England seamer Katherine Brunt took a hat-trick as the Yorkshire Diamonds brushed Lancashire Thunder aside to claim their first Kia Super League win.
Brunt mopped up the Thunder tail as they were 71 all out in 15 overs following Alex Blackwell’s 59 which underpinned the Diamonds 166 for six at Emirates Old Trafford.
Unfortunately, neither side will be going to Finals Day, after slow starts to the competition. Katherine Brunt ended with figures of 3 for 6.
Brunt had Laura MacLeod caught at mid-on before trapping Kate Cross and Nalisha Patel lbw to complete the hat-trick and a 95-run win.
Danielle Hazell had earlier taken four for 10 for the Diamonds. Brunt also hit a breezy 36 in Yorkshire’s total, the second highest team score of the competition.
Blackwell shared 47 and 69, for the third and fourth wickets respectively, with compatriot Beth Mooney and Ashes rival Brunt as the Diamonds recovered from 16 for two in the fourth over having elected to bat.
The Red Rose were hurt by ill-discipline in the field, as they were last Friday, when they conceded eleven wides during a defeat to Southern Vipers at Blackpool.
Here, they were penalised six penalty runs for failing to bowl their overs in time, and they were very close to conceding another six given they only just started the 19th over inside the 7:15pm cut off time.
Thunder were on the back foot early in their chase when West Indian, Hayley Matthews, steered Ismail to slip as the score fell to four for one in the second over. Danielle Hazell claimed figures of 4 for 10.
Ismail and Brunt helped to restrict the hosts to 31 for one after six, although captain Amy Satterthwaite ended the power play with successive boundaries off Katie Levick’s leg-spin.
But Thunder’s chances of a second win in their last match were up shortly afterwards as they lost three wickets in eleven balls to slip to 40 for four in the ninth.
Hazell bowled Emma Lamb, Levick had Danni Wyatt stumped and Ismail bowled captain Satterthwaite.
The Thunder reached halfway at 51 for four, needing 116 more, before Threlkeld was reprieved after being run out off a no ball. West Indian Deandra Dottin hit an above waist high full toss to deep square-leg, where Brunt took a superb one-handed catch.
With Threlkeld scrambling to get back in her ground at the non-striker’s end, she was run out before the umpires ruled the ball had become dead.
Thankfully, it did not matter as Hazell struck three times in five balls in the 12th and 14th overs, leaving the score at 69 for seven. She had Threlkeld caught at mid-off before bowling Natalie Brown and Dottin for 25 in the space of three balls. Then came Brunt’s magical end.
Lancashire Thunder 71 lost to the Yorkshire Diamonds 166-6 by 95 runs.
Scorecard: Lancashire Thunder 71 lost to the Yorkshire Diamonds 166-6 by 95 runs.
Final league table: Kia Super League Table.
Lead photo of Deandra Dottin who top scored for Lancashire Thunder with 25 runs.
Report courtesy of the England and Wales Cricket Board via Lancashire Cricket Board
