An unlikely eighth wicket partnership of 69 between Thea Brookes and Paige Scholfield saw Loughborough Lightning come close to pulling off an amazing comeback before Lancashire Thunder completed their first win in the new Kia Super League.
Thunder celebrate first win (Photo: Getty Images)
Lightning had looked dead and buried when they collapsed to 88-7 in the 13th over, chasing a formidable Thunder total built on a hard-hitting half-century from captain Amy Satterthwaite, made off just 32 balls.
But Scholfield, with 38 off 22 balls, and Brookes (30 not out, off 22) gave the home team a real chance of victory before Thunder all-rounder Hayley Matthews (3-25) picked up two wickets in two balls to end the innings.
“Lightning fought back superbly, and credit to them for that, and in the end it was a relief to get over the line,” said Satterthwaite.
“For ourselves, we talked about being positive in our batting, and not panicking if there were a few dot balls. It’s the nature of the competition that there will be wins and losses in the group stage, every side has a lot of strengths.”
Having chosen to bowl first, Loughborough saw seamer Beth Langston pick up the wicket of Matthews in her second over, finding an edge which was well held by Amy Jones diving to her right behind the stumps, but the tall left-hander Satterthwaite hit straight and hard, making the most of the short boundaries and some ragged bowling.
Lamb, on 26, went down the wicket to the slow left-arm spin of Rebecca Grundy, missed, and was stumped, but Satterthwaite hit nine fours and a six before top-edging a cut at the medium pace of Sonia Odedra into the hands of Brookes at short third man.
The introduction of the leg-spin of South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk briefly slowed the Thunder charge, but West Indies batter Deandra Dottin accelerated the scoring rate again. A series of sweetly timed pulls and sweeps from outside off-stump saw her hit seven fours and a six before skying Perry into the hands of Lightning captain Georgia Elwiss at extra cover.
Lightning picked up just a single off the first over of their reply, bowled by Matthews, and in the second saw van Niekerk, unaccountably neglecting to run her bat into the crease, given run out before scoring.
Elwiss lofted Matthews for a straight six, but Devine chipped a simple catch to mid-wicket off Kate Cross. Perry went quickly, caught behind thin-edging an attempted cut at the spin of Sophie Ecclestone, and Loughborough’s last real chance of getting close to their formidable target seemed to have vanished when Elwiss was unluckily run out, stranded at the non-striker’s end when Jones’ firm drive was deflected on to the stumps by bowler Dottin.
Scholfield and Brookes thought otherwise, but Scholfield’s dismissal off the last ball of the penultimate over, bowled swinging and missing at Dottin, exposed the tail.
“I’m devastated right now, but stepping back, to get within seven from the position we were in says a lot about the spirit and attitude of our team,” said Brookes.
Stephen Titchard, Lancashire Thunder’s Head Coach, added: “Great to post our first win in the Kia Super League. I felt that we controlled the majority of the game however in a T20 game it can turn quick and we were forced to hold our nerve which we did.
“We are now looking forward to taking on the Southern Vipers on Friday at Blackpool Cricket Club.”
Result: Lancashire Thunder 164-8 beat Loughborough Lightning 158 all out. Thunder won by 6 runs.
Thunder’s next match is home to Southern Vipers on Friday 05 August starting 2:30pm at Blackpool Cricket Club. For full fixtures and tickets visit: www.lancashirecricket.co.uk/thundertickets.
Report courtesy of the England and Wales Cricket Board via Lancashire Cricket Board
