Staci Maxwell

After a trip to Foyle College to play the North West, the NCU u17 girls (sponsored by PwC) hosted the North West u17 girls in a two day camp at Campbell College, Belfast.

Due to the adverse weather conditions on the first afternoon, the teams were forced to travel to Ulster University Sports Centre, Jordanstown and play on their indoor 3g pitch in a T20 match.

The NCU batted first and posted a strong 150 for 8. Lois Lyttle scoring 52 and Freya Watson scoring 29. The NCU wickets were shared amongst most of the North West bowlers. A strong opening partnership for the North West. Zara Craig scoring 33 and Chloe Deanes scoring an unbeaten 71. The North West won by 8 wickets.

Thankfully there was no rain overnight and the artificial pitch at Campbell was playable on Thursday morning. The North West opted to bat first in a 25 over game. The NCU bowled the North West team out for 96.

Lois Lyttle performed again, this time with the ball, taking 6 wickets for 10 runs.

In response the North West took control in the field. The NCU were bowled out for 68. Some resistance was shown by Emily Mathers and Jennifer Hanna, however, it was too late in the innings for a recovery. The North West beat the NCU by 31 runs.

Reviewing the fixtures between the two squads, Coach, Staci Maxwell added "this season has been a massive learning curve for both the players and coaches involved in the u17 girls' programme. Playing competitive matches highlights components of the players' ability that can't be observed in training. These fixtures gave the girls an insight into both themselves and their team mates on games day, no matter what the result".