Match 30, Leeds, August 22, 2023, 07:30 PM
144/4(20.0ov)
128/8(20.0ov)
Northern Superchargers Women beat Welsh Fire Women by 16 runs
Marie Kelly is the Hero of the Match. Her knock of 69 runs off 46 balls paved the way for a Superchargers win. She says that she tries to be consistent with the bat and that the team has backed her well. She adds that she focuses on utilising the powerplay and taking on the bowlers. She mentions that she moves around a lot when she is in form but she is working on playing shots from the crease. She loves batting here at Leeds. She also mentions that she is glad to help the team with those catches.
Earlier in the game, after Hollie Armitage won the coin toss and opted to bat first, contributions from Marie Kelly and Phoebe Litchfield got the Northern Superchargers Women into a strong position. The Superchargers did stutter in the middle phase after the departure of Litchfield. It looked like they would fail to finish on a high but Kelly with her unbeaten knock of 69 runs off 46 balls, propelled her side to 144. For Welsh Fire Women, Claire Nicholas was their most economical bowler on the day although she had only a solitary wicket to her name.
In their pursuit of 145, Welsh Fire Women were rocked early as both Tammy Beaumont and Hayley Matthews departed without troubling the scorers. Sarah Bryce was dismissed early as well and the Fire were reeling at 14-3. The visitors could never really recover from that shaky start. Laura Harris and Sophia Dunkley began a rebuilding job and they were even helped by some dropped catches. However, they were unable to make the most of those chances and could not convert into something substantial. The rest of the batting unit could not string any partnerships together and in the end, Welsh Fire Women fell short by 16 runs.
A comprehensive victory for the Northern Superchargers Women! With a 16-run triumph, they have kept their hopes alive of topping the table and sealing a place in the final. For the Superchargers, it was Lucy Higham who set the tone with the big wicket of Tammy Beaumont in the first set. From the other end, Kate Cross accounted for Hayley Matthews and the hosts never looked back since. That said, they became a bit complacent in the middle phase with some ordinary bowling and fielding. However, they regrouped in the Strategic Break and continued to chip in with wickets at regular intervals. They kept the pressure on and never allowed the opposition to gain any momentum.
In over# 20
4
0
1
1
1
Alice Davidson-Richards 29/2(4)
100
4
FOUR! On length this time outside off. Shabnim Ismail lofts this off the toe of her bat over short third. The fielders try to chase it but the ball races away to the fence and runs away for a boundary to end the match. The Northern Superchargers Women have won the match.
99
.
Fullish on off. Shabnim Ismail drives it straight to the fielder at mid off.
98
1
Full again and on middle. Claire Nicholas pushes it to cover for another single.
97
1
A juicy full toss way outside off. Shabnim Ismail slaps it to the fielder at point for a quick single.
96
1
Full on middle. Claire Nicholas drives it to covers for one.
In over# 19
1
0
2nb
0
2
1
Kate Cross 19/2(4)
95
1
Full again on middle. Shabnim Ismail drives it to mid off for one to end the set.
94
.
Yorker length bang on leg. Shabnim Ismail is beaten.
94
2nb
No ball! Too short from Kate Cross and on leg. Shabnim Ismail ducks under it as the ball sails over her head. The umpire signals a no ball.
93
.
A juicy full toss on off. Shabnim Ismail slaps it to the fielder at covers.
92
2
Fullish and on off. Shabnim Ismail lofts it away down the ground for a couple of runs.
91
1
Full and on leg. Claire Nicholas drives it to mid on for a single.
In over# 18
0W
0W
1
2
4
Grace Ballinger 28/2(4)
90
W
RUN OUT! Alex Griffiths is run out and not in a very good way! Grace Ballinger bowls this short and on off. Shabnim Ismail tries to cut it but gets a inside edge. The ball rolls away to the off side and Alex Griffiths is halfway down the crease by then. Bess Heath collects the ball and throws it towards Grace Ballinger who dislodges the bails easily and Alex Griffiths is way outside the crease.