SCOTLAND WOMEN U19 QUALIFY FOR ICC T20 WORLD CUP
Scotland secured their spot at next year’s ICC Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup after a six-wicket win over the Netherlands in Aberdeen on Friday.
A Player of the Match performance from Kirsty McColl saw the off-spinner take three wickets for the second day in a row, limiting the Netherlands to 89-8 in 20 overs.
A fast start from Pippa Kelly (12), Emma Walsingham (25) and Pippa Sproul (29) pushed the Scots towards their target, which they reached inside 14 overs, to spark jubilant scenes at Mannofield.
The Scots have now qualified for two successive ICC U19 Women’s World Cups, with the 2025 tournament taking place in Malaysia and Thailand next January.
On matchday two, Netherlands won the toss and raised a few eyebrows when they chose to bat on a green wicket which they had been skittled for 41 the day before, in fairly overcast conditions in Aberdeen.
The Dutch openers, perhaps learning from yesterday’s collapse, started very watchfully. Ana Wijffels and Lara Leemhuis built a foundational partnership of 19, before Gabriela Fontenla bowled Leemhuis for 8.
Scotland were restricting the run rate, and Ammy Baldie claimed the wicket of Lawrence with the first ball of her spell leaving the Dutch 26/2 with a little under ten overs remaining.
A resurgent third-wicket partnership between Wijffels and captain Carlijn van Koolwijk saw the tide begin to turn for Netherlands. A brace of boundaries by van Koolwijk over deep mid-wicket pushed the score to 62, before a brilliant piece of wicketkeeping from Sproul saw Wijfels stumped for 15.
A fantastic catch at square leg by Gabriella Fontentla snared Thursday’s top scorer van den Raad for a golden duck, leaving the Dutch 62 for 4. van Koolwijk’s innings of 26 (23) was brought to an end after some quick thinking from bowler Nayma Sheikh.
Facing a target of 90 for the series win, and a spot at next year’s T20 World Cup, Scotland’s reply started in earnest, as Kelly scored a four off the first delivery of the chase. A mis-hit sweep, caught at square leg by Anisika Dixit, ended her spell at the crease for 12.
Meanwhile Walsingham was wasting no time with the chase, dispatching any poor deliveries to the rope for four, with partner Sproul following suit.
That strong partnership ended with Scotland on 65, after keeper Lawrence took full advantage of Walsingham’s miscue at the start of the ninth over. Captain Niamh Muir and Sproul then both fell leg before wicket in the tenth over to van Koolwijk, reducing Scotland to 73-4.
Nerves set in around the ground, but sensible cricket by Nayma Sheikh and Molly Barbour-Smith was enough to see Scotland to the total.
The third and final match of the series takes place at Aberdeenshire Cricket Club on Sunday afternoon 14:30 start.