MATCH PREVIEW: Northern Diamonds v Lancashire Thunder, Charlotte Edwards Cup
Chris Read believes back-to-back home defeats against Blaze and Southern Vipers at Emirates Old Trafford at the start of June were the key results in costing his Lancashire Thunder side a place at Finals Day in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
Northern Diamonds v Lancashire Thunder
Charlotte Edwards Cup
Wednesday June 19, 2024, 11.30am
Seat Unique Riverside, Durham
Lancashire Thunder squad to face Northern Diamonds:
Ellie Threlkeld*+, Alice Clarke, Danni Collins, Kate Cross, Phoebe Graham, Liberty Heap, Grace Johnson, Emma Lamb, Katie Mack, Fi Morris , Sophie Morris, Tara Norris, Seren Smale
Thunder have missed out on a return ticket to a showpiece occasion they qualified for last year, winning three of their nine games so far.
They have one remaining, a dead-rubber clash in terms of qualification, against Northern Diamonds at Durham’s Seat Unique Riverside on Wednesday morning (11.30am).
The Diamonds are also out of the running having only won twice so far.
Both sides will watch on this coming Saturday as Blaze, South East Stars, Central Sparks and Vipers all compete for the trophy in Derby. Vipers are aiming for a third successive crown.
Read’s side lost last time out against Sparks at Edgbaston on Friday, off the last ball as they attempted to defend a target of 147. England batter Amy Jones hit a superb unbeaten 67.
But the former England men’s wicketkeeper-batter looked deeper into the competition for reasons why his Thunder side have fallen short.
He said: “There were two games when we weren’t at the races at all. In every other game, we’ve competed in large chunks and won three of them along the way.
“It’s probably those tight moments in games - we’ve not won enough of them, the real crucial moments.
“It’s all a bit so near, yet so far in many ways.
“We lost out on the last ball against Sparks on Friday afternoon. Win that and we would be going into this game against the Diamonds still able to qualify.
“As I say, there were just two games in the middle where we didn’t compete. In every other game, we have. That’s pleasing. But, ultimately, it’s a results business and we haven’t done enough to get to Finals Day again.”
The two games in question. Against Blaze, Thunder lost by seven wickets having only posted 111-9. Then against Vipers, Thunder were bowled out for 85 and again lost by seven wickets.
Heading to Durham, Thunder are keen to secure a fourth win.
They are already assured of fifth spot - ie, the best of the non-qualifiers - and victory in the North East would see them complete the T20 double over arch rivals Diamonds having beaten them in the opening game of the tournament at Emirates Old Trafford in mid-May.
“Every game we approach we try and win, so that will be our target going up to Durham,” confirmed Read. “We want to finish this competition on a high.”
Meanwhile, Read has heaped praise on Thunder’s rapidly developing batter Seren Smale, the 19-year-old England A player who has posted 207 runs so far in the ongoing CE Cup at an average of 41.4.
She hit a stunning 88 against Sparks on Friday and certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing side in that fixture.
“I’ve been really impressed with the way Seren goes about her business,” he added.
“She’s like a sponge - wanting to learn all the time, wanting to improve. And she’s getting the rewards out in the middle for all the hard work she’s put in.
“She’s playing exceptionally well and getting the results.”
This will be Thunder’s 100th fixture, incorporating the days of the Kia Super League pre-the ongoing regional era.
Opposition player to watch
Captain Hollie Armitage is in sensational form at present with the bat, highlighted by a quite staggering 97 off 64 balls in victory over Western Storm at Headingley on Sunday.
Armitage, 27, is a batting all-rounder who perfectly fits the talisman description.
She opens the batting in T20, bowls leg-spin, fields well and captains superbly.
Armitage has one England senior cap to her name, against New Zealand in a March T20 in Nelson. She came into that match midway through as a concussion substitute for Sarah Glenn. Pardon the pun, but Armitage is now giving the England selectors a real headache.
On Sunday, she dominated an opening partnership of 97 in 12 overs with Emma Marlow, who only contributed nine of those runs from 16 balls.
Armitage hit boundary after boundary and admitted afterwards that her innings almost felt like an outer-body experience. It was certainly an out of this world innings, the highest in the Charlotte Edwards Cup this season.
In her last four T20 innings for the Diamonds, she has posted scores of 62, 69 not out and that 97.
Previous meeting
On the opening day of this competition, at Emirates Old Trafford in mid-May, Thunder started brilliantly with a thumping eight-wicket win over Diamonds chasing only 110.
Mahika Gaur and Fi Morris, 1-11 and 1-15 from their respective four-over spells, were outstanding in limiting the Diamonds to 109-5. Kate Cross and Phoebe Graham also struck once apiece. Emma Marlow, from number five in the visiting order, top-scored with a measured 47.
Katherine Fraser’s 23 down the order was the only other 20 plus score for a Diamonds side who failed to make the most of their decision to bat first.
Thunder then completed victory with 5.1 overs to spare.
Emma Lamb top-scored with 44 not out off 43 balls, while Georgia Voll hit 19 on what proved to be the Australian’s only regional appearance as overseas. She ripped her hamstring in the act of being run out - 57-2 in the seventh over.
That allowed Seren Smale to join Lamb in completing the job with a run-a-ball 30 not out.