The burning question was: who had the advantage, a side playing twice in the day, getting used to the pitch and the occasion, or the side that could relax till the crunch game at the end of the day?

Play-off: Surrey Stars v Western Storm

A big crowd turned out to find the answer. The noon start on a cool cloudy day seemed to give immediate advantage to the toss-winners, Western Storm. They exploited the conditions to remove three of Surrey Stars’ top batters, Lizelle Lee (19), Bryony Smith (11) and Sarah Taylor (15) before they could do irreparable damage. Taylor has tended to play her riskier shots early in the innings, and once more paid the penalty. A second consecutive reverse sweep was mistimed for Fran Wilson to take a fine catch low at backward point.

But the skipper, Nat Sciver (72* off 43), retained her excellent form. As the innings threatened to dissolve, she stayed strong, playing mostly with a straight bat. 72-5 could yet have spelt disaster for the Ovaltinies, but Marizanne Kapp (32*) joined her captain to build an unbroken partnership of 90.

This turned the tide against the Storm; they would need their batters to be near their best to win through. Anya Shrubsole achieved an unusual double, opening the batting too (in place of the absent Smriti Mandhana), but she didn’t stay long (2). Did she volunteer or was she volunteered? An old soldier’s commandment runs: ‘Never volunteer for anything’.

Storm accelerated fast through Rachel Priest (24) and Stafanie Taylor (16), but a crucial moment occurred when a Sophia Dunkley leg-break snared Heather Knight (34). She had looked capable of winning the game off her own bat.

Fran Wilson exploited her opportunity to remind the watching Mark Robinson of her qualities. In what must be her best innings of the summer she struck 58 off 45 with nine 4s.

But as so often has happened this season, the lower order couldn’t help her maintain the asking rate. So a second triumph in the tournament remained just out of reach.

Scores:

Stars 162-5

Storm 153-6

Final: Loughborough Lightning v Surrey Stars

The only one of the three sides on display to be making their Finals Day debut, Lightning, won the toss and made the conventional choice. But they hadn’t counted on Lizelle Lee reserving this occasion to produce one of the finest innings of the season.

Sophie Devine was strangely off-colour, even before she suffered an arm injury in the field; a succession of deliveries slid down past leg-stump. (3-0-37-0) Back to that opening question: was it preferable to be thoroughly warmed-up with a practice run-through? It seemed so.

Lightning rid themselves of Smith (2) and Taylor (5) – a disappointing tally of 20 for the crowd favourite – but once Lee and Sciver (40) got together, life became hard for the Midlanders. The pair put on a thunderous 111, and Lee went on to complete only the second  century of the competition (104, 58 balls, 13×4, 6×6). The ground shrank in size while she was at the crease. How was it possible? Her share of the running total was ridiculously high (104 out of 155).

For a while it seemed Stars would exceed the highest total of the year (Storm’s 185-4 eighteen days earlier), but Dane van Niekerk’s 15* off 10 couldn’t quite get them over the line. Despite that minor disappointment, the side that had come good only at the tail-end of the season could already sniff the champagne.

Lightning would now have to go out and bat at their very best on an unfamiliar pitch. In all honesty their effort never got going properly. Kapp broke the back of the upper order with two wickets and van Niekerk removed the biggest threat to their success by bowling Amy Jones with a corker. Between them, they took five wickets for 52 runs. The writing was on the wall from an early stage. By the time Jenny Gunn (23*) came in at No. 7 even her experience and forceful hitting couldn’t prevent the inevitable; a run-rate of 6.32 isn’t going to worry a bowling side these days.    

So confident was Nat Sciver that she gave herself only a single over. The other five bowlers, Laura Marsh, Kapp, van Niekerk, Dunkley and Mady Villiers, all enjoyed themselves. Sciver turned late to Villiers. She responded with an outstanding spell of spin bowling from around the wicket, taking three wickets (4-0-22-3). All three were clean bowled; add to them two similar successes, and the total of five must rank amongst the highest of the season, the reward for straight-as-a-dye bowling. How fitting that the final wicket should fall to Stars’ senior bowler, Marsh, with yet another joyous stumping by the mistress of that art.

Player of the Match: Lizelle Lee

Scores:

Stars 183-6

Lightning 117

Player of the Tournament: the absent Smriti Mandhana

Suzie Bates turned to Danni Wyatt to bowl two closing overs. In the twentieth, she let a foot clip a stump as she delivered, and bails went flying – at her end. Under the nonsensical law-change the ICC saw fit to introduce after Steve Finn had a bout of this problem, a no-ball was called and a free hit indicated. The next ball Marizanne Kapp smote for a maximum. Stars squeaked home with three balls to spare.

Stars were desperate for victory. Three teams qualify for the finals; Storm and Lightning are already booked in; Stars needed to maintain their third position, under attack from Thunder.

