Adams century leads Hampshire to One-Day Cup final
Georgia Adams captained Southern Vipers to five domestic trophies between 2020 and 2023
- Published
Metro Bank One-Day Cup semi-final, Utilita Bowl
Surrey 287 (48.5 overs): Chathli 81, Monaghan 55, Davidson-Richards 42; Davies 4-39
Hampshire 290-6 (47.1 overs): Adams 107*, Taylor 60*, Kemp 50; Moore 2-43
Hampshire win by four wickets
Hampshire will face Lancashire in the final of the Women's One-Day Cup competition after Georgia Adams' century bested Surrey in the gloom.
Captain Adams led from the front with an outstanding unbeaten 107 from 101 balls for her second ton for Hampshire, ably supported by Freya Kemp's ballistic half-century and Mary Taylor's match-securing 60 not out.
It meant Surrey's 287 all out, headlined by Kira Chathli's 81 and a knock of 55 from Alice Monaghan, was not enough, as Hampshire booked their place in Sunday's final at Utilita Bowl with 17 balls to spare.
Hampshire will hope for a One-Day Cup double – with their men in final action the previous day – while Lancashire could add to their T20 Women's County Cup from earlier this season.
Surrey built their testing total around three substantial partnerships of 81, 89 and 60, with Chathli and Monaghan striking half-centuries.
Skipper Bryony Smith was classily castled by Freya Davies, who it was revealed will retire at the end of the season, in the fourth over for four, but Monaghan – against her former team – and Emma Jones built the foundations.
Jones (33) was smartly caught behind by Rhianna Southby and Monaghan top-edged in quick succession, but Alice Davidson-Richards and Chathli restored supremacy in an innings-defining 89-run stand.
Davidson-Richards' off-stump was sent flying by Naomi Dattani for 42, but Phoebe Franklin added another 60 with Chathli to lead the middle-overs charge.
Chathli bullied the bad balls with eight boundaries as her first One-Day Cup half-century came in 55 balls, another milestone in a fine personal summer.
But Hampshire fought back in the back end of the innings to keep Surrey under 300, led by Davies' excellent 4-39 and Bex Tyson's 2-39.
The hosts always had the threat of rain hovering over their chase, with heavy dark clouds constantly threatening the Utilita Bowl.
As such, keeping up with the DLS par score was crucial, while wickets would be decisive.
Hampshire losing both openers inside four overs made the job immediately more difficult as Southby (16) slapped to deep square leg, while Maia Bouchier (two) was caught at mid-off, a ball after being dropped at mid-on.
But Kemp arrived to turn the situation around.
The England all-rounder rampaged to 50 in 26 balls with a brutal display of hitting, with seven fours and a pair of sixes.
She moved Hampshire 10 runs ahead of the par score, but when she was bowled going back to Kalea Moore, the par rocketed from 77 to 103.
Adams, who had given Kemp free rein, now took control and pulled her side back to within touching distance of the rate with her standard range of ground strokes and gap finding.
Abi Norgrove's tame chip to short midwicket for one once again put Hampshire 30 runs short, with play suspended for 20 minutes by rain.
Nancy Harman was leg-before for 13 on the other side of the delay, but Adams gained stickability from Naomi Dattani (22), with whom she put on 53, and then Taylor.
Taylor has continually proven herself a useful lower-order batter but belied her List-A best of 21, and with the unflappable Adams, the pair strode to the winning line with an unbroken century stand of 104, which fittingly ended with Adams cutting the winning runs for her 11th boundary.
Final - Sunday 21 September (10:30 BST)
Utilita Bowl: Hampshire v Lancashire
Match report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay