Semi-Final & The Final
Stars v Storm
Vipers v Storm
Stars v Storm
* Stars win the toss and decide to bat
* Claire Nicholas (was Thomas) pins Stars
down with her off-spin, going for 2, then a maiden, and then getting Tammy Beaumont
in her third (fifth of the innings). Stars 12/1
* In the next over Freya Davies gets Lee
caught at deep square - Stars 18/2, which is how they finish the powerplay.
* Spin continues to tie Stars down and
Sciver perishes in the 10th over off Knight - 42/3, which moves on to 46/3 at
the end of the 10th over
* Progress remains slow and Kapp is next to
go for 19 in the 14th over - Stars 63/4
* Sophia Dunkley (30) and Bryony Smith (19)
add 32 for the fifth wicket off 35 balls, but both perish in the last over as
does Farrell, which gives Anya Shrubsole 3/22 and Stars finish on 100/7.
****
* Storm make the perfect start with 12 off
the first over, but lose skipper Knight in the second to Kapp, swiflty followed
by Wilson out for a golden duck. 12/2 becomes 12/3 as Priest is bowled by
Sciver's first ball.
* In Kapp's next over Luff edges behind and
Storm are in trouble at 17/4. Had Tammy Beaumont held on to a regulation catch
two balls later Hennessy would have been on her way and Storm 19/5, but instead...
* Stafanie Taylor 37* and Georgia Hennessy
21 take Storm to 61 before Hennessy charges Marsh and misses.
* 61/5 becomes 67/6 as Macleod's stay is
short. Taylor and Shrubsole take Storm almost there - 91/7 with 16 balls to
come, and they get home and into the final with 7 balls to spare
Vipers v Storm
* Storm win the toss and not surprisingly
decide to chase
* Runs come quite easily in the powerplay
for Hayley Matthews (31), who looks in good touch, and Suzie Bates (21), who
doesn't. Powerplay 38/0 but Storm did drop Bates
* 8th over and Stafanie Taylor gets
countrywoman Matthews - 47/1
* Adams doesn't last long - stumped off
Taylor (58/2), and in her next over she gets Bates too, lbw - Vipers 64/3 at
halfway stage
* Danni Wyatt, dropped early by Luff, is
brilliantly caught by Hennessy at long on low down and Vipers are 100/4 at the
end of the 15th over
* Mignon du Preez adds a useful 31 before
being caught at backward point. Vipers 117/5 with 15 balls to come.
* Last over flourish from Charlotte Edwards
(17 off Shrubsole's over) takes Vipers to a competitive 145/5
****
* Storm lose Knight early in the powerplay
and are 37/1 at the end of the fifth over, but the sixth over from Linsey Smith
is muscled away for 25, with Rachel Priest reaching her 50 off just 26 balls.
Storm 62/1 after first six overs. (Smith who has been ill all week leaves the
field)
* Fran Wilson is bowled by a looping
Brindle yorkie in the ninth over - Storm still going well on 80/2
* It looks like Priest is unstoppable, but
she smashes a George halftracker out to deep midwicket where Wyatt takes a
tumbling catch. She hit 72 off 36 balls. Storm 94/3 at halfway. Only need 52
off next 10 overs with Taylor and Luff at the crease
* Vipers look resigned to the defeat as the
pair knock the ball around for singles and boundaries
* Just 18 runs needed off the last five
overs, and then six off the last three. With just one required Taylor launches
the ball over long on for 6! Storm win by 7 wickets with 2 overs to spare
full scorecard here
I think Storm played brilliantly in both matches and deserved to win on the day. They bowled very well against Stars and also well against Vipers, however Vipers didn’t field or bowl as well as we’ve seen them do on most occasions. Priest’s contributions in the crucial games for Storm have been massive.
ReplyDeleteIt will be an important learning experience for Smith, too, as she was suffering a bit. She bowls quite fast darts at around 55mph and is actually quicker than Brindle a lot of the time. Maybe using the flight a bit more and slowing it down would be the answer and help her have more control. I can’t believe how good Storm are at chasing, it’s uncanny really, even given a lot of it has been due to Priest – other players, like Knight, Wilson, Taylor and Luff all stepped up at times during the season.
The somewhat low key performances from England players at this KSL was to be expected seeing what they’d given of themselves to pick up the WWC trophy, so many close games scraped through and a lot of mental fatigue. This did give an opportunity for others to show what they can do though, so we shouldn’t complain – a lot of Storm players like Davies, Luff, Hennessy and Nicholas to name a few, contributed well to the team’s ultimate win.
Overall it was a fantastic day’s cricket for an utterly bargain-basement price which they must think about putting up next year for the finals day, surely! The venue and crowd were terrific and really fitting end to the domestic season. Shame Lottie couldn’t finish on a high, although we did see a great little cameo from her, but I’m sure she’ll have lots more to contribute with Hampshire going forward.