Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Northern Diamonds beat Lightning by one wicket to maintain 100 per cent record
Southern Vipers and Northern Diamonds maintain 100 per cent records with fourth straight wins; Diamonds scrape past Lightning by one wicket, while defending champions Vipers put the squeeze on Sunrisers to inflict a 17th defeat out of 17 on their opponents in 50-over cricket
Saturday 23 July 2022 22:44, UK
Northern Diamonds pipped Lightning by one wicket with two balls to spare to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy after a thriller in Durham.
Diamonds - who are now four from four this term - were 75-1 and 115-3 in a chase of 200 but then slumped to 184-8 and 197-9 before former England international Jenny Gunn (41no) steered her side over the line alongside Katie Levick (1no) at Seat Unique Riverside.
Tammy Beaumont - playing after being omitted from England's T20 squad for the ongoing series against South Africa and then the Commonwealth Games - earlier hit 70 at the top of the order for Lightning, sharing half-century stands with Marie Kelly (37) and Sarah Bryce (21).
However, the visitors tumbled from 120-1 in the 29th over to 199 all out in 49.1 - Beaumont the fourth player to fall - and at one stage lost four wickets for one run in the space of nine deliveries.
New Zealand international spinner Leigh Kasperek took 3-39, including Beaumont lbw, while Levick, Hollie Armitage and Linsey Smith picked up two wickets apiece.
Lauren Winfield-Hill (61) then bossed a 70-run, second-wicket partnership with Diamonds skipper Armitage to seemingly set their side on course for a routine victory but the subsequent collapse made for a nervy finish.
Defending champions Southern Vipers also made it four victories from four after recovering from 38-5 to inflict another defeat on winless Sunrisers with an 11-run triumph at The Ageas Bowl.
Vipers were reeling after five dismissals in the first nine overs - Sunrisers seamer Kate Coppack (4-48) with four of them - before rallying to 233-9 thanks to Paige Scholfield (72), Chloe Hill (55) and the lower order.
Sunrisers subsequently slipped to a 17th loss out of 17 in 50-over cricket since the side's inception and a fourth in a row in this year's competition as they were limited to 222-8 in reply.
England spinner Charlie Dean took 3-31 from her 10 overs for a Vipers side who squeezed Sunrisers in the chase, with the visitors only able to muster 28 runs from the opening 10 overs - opening batter Cordelia Griffith top-scored for Sunrisers with 65 from 109 deliveries.
Elsewhere, England all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards starred with bat and ball as South East Stars beat Western Storm by 36 runs at Cheltenham.
Davidson-Richards hit 50 from 66 balls in Stars' 283-8 with Chloe Brewer (61) and Rhianna Southby (54) also making scores of note amid Storm off-spinner Chloe Skelton bagging 5-54.
Davidson-Richards then snared 4-33 in Storm's innings as the hosts were dismissed for 247 in 48 overs in reply, rendering Sophie Luff's 95 in vain - a week after she had notched an unbeaten century in a win over Sunrisers.
The first women's List A day/night match at Emirates Old Trafford went the way of Thunder after the hosts beat Central Sparks by 28 runs on DLS with eight balls to spare.
For the Thunder it was a first victory in the competition this season with Emma Lamb's 68 the pick of several good contributions with the bat before the England international struck with three late wickets to halt Sparks progress in the run chase.
Abi Freeborn top scored in the match with a run-a-ball 72 but the Sparks' number three failed to receive the necessary support to get the visitors over the line as the Thunder spun their way to victory, bowling their visitors out for 191.
The win takes Thunder off the bottom of the table, level on four points with Sparks and Lightning, but with all three teams 10 points behind third-placed South East Stars.
