Radlett Women extended their winning streak to 27 games with a 16-run victory over Old Actonians on Sunday.

The team arrived in West London on Sunday to take on OA for a 30-over North London League clash on a very green wicket.

Having lost the toss, Radlett were inserted into bat and openers Katie Pankhurst and Lorraine Hartley had to weather the storm brought by an aggressive opening spell from OAs’ Octavia Welch.

They did so bravely, but Hartley (11) subsequently departed, which led to a mini collapse as Samantha Battman, Amy Price and Natasha Martin all came and went in quick succession.

After 16 overs Radlett had slumped from 35-0 to 45-4.

This brought Alexis Mannion to join Pankhurst at the crease and the pair were able to initiate a rapid acceleration in the run rate with some aggressive hitting. Their 95-run partnership included two majestic sixes from Mannion with Pankhurst, after a slow start, also easing into a more fluent display as she brought up her second half-century for the club.

Pankhurst eventually departed for 60 in the penultimate over while Mannion finished unbeaten on 56 with the total on a very competitive 144.

In reply, seamer Chloe Frame was able to extract some bounce and was unfortunate not to take a wicket from her six overs. OAs did, however, lose a wicket to an early run-out following some sharp work by Kanchana Gamage.

The first change combination of Amy Price and Pankhurst then managed to extract a wicket apiece each side of the drinks break. A tiring Pankhurst was also able to muster two more wickets in the last of the four overs she planned to bowl, leaving the opposition reeling on 74-5.

OA’s Antonia Welch was able to score fluently from anything off a good line and length. Almost single-handedly she dragged OAs into a position of pulling off an unlikely victory.

Needing to stem the tide, Gamage turned to the impressive Price (1-17) and Pankhurst (3-26) to bowl the death overs and they held their nerve to close out a 16-run victory.