Vipers lose in nail-biting fashion by just two runs, just as the Lord’s One-Day International ended similarly 24 hours earlier. Northern Diamonds won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for the third time. They sent thanks to a two-run victory against the Southern Vipers in a nail-biter at Lord’s. Also, thanks to the efforts of Lauren Winfield-Hill and Linsey Smith.
Linsey Smith Helps Northern Diamonds Wins Final
Diamonds had lost to Vipers in the previous two finals, but Winfield-Hill scored 65 and Smith contributed 27 in an opening stand of 83 to set the tone for their eventual score of 215 for 9. Bess Heath then added 44, while Georgia Adams took three for 34 and Paige Scholfield took two for 36.
During the Diamonds’ Innings: Charlie Dean Faked To Strike Out Smith
Adams scored 70 runs with the bat, and Maia Bouchier contributed a magnificent 48, but the spin brilliance of Smith (two for 24) and three victims behind the stumps for Winfield-Hill led to a narrow loss for the Vipers in a nail-biting finish.
During the Diamonds’ innings, the day’s events culminated with Charlie Dean’s humorous pretended run out of Smith at the non-end. Striker’s a reference to Smith’s run-out by India’s Deepti Sharma in the ODI the previous day.
The tournament’s top run scorer, Winfield-Hill, dominated the early going of the championship game. One back-foot punch through the cover from the England international was a thing of beauty. He drove the ball wonderfully, mostly via the offside.
Unfortunately for Chloe Hill, fellow opener Smith got away with a dance throw to Charlotte Taylor. Although Taylor’s vengeance would not be long in coming, Smith would chip one back to the spinner. Winfield-Hill continued to a magnificent 50 with seven fours, but Hollie Armitage, like Smith, had trouble timing the ball.
Armitage reached 114 for 1 until he was bowled for an aggressive swipe at Scholfield. Sterre Kalis was the catalyst for the catastrophic collapse when he was out to the first ball he faced. Scholfield used his mobility off the pitch to grab the ball between bat and pad, once again uprooting Kalis’s off-stump.
Four Wickets Down: Diamonds Were Losing
Winfield-calm Hill’s innings came to an end at 65 when Phoebe Turner survived the hat-trick ball but missed a straight one from Taylor in the next over. Georgia Elwiss returned from cover to run out Winfield-Hill.
Diamonds were on the verge of defeat after losing four wickets for just five runs in 17 balls. In a stand of 85, Heath and Leah Dobson slowed the hemorrhage before finally stemming it. Heath hit Georgia Adams for three consecutive boundaries before becoming the first of three late wickets for the Vipers’ captain, who took two wickets in the last over off consecutive balls.
In their pursuit of 216, the Vipers lost Ella McCaughan to the sour Smith and saw Elwiss be castled by a powerful in-swinger from Lizzie Scott. Bouchier sparked the comeback by smashing Katy Levick back over her head for four.
She then took a significant toll on Leigh Kasperek’s spin as she and Adams’ 50/50 partnership quickly unraveled. The Diamonds could have used more motivation, but instead received a huge dose of luck when Bouchier smacked an Armitage full toss right to Smith at the cover.
That sent Windsor to the plate, where she promptly sent a signal with a cover-drive four, bringing Armitage to the crease. Unfortunately for Windsor, Armitage would also take care of business, as she nicked one through to Winfield-Hill.
Let’s Conclude This Discussion
Dean, on the other hand, continued where she left off with England 24 hours before, scoring 13 off Armitage’s last over and seemingly tipping the scales back in favor of Vipers. Due to Levick’s grassed chance at a point in Armitage’s next over, she was granted life on 26.
She managed to smack a Kaseperek long-hop straight down the throat of short mid-wicket, saving 53 runs. There was still Adams at the crease, and 20 runs were required from the last two overs when she was stumped by Winfield-Hill off the bowling of Levick. When the pressure was at its peak, Smith bowled Scholfield, and the final over a score of 13 was too much.