Hennessy’s 50 in vain as Storm are sunk by the Stars

A CENTURY stand by Aylish Cranstone and Kalea Moore saw the South East Stars beat Western Storm by seven wickets in the Charlotte Edwards Trophy at Beckenham.

The Stars chased down the visitors’ 145-6 with an over remaining in the Group B fixture.

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. Claire Nicholas took 2-17.

Georgia Hennessy was the Storm’s top scorer with 50 from 52 balls, with six fours. Fellow opener Heather Knight was next highest with 35, while Bryony Smith took 2-22.

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 on to the stumps at the non-striker’s end, leaving the England captain stranded.

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 had 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 Claire Nicholas claimed two wickets from successive balls in the fourth over. Smith was caught by Luff and Capsey bowled for a golden duck.

The hosts were on 39-2 at the end of the powerplay, and in the next over Franklin was caught when she hit Knight to Gibson.

Cranstone skied George’s final ball of the tenth over, but the chance was dropped, leaving the Stars on 72-3 at the halfway point.

Smart running between the wickets helped Cranstone and Moore complete their 50 partnership and the game began to drift away from the visitors.