Sunrisers beat Vipers to reach Trophy semi-finals
Cordelia Griffith's 55 was her second half-century for Sunrisers in the 2024 Trophy
- Published
Sunrisers claimed a place in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy semi-finals with a five-run win over Southern Vipers in a rain-hit game at the Utilita Bowl.
They made 281 all out despite 5-51 by left-armer Naomi Dattani, but the weather delayed the start of the run-chase by the three-times winners.
Vipers - already certain of a top-four finish - eventually faced a revised target of 94 off 10 overs and fell short on 88-8, enabling Sunrisers to edge out The Blaze.
Elsewhere, Alice Davidson-Richards hit 79 as South East Stars thrashed group winners Northern Diamonds by 156 runs and Western Storm finished bottom after losing to Lancashire Thunder by two runs via the DLS regulations.
In the semi-finals on 14 September, Diamonds will be at home to Sunrisers, and South East Stars will host the Vipers, with the final following at Leicester a week later.
Good day for Dattani
Naomi Dattani joined Southern Vipers on loan from Lancashire Thunder
Sunrisers went into the game against Southern Vipers in fifth place and knowing that they needed at least two points to continue in the competition next weekend.
Captain Grace Scrivens (35) and Jo Gardner (27) did their bit with an opening stand of 70 before both fell to Dattani.
Cordelia Griffith reached 50 off 62 balls but was stumped off Ava Lee for 55 with the score on 169 and it was Lissy Macleod, with a sparking 53 off 39 balls, including a six and seven fours, who provided the impetus in the second half of their innings.
She put on 91 with Flo Miller (41) before Sunrisers lost their last five wickets for 16 runs and were all out when Abtaha Maqsood became the second run-out victim of the final over of the innings.
A lengthy delay followed and hopes of Vipers chasing 160 off 20 overs came to nothing when rain returned and a further reduction was necessary.
They were 39-4 when skipper Georgia Adams was run out and at the start of the last of their 10 overs, still needed 13 to win.
Freya Davies was caught behind off Scriven's first delivery and three singles from the next four left them with too much to do, and although Mary Taylor ended the game with a boundary, it was not enough.
"No one wanted to get on the bus to Leeds again, we only did it a few days ago. It was a big challenge to get 94 and everyone went out there with great intent. It was a great effort," said Dattani.
"It is the first five-for of my whole career in any form of cricket so I'm chuffed to get it. Over the past few years I've struggled to get the ball in my hand for enough overs so it has been really nice to come here and have a genuine role with the ball."
Stars earn home semi-final
Alice Davidson-Richards has scored 467 Trophy runs in 2024, including five fifties
South East Stars guaranteed second place in the group and a home semi-final at Beckenham after a score of 275-8 proved far too much for Northern Diamonds, who suffered only their fourth defeat of the competition.
Davidson-Richards hit a six and nine fours in her run-a-ball innings at the Riverside - her second half-century in successive games - before she was caught off Beth Langston in the 44th over.
Teenager Tilly Corteen-Coleman removed England's Lauren Winfield-Hill, caught at short mid-wicket, in the third over of the Diamonds chase and wickets continued to fall as Alexa Stonehouse produced an inspired spell of 4-17 with the new ball.
The home side slumped to 65-8 before Phoebe Turner and Katie Levick held Stars up for 14 overs with a stand of 35.
Stonehouse finished with a career-best 4-27 but Diamonds were all out for 119 at the start of the 37th over, when Kalea Moore (3-10) removed Rachel Slater, leaving Turner on 49 not out.
"It was one of those days. We never really got going in any of our disciplines. It’s probably good to get that out of our system before next week," Diamonds spinner Levick said.
At Taunton, Western Storm needed to beat Lancashire Thunder to avoid finishing bottom of the group and restricted the visitors to 216-9 despite an unbeaten 69 by skipper Ellie Threlkeld, who had reached 50 off 77 balls with a reverse sweep for four off Sophia Smale.
Storm's Fran Wilson followed Seren Smale of Thunder in reaching 500 runs in the competition this summer but clouds were gathering and she was 13 not out when rain arrived with their score on 69-2 after 20 overs.
No further play was possible and they were agonisingly short of what would have been a winning score via DLS.
"We were definitely aware of the DLS and we knew that we were not far off it. But we didn't want to play any differently in that scenario and it was a matter of assessing the risk-reward," said Storm skipper Sophie Luff.