Lancashire Thunder lose to The Blaze at Trent Bridge
Lancashire’s Grace Potts took a career-best five for 20 only for Australian all-rounder Charli Knott to deliver the match-winning performance as The Blaze moved to the top of the Vitality Blast Women’s points table with a 15-run victory as Thunder were dismissed for 120 at Trent Bridge.
Potts bowled superbly as The Blaze were restricted to 135 for nine despite Tammy Beaumont making 59 from 40 deliveries with eight fours.
But Knott’s four for 17 - also a career-best - trumped the Thunder seamer as the visitors were dismissed for 120 in 19.1 overs, the off-spinner inflicting the biggest damage with a triple-wicket maiden in the seventh over of their innings. Skipper Ellie Threlkeld’s 49 from 36 balls proved in vain.
Georgia Elwiss took three for 12 and two key catches as The Blaze made their experience count after Beaumont, her 34-year-old teammate, was dismissed by Thunder’s 16-year-old legspinner Venus Weerappuli, who was born on the day The Blaze opener was making her England debut in 2009.
Asked to bat first, The Blaze were 43 for two after the powerplay, Potts picking up both as Marie Kelly sent a leading edge soaring before Knott, after two lovely cover-driven boundaries, was caught at short third.
Beaumont kept going but The Blaze continued to lose wickets. Elwiss sliced to short third, Ella Claridge chipped to extra cover and Emma Jones top-edged to long leg. Beaumont had a life on 34, Weerappuli seeing her dropped at mid-off.
A couple of boundaries took Beaumont past fifty but Weerappuli created another chance, this time taken at square leg. Potts removed Prisha Thanawala and Grace Ballinger for her quintet, Kirstie Gordon - on temporary release from Scotland - caught at extra cover in between, leaving The Blaze to defend a modest total.
Thunder were in front on runs after their powerplay but 56 came at a cost of three wickets as Emma Jones was caught behind and Tilly Kesteven miscued to cover before Gordon had Grace Johnson leg before with her first ball.
The picture changed dramatically in the seventh. The big blow to the Thunder’s hopes came at the start as Meg Lanning, the spinner’s hugely accomplished fellow Australian, sent one soaring. Elwiss pouched the catch at extra cover and immediately held another as Seren Smale hit straight to her. Fi Morris, having survived the hat-trick ball, was trapped in front by the next.
Sharp glovework by ‘keeper Claridge accounted for Kate Cross but Threlkeld took let very few scoring opportunities pass and kept her side up with the required rate even with wickets running out, Thunder getting a helping hand when Tara Norris was dropped on six, denying Knott a five-for.
But Threlkeld was denied one short of a half-century, looking for a sixth boundary but getting under one from Ballinger, which landed in the hands of deep midwicket as the left-armed conceded just nine runs in her last two overs. It felt like Thunder’s chance had gone, confirmed as Norris holed out off Elwiss, who then dismissed Weerapulli with the first ball of the last over.
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