts will compete against North West Cricket Union’s representative in the All-Ireland semi-finals on August 9, with the winners facing Merrion CC in the showpiece at Waringstown on August 23.
