The Blaze 211/7 v Hampshire 209, Metro Bank One-Day Cup. Blaze won by three wickets.
The Blaze 4 points, Hampshire 0 points
By Jon Culley, ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
The Blaze stretched their lead to nine in the points table after overcoming second-placed Hampshire by three wickets in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup women’s competition at Trent Bridge.
Chasing 210 to win, Tammy Beaumont top-scored with 57, backed up by Kathryn Bryce’s 32 and Orla Prendergast’s 28 before Emma Jones led her side across the line with an unbeaten 37 from 31 balls as The Blaze clinched a sixth consecutive win with 29 balls to spare.
Earlier, Hampshire skipper Georgia Adams had made 89, Ella McCaughan 48 and Francesca Sweet an unbeaten 35 but, with Blaze strike bowler Charley Phillips continuing a fine start to the season by taking four for 31, Hampshire fell away to 209 all out after opting to bat first.
Phillips, just turned 23 and a seamer with real pace, raised her tally to 18 as the leading wicket-taker in the women’s competition.
The Blaze lost Marie Kelly in the third over of the chase, bowled by a swinging delivery from Daisy Gibb.
On a turning pitch. Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce added 59 before the latter missed an attempted paddle-scoop and was leg before for 32.
Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss, who had shared a partnership of 131 against Somerset on Wednesday, put on 51 this time before Elwiss was caught at slip off a top-edged paddle-sweep.
At 117 for three at the 25-over mark, The Blaze looked comfortable.
Beaumont, who made an unbeaten 99 in the win over Somerset, wasted an opportunity by looping a rank full toss from Bex Tyson straight to mid-off, before England left-arm spinner Linsey Smith bowled Sarah Bryce.
When Orla Prendergast was caught at extra cover, Smith claiming a second success, the outcome looked much less certain at 162 for six.
Kirstie Gordon was bowled by Tyson for one with 36 still needed but Jones and Lucy Higham kept their nerve, Jones clinching the win with her fifth boundary.
Hampshire’s innings suffered an early double setback as Phillips struck twice in her opening over, pinning Rhianna Southby in front and bowling Abi Norgrove off the pads, to leave the visitors two for two.
It was the perfect start for The Blaze, yet Adams led an impressive recovery alongside McCaughan, the pair adding 116 in 29 overs.
Adams, who led Hampshire to a win over Yorkshire on Wednesday after returning from injury, picked up half a dozen boundaries in a 72-ball half century, ruthlessly putting away anything loose on the leg side in particular, but McCaughan fell two runs short of a second consecutive fifty, trapped on the crease by Georgia Elwiss.
Yet Hampshire will feel they should have made more of a good position. Naomi Dattani was run out, paying for her hesitation at the non-striker’s end as Elwiss’s throw from mid-off beat her comfortably, and Adams, after surviving a caught-and-bowled chance 88, perished in the same over, bowled swinging at Kathryn Bryce.
Sweet, who hit her first half-century for Hampshire earlier in the week, impressed again but the innings otherwise fell away rapidly, the end of Adams sparking the loss of their last six wickets for just 26.
Some excellent fielding by Jones and Kathryn Bryce respectively ran out Smith and Daisy Gibbs, Amanda Jade-Wellington holed out to wide long-on, and both Poppy Tulloch and Tyson were bowled.
Hampshire captain Georgia Adams:
“I thought it was a really good game of cricket. It was quite challenging conditions, with it spinning early and it stayed very low. We thought if we got over 200 that we would compete and be in the game and we really felt we stayed in the game for right the way through.
“We obviously didn't get off to the greatest of starts and we pulled it back well. But credit to the Blades because I thought they actually bowled outstandingly. They definitely didn't give us many freebies, they bowled tight lines, which made it quite challenging to kick on, especially towards the back end.
“Francesca Sweet, who's still quite young and first year in professional cricket, played a really good cameo at the end there but we just fell away. We would have liked maybe 20 more from the position we were at at 40 overs.
“I think it was just a little bit too comfortable for them to chase down. Tammy Beaumont batted really well and after that it just felt like we were chasing our tail a little bit. Every time we gained control, someone came in and steadied the ship and they kept it below a run-a-ball, which is always a comfortable place to be.”
The Blaze head coach Craig Cumming:
“You wouldn’t have wanted to be chasing too many on a surface like that, a used pitch, against a quality spin attack like theirs, but the way we bowled, especially the way we controlled the rate when they needed a good last 10 overs to get a par total, was outstanding.
“Charley Phillips has had an opportunity this year because we haven’t had Cassidy McCarthy and she has worked really hard, she’s had a golden period. She swings the new ball but she’s also worked hard on her consistency in line of length. She brings her stumps into play, she doesn’t give away many bad balls, and she’s really worked hard on her yorkers and slow balls at the death. But bowling, like batting, is about partnerships and Grace (Ballinger) has bowled brilliantly all year.
“You can't win a competition at this time of the year, but you can certainly go a long way towards making it harder and we've put ourselves in a nice position and a lot of that is down to our bowlers.
“I was pleased for Tammy. It has been a really challenging couple of weeks for Tammy after learning she’s not in the England side but she’s shown character and resilience and we have a huge amount of admiration for the way she's dealt with it.”
