Thunder and Lancashire Lightning kick off pre-season with wins in Dubai
Thunder and Lancashire Lightning kicked off their 2024 pre-season tour with a win each against UAE Women and a Dubai Select XI at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
The matches on Sunday (10 March) formed part of the Club's annual T20 double header in Dubai and kicks off the tour after torrential rain across the UAE prevented both sides from training on Saturday.
Chris Read's Thunder played the first game at 2pm as his reign as Head Coach started with a win by 35 runs despite Ellie Threlkeld losing the toss and the Red Rose being asked to bat first.
Thunder posted 128 for 7 from their 20 overs - debutant Ailsa Lister top scoring with 35 from number six with support chiefly from Liberty Heap (25) and Alice Clarke (22) as the visitors battled in the Dubai heat.
In reply, UAE struggled to 93 for 6 from 20 overs as Thunder turned the screw with the ball. Openers Phoebe Graham (2/27) and Tara Norris (2/10) collected two wickets each before Hannah Rainey (1/14) and Heap (1/7) both got in on the act as Thunder eased to victory.
Then it was Lancashire Lightning's turn to take on the Dubai Select XI under the Sevens Stadium floodlights. Captain Keaton Jennings won the toss and elected to bat first.
Jennings (61) and fellow opener George Bell (62) both struck fluent half-centuries as they put on an opening stand of 82.
After a flurry of wickets fell during the middle overs, Steven Croft (26), Harry Singh (18*) and Tom Aspinwall (23*) added late impetus to the innings to take the score beyond 200 to 203-5.
Spin did the work early for Lightning during the Dubai reply, with Jack Morley (1/29) and Singh (2/26) taking the first three wickets before Josh Boyden (1/39) and George Balderson (2/46) claimed late wickets.
Lancashire completed an 11-run win to mark Dale Benkenstein's first match as Head Coach with a win and make it a Red Rose double in the double header.
GALLERY: T20 double header at Sevens Stadium, Dubai
