‘Special win’ for Vipers
Seamers Tara Norris and Paige Scholfield shared seven wickets as defending champions Southern Vipers took a significant step towards the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final by beating Thunder by three wickets at Sale.
In bowling Thunder out for 110 inside 33 overs, left-armer Norris and Scholfield returned career best List A figures of 4-14 and 3-16 respectively, with England star
Kate Cross the hosts’ lone hand with a fluent 57, writes GRAHAM HARDCASTLE.
The Vipers’ reply stumbled to 68-5, but Portsmouth-born Emily Windsor’s unbeaten 26 was crucial in securing the bonus point victory following last Sunday’s disappointing Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 semifinal defeat.
A fourth win from five games consolidates top spot in the table with two rounds remaining. If they finish there, they will advance directly to the September 25 final at Northampton.
After electing to bowl on an unsettled morning, Vipers were quickly in and amongst the home top order in front of a 250 capacity crowd following the cancellation of Old Trafford’s Test just a couple of miles down the Chester Road.
Aside from Cross, Emma Lamb was the only other Thunder batter to reach double figures on a good pitch in front of a crowd including a fancy dress dinosaur, cavemen and wizards.
Cross, an almost certain selection in England’s ODI squad for the forthcoming New Zealand series, continued her excellent day by getting Georgia Adams and Georgia Elwiss caught behind as the chasing Vipers fell to 46-3 in the 11th over.
They late dipped to 106-7 but Windsor, who started her cricket career in the boys’ section at Havant CC, drove the winning runs down the ground in the 34th over.
Windsor, pictured, said: ‘That was a special win for us given so many of our girls played with Tash (Natasha Marisa, the former Hampshire player who passed away earlier in the week).
‘I did a speech at the start of the game saying, ‘There are two things Tash always did. She never gave up and always played with a smile on her face. That’s what we will do today’.
‘There are lots of positives to take into Sunday (Sunrisers at Chelmsford).’