First Test, Shenley, final day of four: England 497 drew with South Africa 316 & 285-8South Africa captain Alison Hodgkinson produced a defiant innings of 95 as the tourists staved off defeat on another baking day in Hertfordshire.
 Alison Hodgkinson produced the perfect captain's knock |
Hodgkinson batted for more than four hours, facing 217 deliveries before becoming one of three victims for teenage spin bowler Rosalie Birch, who was making an impressive debut.
At the start of the day, South Africa's first target was 181 to make the home team bat again.
Things did not look too good when Charlotte Edwards's leg-breaks saw her claim two early wickets to make it 36-2.
Hodgkinson came in at this point and forged partnerships of 50 with Claire Cowan and 51 with Charlize van der Westhuizen,
But the one that killed off the game was the partnership of 77 for the sixth wicket with Yulandi van der Merwe, who ended unbetaen on 52 in a two-and-a-half hour stay.
England dug deep, but, as had been the case in South Africa's first innings, the bowling frequently lacked the penetrative edge it needed on such a placid track.
England: R Birch, CJ Connor, CM Edwards, L Greenway, IT Guha, LK Newton, LC Pearson, J Smit, L Spragg, SC Taylor, H Wardlaw.
South Africa: J Barnard, CZ Brits, C Cowan, A Hodgkinson, L Jacobs, J Logtenberg, A Smith, M Terblanche, Y van der Merwe, C van der Westhuizen, SD van Zyl.
MMIX
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