Northern Diamonds vs Western Storm at Leeds, Headingley Stadium on 16 June 2024 at 11h00
Match was billed as a ‘dead rubber’ as neither team can qualify beyond the competition’s group stage. Batting first, Diamonds skipper Hollie Armitage played a ‘magnificent’ career-best innings, striking ‘fifty’ in thirty balls and closing fractionally short of what could have been her maiden t20 skipper’s ton. Home-team commentators felt the innings was a ‘privilege’ to watch, with exceptional ball-timing and striking. As if right on cue, Diamonds’ innings was interrupted by rain after 16 overs, prompting commentators to say it was ‘hammering it down’ before Sterre Kalis and Bess Heath (pictured) returned to conclude Diamonds’ innings. After the interval, Rachel Slater’s left-arm seam took two Storm wickets for ducks. Diamonds’ keeper Bess Heath put in one of her best performances, catching fellow England colleague Danni Gibson at full stretch. Separately during Storm’s last five overs, keeper Bess Heath took three impressive stumpings, that included skipper Luff. Match reached an anti-climax with the visitors needing to score an unlikely 33 runs from the final six balls. Commentators for BBC radio Leeds: Jonathan Doidge (referred to endearingly as ‘Doidgy’), with Paul Shaw (former England Women’s head coach & exThunder Coach); with guest Dr Jane Powell (President, Yorks CCC; former England & Yorks women.) Other guests witnessed Diamonds’ consolation win and afterwards, took part to promote Women’s Sport in Yorkshire.
*Diamonds’ innings: *skipper Hollie Armitage & Bess Heath (England & England A; & Aus Big bash), Erin Burns (Aus Big bash), Katherine Fraser (Scotland), Sterre Kalis (NL); *With Leah Dobson, Rebecca Duckworth, Katie Levick, Emma Marlow, Rachel Slater & Sophia Turner in place of Abigail ‘Abi’ Glen, Grace Hall & Jess Woolston; *Without Lauren Winfield-Hill [*Nat Wraith keeping wicket for Storm]; *After 6 overs power-play, 57/0 *By mid-way: 90/0; *Opener Emma Marlow departed for single-figures after steepling a catch to Nat Wraith, who collected down-wicket off-side, from Sophia Smale’s spin; *Short of a skipper’s ton during the 16th over, Hollie Armitage lobbed a ‘dolly,’ caught-and-bowled by Chloe Skelton diving to her right; *During the penultimate over, Sterre Kalis missed a ‘huge swipe’ and was bowled off-stump flattened by by Issy Wong; *Diamonds’ batting: Hollie Armitage 97(64), Sterre Kalis 22(26); *Storm’s bowling: Sophia Smale 1/23, Issy Wong 1/23, Chloe Skelton 2/25;
*Storm’s innings skipper Sophie Luff, Fran Wilson (ex England), Lauren Filer & Danni Gibson (England), Sophia Smale, (England u-19s), Amanda-Jade Wellington (Australia Big bash); *Also with Ellie Anderson ‘on loan’ Chloe Skelton & Issy Wong from Sparks; *Without Alex Griffiths, Niamh Holland or Heather Knight; [*Amara Carr keeping wicket for Sunrisers]; *Storm lost two wickets during Rachel Slater’s first over; *First ball, Danni Gibson was caught by Bess Heath at full stretch, from left-armer Rachel Slater for a golden duck; *Five balls later, Nat Wraith was bowled with her ‘middle-stump’ flattened by Rachel Slater for a 5th ball duck; *After 6 overs power-play, 32/2 (vs 57/0); *Emma Corney was caught at ‘mid-on’ from a ‘steepler,’ by Hollie Armitage from Sophia Turner; *By mid-way: 57/3 (vs 90/0); *Making top-score, Fran Wilson went aerial, caught at ‘long-on’ by Emma Marlow, from Katherine Fraser; *During the 15th over Sophie Luff was stumped by Bess Heath, stepping forward to play Katie Levick; *Issy Wong stepped too far forward, stumped by Bess Heath, from Sophia Turner’s penultimate over; *Finally, Sophia Smale was ‘easily’ stumped by Bess Heath, from Katie Levick’s death over; *Amanda-Jade Wellington remained ‘not out.’ *Storm’s batting: Fran Wilson 42(44), Amanda-Jade Wellington 20*not out(20), Emma Corney 17(18), Sophie Luff 14(20), Issy Wong 10(9); *Diamonds’ bowling: Katie Levick 2/13, Sophia Turner 2/19, Rachel Slater 2/25 , Katherine Fraser 1/22;
*Match result: Northern Diamonds 146/3 (7.3 runs-per-over from 20/20 overs) 4 points, beat Western Storm 118/7 (5.9 rpo, target 147 from 20/20 ov.) by 28 runs
*Scorecard courtesy of ECB @url https://www.ecb.co.uk/charlotte-edwards-cup/match-centre/104406#scorecard AppleMac users may need to scroll down on left margin to select a match
*Video highlights (43) courtesy of Yorkshire Cricket TV & NV Play @url https://live.nvplay.com/ecb/#v1314fbea-b468-4a0f-ac71-c2e039279738
*Full match free-to-air courtesy of Yorkshire Cricket TV (via NV Play) on YouTube <archived by certain sources> @url https://www.youtube.com/live/V3K5WkT8P3M
*Remaining matches @url https://www.ecb.co.uk/charlotte-edwards-cup
