Their fielding and batting in particular is vastly superior to other nations, and after a mixed bowling performance in the semis they proved they have the ability to learn and change as the bowlers blew New Zealand back to the southern hemisphere in the final.

The women may have started a small snowball of questions for the future too: who would you have as wicketkeeper, Prior or Foster? Or how about Sharon Taylor? A consistent batsmen who opens for the women's national team, and from the evidence on Sunday a sharper wicketkeeper than most men.

You never know, one day we may see a mixed English cricket team. Time will tell.

It's not just on a national scale where girls are having an impact though, it's happening closer to home. Penny Everett, playing in Dave Shropshire's Sunday team, put on a seventh-wicket partnership of 40 with Andy Holness, but Penny is an all-rounder and the best was yet to come.

With a neat, conservative action she bowls with decent pace, but crucially she bowls straight tight lines - ask the Bardwell middle and lower order.

She took four for 20 - all dismissals were bowled - and broke through some weak male defences.

However, there was no embarrassment in it for the Bardwell players, as most of the crowd agreed she had been the best bowler throughout the day, not bad for a 17-year-old girl.

She could well have got 5 wickets, (and it wouldn't have been undeserved), had she not unselfishly been instrumental in a run-out off her own bowling.

She helped the team to a convincing 50-run win, Holness top scored with 60 not out and John Pickett also took four wickets in the match.

Generally this weekend was a success. I missed Saturday as I had an invite to the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, but while I was showing far too much optimism with some slow horses Sudbury were doing battle with league leaders Copdock.

The weather hindered proceedings from the start and despite the best efforts of players and umpires, after several halting showers the game was finally called off with a juicy looking match in progress as Copdock had guided themselves to 270.

Jandre Coetzee took his tally to 35 wickets for the year with the first two dismissals; but the rain came and produced a disappointing end to an eagerly awaited fixture.

Lastly a little bit of QI. It's 500 years since Henry VIII took the crown, a great military leader and a man who knew how to win. We have had some great leaders at Sudbury in recent years - the master tactician Steve Witham, the team builder Anthony Chapman, and of course the man motivator himself Louis Brooks.

Next week there is a treat in store. Louis the Lip will be back for a one-off, so expect some stirring words from man who won the first Division One title in 15 years in 2004.

I am in the Netherlands with the Lords and Commons cricket team, but I'll be back the following weekend with a fist-full of receipts ready to claim my expenses.