England Women (166-4) bt Ireland Women (165)
A first international five wicket haul for Issy Wong laid the platform for a six-wicket win in Derby that captured the Metro Bank series against Ireland.
Two-nil up with one game left to play is exactly where England hoped to be after this second match with the bowling and fielding playing a starring role in the East Midlands.
And it was Wong’s ‘wobble ball’ that caused the biggest problems for Ireland’s batters who struggled to get any of the fluency that they enjoyed a couple of days earlier.
Only Amy Hunter made it past fifty for the visitors before she became the fifth and final wicket in Wong’s tally, getting caught in the deep trying to find the boundary.
There had been a consistency to the previous four wickets with two catches for Jodi Grewcock at mid-off and two clean bowled dismissals as Wong kept the stumps in play.
Her 5-33 was the first five wicket haul for England in an ODI in almost exactly two years since Kate Cross took 6-30 against the same opposition in Belfast.
Two wickets apiece for the spin of Tilly Corteen-Coleman and Mady Villiers meant that England’s target of 166 wasn’t going to require anything like the record chase in Leicester.
Maia Bouchier and Sophia Dunkley were again impressive at the top of the order before, on her 50th ODI appearance, Dunkley was run out for 20 after a mix up.
Bouchier fell for 45, but the entertainment kept coming with Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson striking 29 not out and 36 not out respectively, connecting with four fours and three sixes respectively to secure the win with 27 overs to spare.
ENGLAND WOMEN v IRELAND WOMEN METRO BANK ODI SERIES
01 Sept: England Women beat Ireland Women by six wickets, Leicester
03 Sept: England Women beat Ireland Women by six wickets, Derby
06 Sept: England Women v Ireland Women, Worcester
With thanks to the ECB
