Lancashire Thunder beaten by The Blaze in Loughborough
Blaze continued their flying start to the Charlotte Edwards Cup with a five-wicket victory over Lancashire Thunder at breezy Loughborough.
Put in, Thunder were lifted to 151 for six by a pugnacious fifth-wicket partnership of 73 from 50 balls by Emma Lamb, who continued her excellent form with an unbeaten 63 (50 balls), and Ailsa Lister (44, 30). Grace Ballinger led the Blaze bowling with two for 25.
Blaze were then steered to 152 for five with seven balls remaining, and a third successive win, by a perfectly-judged 61 (51) by Kathryn Bryce. Mahika Gaur removed both openers early on her way to three for 39 and Thunder were well in the game until the closing overs before Bryce climbed into the attack to leave the visitors nursing successive defeats following Friday’s loss to South-east Stars at Beckenham.
Thunder was rumbling in the skies overhead as Thunder started their innings brightly with 19 from the first two overs before Ballinger bowled Fi Morris through an attempted slog.
Seren Smale soon perished when she hesitated over a sharp single and was beaten by Lucy Higham’s throw.
Eleanor Threlkeld was then bowled by a beauty from Kirstie Gordon before heavy rain arrived with Thunder on 55 for three from nine overs.
In an immediate statement of intent after the resumption, Lamb reverse-swept the first two balls for four in an over that went for 16. Danielle Collins fell to the Bryce sisters, stumped by Sarah off Kathryn, but Lister offered Lamb aggressive support to rattle up a half-century stand in 35 balls.
Lamb passed 50 in 38 balls and supplied a steady foil for the feisty Lister who struck six fours before lifting Nadine de Klerk to long on where Marie Kelly judged a fiendishly difficult catch perfectly in the swirling wind.
Gaur damaged Blaze’s reply early with two wickets in her first eight balls, abetted by careless batting as Kelly lifted a pull to deep square and Teresa Graves chipped to mid-wicket. The Bryce sisters rebuilt with a stand of 47 from 39 balls before Sarah Bryce (24, 20) sliced Tara Norris to backward point.
At 64 for three after ten overs, Blaze need impetus and de Klerk supplied it with 14 from three balls from Collins. Morris (4-0-17-0) then skilfully returned a brake to the scoring and de Klerk’s assault (25, 22) ended when she top-edged a skier off Gaur to Hannah Jones at fine leg.
The pivotal over was the 16th in which Kathryn Bryce lifted Jones for three straight sixes, passing her 50 in 45 balls in the process. Twenty from that over left Blaze needing just 24 from the last four and though Bryce departed with seven still needed, Ella Claridge saw her side over the line with a perfect cameo (18 not out, ten balls).