The Southern Vipers rally from 109-7 to chase 184 to retain the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title as Emily Windsor and Tara Norris share an uninterrupted spot of 78 in the eighth wicket; Northern Diamonds suffer the third straight loss in a final after Jenny Gunn’s three-wicket blast made them favorites.
Southern Vipers celebrate retaining the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title
Southern Vipers struggled to successfully defend the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title as they inflicted a third straight loss in a final over Northern Diamonds with a thrilling victory at Northampton.
The Diamonds, defeated by Vipers in last year’s inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and then by the South East Stars in the Charlotte Edwards Cup final earlier this month, seemed poised to break their duck when the three-wicket blast of Jenny Gunn cut Vipers from 93-4 to 109-7 in her 184 chase.
However, Emily Windsor (47th vs. 97 balls) and Tara Norris (40th vs. 44) shared an unbroken partnership of 78 on the eighth spot, with Windsor matching all four match winners to clinch a three-pitch win on two balls. surplus.
Vipers, who lost just one game in competition all season, required 12 of the final 12 balls and went on to take Linsey Smith’s penultimate, which featured a reverse sweep of four from Norris, for 10 before Windsor finished. the game by sending Beth. Langston via midwicket.
Diamond hitter Ami Campbell (60 of 73 balls) had earlier followed her half century in Wednesday’s play-off win over Central Sparks in Scarborough with another major hit, as her team added 67 for the final two wickets afterward. having fallen from 112-4 to 116. -8.
Campbell watched as Bess Heath (25), Gunn (2), Langston (0) and Phoebe Graham (0) fell for four runs in the 13-game space between 34, 35 and 36, with Vipers captain Georgia Adams (4-35) with Gunn caught at midwicket and Langston with lbw at 35.
That was the second dramatic collapse of the Diamonds innings, with Hollie Armitage’s team previously falling from 72-1 to 73-4 once Smith (31) gave Adams a spoon for extra cover in the 21st. .
Campbell, who hit five limits on her innings, was at 13 in the eighth wicket knockdown, but proceeded to add 28 with Katie Levick (8) for the ninth wicket and then 39 with Rachael Slater (6th) for the 10th before she got caught in the length of the second ball for the 50th time.
Diamonds’ momentum continued early in the race chase with Langston (2-40) pitching Adams and Ella McCaughan for ducks as Vipers dropped to 6-2 within three overs.
The 2020 winners suffered another double whammy as Georgia Elwiss (14) and Maia Bouchier (33) were caught behind and stumped by goalkeeper Heath versus Graham and Levick, respectively, when 47-2 became 67-4.
Windsor and Gaby Lewis (24) rebuilt with a stand of 31, only for Gunn to put Diamonds in firm control with three wickets in four overs.
Gunn launched Lewis with the first ball of his spell and then had Paige Scholfield (9) and Carla Rudd deliver successive deliveries in the 35th.
Scholfield was brilliantly caught by an Armitage plummeting into cover and Rudd dropped lbw for a golden duck, at which point the Vipers were 75 runs before victory with just three wickets in hand and the required run rate climbed to five above.
But Windsor anchored the chase, only hitting two limits all day as Norris played the most aggressive role, and their partnership ensured that the Vipers remain the only team to lift the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Watch the fifth and final ODI between England Women and New Zealand Women, in Canterbury, live on Sky Sports Cricket and the YouTube channel Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am to 12pm. M. From Sunday.
