Storm beaten despite promising start at Stars

A CENTURY stand between Aylish Cranstone and Kalea Moore saw the South East Stars beat the Western Storm by seven wickets in the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Beckenham, writes Fred Atkins.

The Stars chased down the visitors’ 145 for six with an over remaining in the Group B fixture, closing on 148 for three.

Cranstone scored 66 not out from 49 balls, with six fours, and put on an unbeaten 108 for the fourth wicket with Moore, who made 57 not out from balls, including five fours. The Storm’s Claire Nicholas took two for 17.

Georgia Hennessy was the West side’s top-scorer with 50 from 52 balls with six fours. Fellow opener Heather Knight was next highest with 35, while Bryony Smith took two for 22.

The Stars won the toss and chose to field, but they toiled for the first half of the innings, with the visitors reaching 49 without loss after the powerplay. Yet having advanced to 81 without further loss the Storm stuttered, the breakthrough coming in the 12th over when Knight was run out by Alice Davidson-Richards, who deflected a drive by Hennessy onto the stumps.

Hennessy brought up her 50 with a driven single off Smith, but she was out to the next ball she faced when she was caught and bowled by the same bowler. Smith then took her second wicket when she had Sophie Luff caught by Freya Davies for 12 at mid-on.

Danielle Gibson scored the first six of the match when she smashed Alice Capsey over cow corner, but she was out to the same bowler for 11, caught on the boundary by Phoebe Franklin. Fi Morris was then run out by Moore for seven and Davidson-Richards trapped Natasha Wraith lbw for five with the penultimate ball of the innings, leaving Katie George to hit the final ball to boundary to finish on four not out, alongside Fran Wilson, who was unbeaten on 15.

The Stars’ chase got off to a rocky start when Nicholas claimed two wickets from successive balls in the fourth over. Smith was caught by Luff and Capsey bowled for a golden duck. Franklin was soon caught for eight when she hit Knight to Gibson.

However, Cranstone and Moore were in control from there as the Stars reached their target with an over to spare.

The Storm’s Hennessy said: “We posted a below-average total. The platform was there, I think, it was disappointing because we have got the depth and the power. Aylish played a very experienced innings, knocking it around. She didn’t need to do anything dangerous.”