MATCH REPORT: Emphatic Lancashire bounce back against Hampshire
A good all-round performance with bat and ball saw Lancashire Women win their second game and inflict a first defeat of the season on Hampshire Women in the Women’s Metro Bank One Day Cup by six wickets with 16.3 overs to spare at Emirates Old Trafford.
Kate Cross took 3-31 to lead a dominant bowling performance as Hampshire were bowled out for 153 in 42.1 overs, with Amanda-Jade Wellington, batting at number eight, top-scoring with 32.
An opening partnership of 93 between Eve Jones (47) and Emma Lamb broke the back of the Lancashire run chase, and despite two wickets in 8 balls by Wellington, Lamb and Maddie Penna (36 not out), steered their side to the verge of victory, Lamb out for 56 just before Penna settled matters with a six.
Lamb and Eve Jones batted cautiously at the start of the Lancashire reply, scoring 36 runs during the ten over powerplay with Lamb hitting the only two boundaries. Jones straight drove Bex Tyson for her first four in the next over and the opening pair moved serenely to reach their fifty partnership from 83 balls.
Once established the two Lancashire openers started to play a more expansive game with one eye on achieving a bonus point win, Eve Jones lofting both Tyson and Wellington for fours in successive overs but brilliantly stumped by Rhianna Southby off Wellington for 47 who then bowled Seren Smale for 0.
Lamb, having been dropped on 18, chipped away steadily at the remaining runs, reaching her half century from 76 balls, alongside Australian overseas debutant Pena who hoisted Megan Sturge for a huge leg side six as Lancashire coasted home despite losing Lamb and Ellie Threlkeld when four runs were needed to win.
After being put in to bat, Maia Bouchier was caught behind in the third over to give Cross her 100th Lancashire wicket in the professional era and the hosts exerted an early stranglehold with Hampshire only scoring 29 runs during the ten over powerplay. Ella McCaughan and Abi Norgrove dug in to post fifty for the second wicket before both fell in quick succession. Norgrove pulled the first ball of Mahika Gaur’s second spell to Maddie Penna at midwicket for 20 while McCaughan holed out to Ailsa Lister at mid-off off left arm spinner Hannah Jones for 30.
Jones, who returned 2-24 from eight overs, took her second wicket when Southby picked out Grace Potts at midwicket for 4 to have Hampshire struggling on 74-4 after 23 overs. The visitors soon suffered further blows when Sturge hit Penna’s sixth delivery to Eve Jones at cover for 10 and Nancy Harman drove the returning Cross to Seren Smale at mid-on for 1 to be 103-6 in the 33rd over.
Skipper Naomi Dattani did her best to take her side up to a defendable total with a determined 29 but it some late hitting from Wellington with 32 off 40 balls to take Hampshire’s total past the 150-mark in a tenth-wicket partnership of 23 with Tyson (3 not out).
;