Premier Leagues

Adam Collins charts the progress of the inaugural women’s T20 league and finds much to admire

Club cricket’s elite gear up for the season’s finale

Hard tracks bring runs. It’s glib, but this is the theme from week two of the Kia Super League.Where the surfaces looked sporting, high scores followed; when tired, ball trumped bat.

The good news is run rates were considerably higher as the competition found its groove in the second week across a series of affairs that oscillated the way that T20 cricket does at its best, including a couple of gems.

Two thirds of the way through the season there’s a tasty little scrap between the top four teams to secure where they will finish. Meanwhile, the white and red rose counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire miss out after routinely throwing away their chances. Stars outshine profligate Diamonds Playing at The Oval in front of more than 2,200 people was the perfect setting for Surrey to get their act together after a dismal first outing.

But the home side’s resilience was tested early,Yorkshire taking advantage of the rapid boundaries to clock 72 without loss, courtesy of Hollie Armitage and Lauren Winfield.

Enter Alex Hartley. The England spinner picked up both openers for 43 and 29 respectively, stalling the innings as it wobbled to more chaseable 134-5.

Surrey were out of the blocks nearly as well, 65 before Bryony Smith fell for 31. However, that brought captain Nat Sciver together with England opener Tammy Beaumont.

Despite needing nearly ten and over, the result became more a formality by the over.

When the hard work was done Beaumont holed out for 47, Sciver was unbeaten on 29. For Yorkshire’s part, they knew how badly they had botched it, and with an unforgiving schedule they were already a loss away from cooked. Vipers squeeze Thunder Up at Blackpool, Lancashire took advantage of the absence of Vipers captain Charlotte Edwards, reducing the visitors to 34-3. But they had Sara McGlashan in the shed who does her best work when times a toughest. The Kiwi was unbeaten on 54 by innings close, the Thunder set 133 for victory.

In the balance at 57-2, Morna Nielsen ran out consistent opener Emma Lamb for 34 proving the turning point.

With captain and fellow New Zealander Amy Satterwaite removed for 31, pressure lumped onto Danni Wyatt.

She stuck around for 29 but lacked support for a final charge, the home side falling 11 runs short.With that, they joined Yorkshire in last chance saloon. Lightning weather Storm The best game to date, the carnival returned to Loughborough University for the second time in three days where the Lightning batted first against the visiting Western Storm but fell to 31-3.

This brought Ellyse Perry and Amy Jones together. The former hadn’t the best start to the tournament by her standards, so it was little surprise she bounced back with 44. Jones, starved of opportunities for England with the bat, played beautifully both sides of the wicket for 44 herself. Putting on 83, it was the vital stand of the match, enabling a total of 158-8.

The Storm’s reply followed much the same, 26-2 early before being salvaged by a big stand, this time 78 between England skipper Heather Knight and her England teammate Fran Wilson.

Knight was freakishly run out at the non-striker’s end by Georgie Elwiss’ finger tips in her follow-through and Storm fell five runs short. Taylor outpoints Sciver Sunday provided the Storm a chance to bounce straight back, hosting Surrey at Bristol. But initially at least, it didn’t quite work out that way. After being put down by Stafanie Taylor on two, Sciver exploded to launch 90 not out in 45 balls; what she does best.

No one else scored more than 20, but no one else needed to as the innings closed on 161-6.Western’s reply was in ruins at 17-3, but sure enough, the game had a twist.West Indian Taylor, the villain from earlier, became the hero within an hour. Joined by South Africa’s own big hitter Lizelle Lee, they took down the visitors, Lee twice hitting balls over the straight boundary.

With 14 required from the final over, Taylor did likewise, smashing New Zealand’s Lea Tahuhu for two sixes then a four, to seal an unlikely win with four balls to spare, finishing on an unbeaten 74. The Stars were left flummoxed: how did they lose that? Diamonds crushed in Southampton For these couple of cracking games, we were bound to have a stinker. This was it. The Rose Bowl track was slow lifeless, and when Charlotte Edwards nicked off on zero it promoted an early collapse that left the Vipers 19-4.

But Yorkshire needed to keep the foot down and break the next partnership between former England international Arran Brindle and New Zealand captain Suzie Bates. They couldn’t, the pair putting on measured 99 with 45 apiece by the close, Southern making 118-4.

The Diamonds never looked like winning from the moment Winfield was caught at midwicket for eight, their batsmen falling at regular intervals in a disastrous innings of 64.With the ball, Linsey Smith took 4-10 after only getting a gig in the KSL as a replacement player.

Yorkshire, still winless, were officially the first team out, while Southern had secured their finals day entry ticket. Surrey’s roll continues as Thunder’s clap silenced It was a familiar story for Surrey when hosting Lancashire at Guildford in front of a very healthy mid-week crowd of over 1,000, for the third time in the competition Hartley having an immediate effect in the middle overs claiming 3-11 to prevent any surge.

With wickets falling around her, Satterthwaite was reduced to an anchoring role for 34 not out, the Thunder limping to 102-9. Sure enough, Beaumont ate that up. A flying stand of 50 with Smith inside six overs set it up, before the England opener (45 not out) powered the hosts through to a seven-wicket win and a handy bonus point. The result also meant Lancashire’s season was over. What’s next? Five games end the home and away season, all teams playing tonight before the last two fixtures on Sunday afternoon. Here are the permutations: if Loughborough beat Stars they qualify and so do Vipers; if Storm then beat Vipers then Storm qualify; if Storm lose to Vipers they must beat Diamonds on Sunday; and if Stars beat Lightning tonight they might qualify – but would need to wait on other results. Still with me? Good. Bring it on.

Lightning v Stars at Loughborough, Friday Storm v Vipers at Taunton, Friday Thunder v Diamonds at Manchester, Friday

Vipers v Lightning at Southampton, Sunday

Diamonds v Storm at Leeds, Sunday.

Knight was freakishly run out at the nonstriker’s end by Georgie Elwiss’ fingertips in her follow through and Storm fell five runs short