Morecambe and Shireshead & Forton Crowned Northern Pyramid Super8s Champions
Longridge Cricket Club hosted a fantastic festival of Women & Girls cricket on Sunday 16th August, as the finals of the Northern Pyramid Softball and Hardball Super8s competitions took centre stage.
Eight teams descended on Longridge, with the competitions played across two pitches throughout the day, providing a fitting showcase for the growth of Women & Girls cricket across the Northern Pyramid.
Shireshead & Forton Retain Softball Crown
In the Softball competition, Fleetwood began the day with a 39-run victory over Milnthorpe in the first semi-final, booking their place in the final.
Fleetwood v Milnthorpe – Semi-Final Scorecard
The second semi-final was a repeat of the 2025 final, with defending champions Shireshead & Forton facing Tarleton for a place in the showpiece.
Shireshead & Forton once again came out on top, securing a 41-run victory. Emma Johnson was instrumental in the win, contributing 23 runs with the bat before taking four wickets.
Shireshead & Forton v Tarleton – Semi-Final Scorecard
The final saw Shireshead & Forton face Fleetwood, and the defending champions produced another impressive performance to retain their title.
Guinevere Drumore led the way with an unbeaten 32, before Dent (17), Creed (15) and Johnson (12) all made valuable contributions as Shireshead & Forton set Fleetwood a challenging target.
Fleetwood were unable to match their opponents' total, with Shireshead & Forton eventually securing a 45-run victory and successfully defending their Softball Super8s crown.
Shireshead & Forton v Fleetwood – Final Scorecard
Morecambe Retain Hardball Trophy
In the Hardball competition, 2025 runners-up Penwortham faced Sedgwick in the first semi-final.
Sedgwick secured their place in the final thanks to excellent all-round performances from Amy Dalzell, who scored 32 and took 2-25, and Meg Lewis, who contributed 20 runs and claimed 2-14.
Sedgwick v Penwortham – Semi-Final Scorecard
The second semi-final saw Morecambe take on Blackpool. Despite a determined 26 from Katie Galligan, Blackpool were unable to contain Morecambe's powerful batting.
Captain Lauren Burrow led from the front with 29, while Ellie Richards added 20 runs and followed that up with an impressive three wickets to help Morecambe reach the final.
Morecambe v Blackpool – Semi-Final Scorecard
The final brought together the winners of the two northern groups, with Morecambe taking on Sedgwick.
Morecambe won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting Sedgwick's scoring through some excellent economical bowling. Clough returned figures of 3-0-11-0, while Richards bowled four overs for just 13 runs and claimed two wickets.
Chasing the target, Morecambe's third pair of captain Lauren Burrow and Routledge put together a superb unbeaten partnership, adding 59 runs between them. Sedgwick's Meg Lewis claimed two wickets, but Morecambe proved too strong and completed a 67-run victory.
The result saw Morecambe retain the Hardball Super8s trophy and complete another memorable Finals Day for the Northern Pyramid Women & Girls competitions.
Congratulations to Shireshead & Forton and Morecambe on their well-deserved titles, and a huge thank you to Longridge Cricket Club for hosting such a fantastic celebration of Women & Girls cricket.
A special thanks also goes to all the players, coaches, officials, scorers, volunteers and supporters who helped make the day such a success.
