SUPERWOMEN The week in women’s sport

Adele Norris has the latest ladies’ achievements from around the world in cricket, cycling, sailing, skeleton and athletics

CRICKET 

England off to a mixed start at the tri-nation Twenty20 women’s series at Bridgetown in Barbados.

England’s women beat New Zealand by five wickets in their first game of the Women’s Twenty20 Tri-series on Thursday, but lost to West Indies Women in an 11-run victory on Saturday.

Tamsin Beaumont achieved her highest T20 international score, 29 not out from 23 balls and helped England secure 111-5 (19.1 overs), beating New Zealand 109-6 (20 overs) by five wickets.

The celebrations disintegrated on Saturday though when England women lost to an 11-run victory for West Indies women.

Shaquana Quintyne, 17 years old, performed well for her West Indies team claiming 5-16.

Charlotte Edwards had another good game despite England’s loss, she made the teams top-score with 39.

More than 2,500 spectators watched West Indies 140-6 (20 overs) beat England 129-8 (20 overs) by 11 runs.

In the Tri-series each of the three sides play each other before the top two teams meet in the final.

Not all of the England women’s team have travelled to the Caribbean for the triangular series, Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Laura Marsh and Heather Knight remain at home.

It means a younger squad are making a name for England in West Indies including untested and uncapped players Kate Cross and Beth Langston.

England women’s next game is on Tuesday where they hope for another triumph against New Zealand.

Fixtures:
14 Oct: West Indies beat New Zealand 23 runs.
16 Oct: England beat New Zealand five wickets.
18 Oct: West Indies beat England 11 runs.
20 Oct: West Indies v New Zealand.
22 Oct: New Zealand v England.
24 Oct: West Indies v England.
26 Oct: Final 

ATHLETICS

British silver medalist Lisa Dobriskey and gold medalist Jenny Meadows lose national lottery funding.

GB Athletes Lisa Doriskey and Jenny Meadows are among athletes who have effectively been told they are not good enough to receive their national lottery funding.

Athletes have been told their UK Sport funding will be axed and they will not receive any money from UK sport in 2013-14.

Tightening of UK Sport rules now say only athletes with genuine medal potential are eligible for financial backing.

Meadows, 32, took gold in the 800m 2011 National Outdoor Championships and came 4^th at the European Indoor Championships this year.

Dobriskey, 29, won 1,500m silver in the 2009 World Championships and finished 10^th at the London 2012 Olmpics.

Due to injury Dobriskey missed the World Championships this year. She told BBC Sport she feels this is a reason behind the cut.

Dobriskey also said she believes she still has the potential to win a medal at the 2016 Olympics.

CYCLING

Britain’s pursuit team break world record and take gold on day one of the European Track Championships in the Netherlands.

Laura Trott and Dani King, who won gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and team mates Katie Archibald and Elinor Barker finished nine seconds faster than nearest rivals Poland in 4:26.556 at the European Track Championships in Apeldoorn.

They trimmed six seconds off the world record they set at the recent national championships.

The team are showing no unease with this season’s change in rules for the women’s team pursit. Four members now compete over 4,000m rather then three members over 3,000m.

Dani King also won silver in the women’s points race while double world champion Becky James and Jess Varnish combined to take bronze in the women’s team sprint.

SKELETON

Places on the World Cup squad tighten at next week’s selection trials in Altenberg as Shelley Rudman secures her place on the squad.

Lizzy Yarnold, Donna Creighton, Rose McGrandle and Laura Daes are the final skeleton sliders hoping to grab a place on the team.

It comes following a decision to select 2006 Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman for the team.

Team officials will base their remaining decisions on performances in the selection races in Altenberg but performance director Nigel Laughton insisted it was right to exempt Rudman.

Making the World Cup circuit opens opportunities to qualify for Sochi. Great Britain qualified two sliders for the last Olympics in Vancouver and are aiming for three slots in Sochi.

Yarnold, who won bronze at the World Championships 2012, said: ‘It’s strange that in an Olympic year the hardest race of my entire season could be the British selection trials.’

Great Britain have won skeleton medals at the last three Games – Alex Coomber’s bronze in Salt Lake, Rudman’s silver in Turin and Amy Williams’ gold in Vancouver.

SAILING

Olympic Bronze Medallist Bryony Shaw finishes Sixth at the ISAF Qingdao World Cup.

Bryony Shaw, 30, settled for sixth at the Sailing World Cup in Qindao, the same location she won her Olympic bronze medal at in 2008.

Shaw was the only Brit to head to the Far East for the World Cup season.

China’s Peina Chen took the victory.

So far this year Shaw had won world and European silver, this is the first time she has finished lower than fourth.

There are four events left to the World Cup series, Melbourne in December before regattas in Miami, Mallorca and Hyeres in the new year.

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