Kent's Charlotte Edwards and Sussex's Sarah Taylor ready for grudge match
England team-mates square up in Royal London Women's One-Day clash...
Monday 16 February 2015 12:02, UK
Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor say England alliances will be firmly on hold when Kent and Sussex clash in a grudge Royal London Women's One-Day Cup clash on Sunday.
England skipper Edwards will lead a stellar Kent side out at Arundel in the top-of-the-table contest that could go a long way to deciding the title.
Both sides – like Surrey – have won three times so far this season and while Edwards can call on the calibre of players like Lydia Greenway, Tammy Beaumont and Laura Marsh, she knows that the defending champions will be a real force to be reckoned with, with Arran Brindle, Georgia Adams and Georgia Elwiss in their ranks.
“This is the pinnacle of the domestic scene for us and if we play well and win, we’ll hopefully take a big step towards regaining the title,” said Edwards, who was recently awarded a CBE for her services to cricket.
“Sussex have always been our biggest rivals – both teams have a fantastic record in the County Championship – so it’s a game we look forward to. Hopefully we can come out on top.
“We’ll take the England equation out of things when we step onto the field; it’s always special to test yourself against the best players, and we’ve got some of the best players in the world in these two teams. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well.”
Competitive
Wicketkeeper-batsman Taylor agrees that the close-knit relationships formed between the England players should be a great leveller.
“I’d be lying if I said the rivalry didn’t mean anything!” she said. “A lot of Kent players play for England and you don’t think anything of it but then you put a Sussex shirt on and suddenly it’s a completely different story. It’s always a grudge match whenever we play.
“We know so much about each other’s games – where people like to score, what to say to them – that it makes it a good, fun game to play in. It’s always played in good spirits but there’s also that desire to win and it’s more competitive than most other games.”
Taylor has been declared fit to play on Sunday after sitting out Sussex’s most recent victory – a six-wicket victory over Yorkshire – as she continued to recover from a Baker’s cyst that burst into her calf a year ago, hampering her movement.
With Brindle, Elwiss and Freya Davies also missing that match, Georgia Adams led the side and responded by scoring her maiden senior century, while Izzy Collis stepped up to contribute 41 in an opening stand of 92.
“It was brilliant to see Georgia do so well and comforting for the future to see the team win without so many senior players,” reflected Taylor. “It showed that we’ve got the talent coming through to take the side on.
“The extra responsibility of being captain brought the best out of Georgia; it’s reassuring to know that we’ve got someone there that is more than capable of stepping up into that role without it negatively affecting their cricket.
“Izzy is a character and definitely one to watch; she is someone who has been around the squad for a while and proved in last year’s final she can cope with the big occasion. Paige Scholfield – a high-order batter - is another one to look out for, as is Davis, who is a key bowler for us.”
Fresh
A combination of poor weather a
