Lauren Winfield-Hill (PC: Twitter)
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy resumed on Saturday (17 September) at Leeds, Worcester and Leicester. Here's a brief report of the three exciting matches, which took place between top England Women cricketers.
Opting to bat first, the Vipers lost their openers Ella McCaughan and Maia Bouchier early. However, Georgia Elwiss (61) and skipper Georgia Adams (33) were flawless to stitch a 72-run stand.
Afterwards, Emily Windsor remained unbeaten on 49 off 61 to propel Vipers to a competitive total of 226. Hollie Armitage was the pick of the bowlers for Diamond with three scalps.
In response, the in-form batter Lauren Winfield-Hill steered Diamonds at a brisk rate with the skipper Armitage. Then, the three quick wickets certainly put them under the pump.
Nevertheless, talented batter Bess Heath (54) provided stability to the team. In the end, Lauren remained unbeaten on 125 off as many balls to seal the chase in 43 overs, and also booked the final spot for Diamonds.
Brief Scores:
Southern Vipers- 226/9 (50)
Georgia Elwiss 61 (95), Emily Windsor 49*(61);
Hollie Armitage 3/37, Katie Levick 2/35
Northern Diamonds- 231/6 (43)
Lauren Winfield-Hill 125* (125), Bess Heath 54 (68);
Georgia Adams 2/ 37, Finty Trussler 2/56
Result: Diamonds won by 4 wickets
Invited to bat first, Sparks skipper Eva Jones could not provide a notable contribution. Then, the youngster Davina Perrin (45) and Abigail Freeborn (46) were clinical with their knocks to stabilize the team.
Emily Arlott (PC: Twitter)
In the lower middle-order, Emily Arlott (63) and Sarah Glenn (33) guided the Sparks to a total of 260. Mady Villiers was the wrecker-in-chief for the Sunrisers with three scalps.
The second half witnessed Sunrisers all-rounder Grace Scrivens at her absolute best to score 61 off 75 balls, laced with seven fours. However, none of the batters failed to live up to the expectations, as Sunrisers were bundled out for 121.
Perrin picked three wickets to help Sparks win by 139 runs.
Brief Scores:
Central Sparks- 260/9 (50)
Emily Arlott 63 (73), Abigail Freeborn 46 (45);
Mady Villiers 3/44, Joanne Gardner 2/34
Sunrisers- 121/10 (28.5)
Grace Scrivens 61 (75), Naomi Dattani 13 (22);
Davina Perrin 3/26, Sarah Glenn 2/25
Result: Sparks won by 139 runs
Stars elected to bat first at Leicester, and got off to a mixed start with 47/2 until the 11 over mark. The skipper Bryony Smith was impressive to guide the team onto the right path, amid a flurry of wickets at the other end.
Smith delivered a knock of 114 off 102 balls, with 17 fours and a six, before perishing in the 35th over. Then, the terrific knocks from Ryana MacDonald-Gay (54) and Alexa Stonehouse (31) saw Stars posting a strong total of 281 on the board.
Georgie Boyce (70) and Ella Claridge (35) were the only key contributors for Lightning as they were all-out for 169, with Eva Gray taking three wickets.
Brief Scores:
South East Stars- 281/9 (50)
Bryony Smith 114 (102), Ryana MacDonald-Gay 54 (59);
Grace Ballinger 3/62
Lightning- 169/10 (38.4)
Georgie Boyce 70 (83), Ella Claridge 35 (50);
Eva Gray 3/29
Result: Stars won by 112 runs
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