It was a perfect captain’s innings, and the Lord’s crowd knew it. There was a standing ovation for Megan Russell as she walked up the pavilion steps and through the Long Room on Saturday, 50 not out (retired). Having anchored her Bolton under-16 side through the tricky opening overs, Russell had accelerated with precision and flair, and when her stylish offside drives brought only ones and twos, she pulled out the hook and the slog sweep.
But then, this wasn’t Russell’s first rodeo. She made her Lord’s debut last year at 15, when she captained this side in their first National Hubs final against the same opposition. In 2022, Guildford lost to Bolton in a tense final over; now Guildford were out for revenge.
