McCaughan hits first T20 Blast ton as Hawks beat Essex

Ella McCaughan deed nan first women's T20 Blast period to animate Hampshire Hawks to a thumping triumph complete Essex astatine a sun-drenched Chelmsford.

Playing successful beforehand of watching England coach Charlotte Edwards, nan 22-year-old opener cracked 16 boundaries and shared a title champion guidelines of 173 pinch Australian Charli Knott earlier departing for 106 from 60 balls arsenic nan Hawks posted 195-2.

The right-hander has now scored 327 runs crossed 5 knocks successful this season's competition, averaging much than 81.

Essex made a coagulated commencement to their reply but Hawks skipper Georgia Adams posted figures of 4-26 arsenic her broadside picked up a prize constituent for a 42-run win, restricting their hosts to 153-8 and closing nan spread connected nan apical 3 successful nan standings.

Essex won nan flip and elected to vessel first but McCaughan was soon put down connected 4 down nan stumps by Lauren Winfield-Hill aft a top-edge, but nan breakthrough arrived early arsenic Maia Bouchier sewage a starring separator to Essex skipper Grace Scrivens successful nan 2nd over, chipping a drawback to Maddie Penna to depart for 4 from 5 deliveries.

Knott joined McCaughan and besides received different life connected nine, pinch Winfield-Hill missing a stumping, and nan Australian made nan hosts pay, bringing up her half-century from 39 balls pinch her seventh four, disconnected Sophia Smale, though she mightiness person been caught conscionable wrong nan heavy quadrate statement by Cordelia Griffiths.

Having raced to her 4th half-century successful 5 innings from conscionable 34 balls, McCaughan kept nan pedal down and picked up a azygous to move to 90 disconnected Esmae MacGregor to clasp onslaught for nan penultimate over.

A reverse expanse for 4 disconnected Smale took McCaughan past Bouchier's 92 successful nan 25-run triumph against Essex astatine Southampton connected 30 May - nan erstwhile highest people successful this season's competition.

She brought up 3 figures pinch a azygous from nan 57th transportation she had faced but holed-out to Smale astatine long-on disconnected Scrivens successful nan last complete to extremity nan 173-run guidelines pinch Knott.

Freya Kemp deed 1 of her 2 balls to nan statement to extremity unbeaten connected 5 while Knott vanished 72 not retired from 55 deliveries pinch 7 fours, having antecedently scored conscionable 37 mixed crossed her first 3 T20 appearances for nan Hawks.

The hosts were 46-0 astatine nan extremity of nan six-over powerplay successful reply, pinch Scrivens uncovering nan bound 4 times and Winfield-Hill doing truthful twice, but Winfield-Hill drove consecutive to Knott astatine screen to depart for 18 successful nan seventh complete disconnected Daisy Gibb, bringing Lissy Macleod to nan middle.

Macleod began positively but pinch nan hosts falling down nan required rate, Scrivens miscued Mary Taylor to other number Adams astatine other screen to depart for 29 from 28 balls to time off nan hosts 66-2 astatine nan extremity of nan ninth over.

Knott took a good drawback wrong nan statement astatine long-on to spot nan extremity of Griffith and time off Essex 82-3 midway done nan 12th over.

Taylor was fortunate to pin Australian Penna successful beforehand for 1 successful nan adjacent complete to prime up her 2nd scalp earlier Macleod was tally retired by a nonstop deed from Freya Davies to time off her broadside 90-5, ending a agleam sound of 30 from 18 balls, pinch six fours.

The hosts reached 3 figures successful nan 14th complete and Jo Gardner and Smale group astir hauling their broadside to nan 156-run people to contradict nan visitors a bonus-point triumph successful a tight conflict for nan apical 3 spots successful nan table.

They added 42 successful 25 balls earlier Smale was lbw for 24 from 16 deliveries trying to expanse Adams astatine nan commencement of nan 18th complete and Gardner fell to a diving drawback astatine long-off from Kemp for 18 to springiness Adams a 2nd wicket successful nan over.

The skipper had 11 runs to play pinch successful nan last complete successful bid to unafraid nan prize point, and tempted Eva Gray (6) into skying to other screen arsenic she vanished pinch figures of 4-26 and restricted nan hosts to 153-8 to leapfrog them into 4th successful nan table, 3 points down nan Bears, having played a crippled fewer.

Hampshire centurion McCaughan told nan ECB Reporter's Network: "That was 1 of nan bully days. I had immoderate luck early and conscionable tried to rate in.

"I didn't really expect to make a 100 to beryllium honest. Things are going good and I'm trying not to overthink it, support my crippled elemental and it seems to beryllium working.

"I'm not trying to deed large sixes, I'm playing nan aforesaid measurement arsenic I usually do, but conscionable pinch a spot much strength successful T20 and staying present.

"I didn't consciousness awesome astatine nan commencement of nan business pinch Charli, but we tried to tally difficult and we some sewage into it arsenic we went along.

"It's a agelong play and it's still early, truthful I want to support doing what I'm doing and having success."