Vipers were feeling sorry for themselves, with some justification. They had suffered a number of important injuries, removing front-line bowlers like Katie George and Tash Farrant. Their batting proved vulnerable again, relying on Suzie Bates to play the skipper’s role with a dominant innings of 82. Only Danielle Wyatt and Mignon du Preez joined her in double figures and neither reached 20.

Totals below 150 are always vulnerable these days, but a remarkable opening pair of bowlers did their best to deny Stars the start they wanted. Two youngsters with a combined age of 35 from the opposite ends of the earth and bowling in contrasting styles caused Lizelle Lee and Bryony Smith plenty of problems. At the sea end, Lauren Bell, only in the side because of those injuries, demonstrated why England are so hopeful of her future. She is tall with a good high action and sends the ball down at pace. She bowled the only maiden of the game to finish with the analysis 4-1-16-0, the most economical of the day.

At the Cromwell Road end Amelia Kerr picked up where she left off, causing all the batters problems with her leg-breaks and googlies. She didn’t fox Sarah Taylor with her googly this time, but she did take her wicket, at least her third success this season. 4-0-26-2

Stars’ batting was far more consistent, so they didn’t need a major knock like Bates’. As Taylor (38) and Sciver (46) put on 73, their only concern was ‘Are we scoring fast enough?’ The skipper was run out in bizarre circumstances in the 19^th over – Carla Rudd, the keeper, was hopping around after being struck off the bat on the foot, but the ball finished up breaking the bowler’s wicket to leave Sciver cursing her fate. 13 runs were still needed. But Vipers couldn’t apply the brakes hard enough. Their unhappy run continues.

Women’s cricket was done no favours by the ticket-pricing. The many folk wanting to see only the first of the two matches on show were charged the full whack of £28. This comes in at £18 more than for any game England Women have played this summer. For a similar double header at the Oval, a £5 ticket was available for the women’s game only. Whoever scheduled the games left too little time between the two for the ground to be cleared and reopened. 

Scores:

Vipers  147-9

Stars 148-6

KSL Table after 8/9 Rounds                 

                                  Played         Points

Storm                           8                   30

Lightning                    8                   28

Stars                             9                  20

Thunder                      9                   17

Diamonds                   9                   11

Vipers                          9                   10

Stars all out for 66?

Vying for the lowest total of the competition?

No Diamonds bowler going for worse than 5½ per over?

Only the two Overseas players, Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp reaching double figures?

Katherine Brunt returning figures: 3-1-5-1?

‘Yes’ to all of these questions.

With this eagerly anticipated win, Diamonds at last climb off the foot of the table to leave ex-Champions Vipers wondering what has gone wrong with their plans.

Table after Round 8

Points

1 Storm​​              30
2 Lightning​​       28
3 Stars​​​                16
4 Thunder​​         13
5 Diamonds​​      11
6 Vipers​​             10

Outstanding bowling from Jenny Gunn, 3 for 19, and Kirstie Gordon with 3 for 13 skittled the Stars for 95 in 18 overs with only 45 from 35 balls from skipper Nat Sciver offering any prolonged resistance.

New Zealand all-rounder Sophie Devine then wrapped up a bonus point victory with an explosive unbeaten 61, which included five sixes, from 32 balls as Lightning surged home by the halfway stage of their innings.

Sciver had made an unbeaten 95 in the previous game and she again had to carry her side after the top order disintegrated against accurate bowling led by Gunn.

Bryony Smith was struck on the helmet by the third ball of the innings from Devine and that was a sign of the problems to come for the Stars who were four down inside the powerplay.

Lizelle Lee dragged Linsey Smith to mid on and Smith went in the next over when she failed to get over a drive at Devine which reduced the Stars to 5 for 2.

Sciver drove Devine square for the first four of the innings in the fifth over and edged Gunn for another but she was playing a lone hand as wickets tumbled at the other end.

Sarah Taylor was deceived by a slower ball from Gunn and stumped and the next delivery moved late to bowl Dane van Niekerk.

Sophia Dunkley was lbw to Gunn and although Sciver struck the ball confidently through the offside, the innings fell away when she cut Gordon to cover.

Only Marizanne Kapp with 23 from 20 balls ensured a measure of respectability as the last four wickets tumbled for six runs in four overs to leave the Lightning chasing a modest target.

To have any chance, Stars had to take early wickets and after Rachel Haynes launched Kapp down the ground, the South African trapped her lbw when she played back in the third over.

Devine was determined not to allow the visitors to build pressure and she drove Sciver through the covers for four before smashing the last ball of the over straight past her for another boundary.

When Amy Jones pulled and drove Mady Villiers for boundaries in the fifth over, Lightning were cruising and Devine moved into overdrive by pulling Dunkley’s leg spin for four consecutive sixes to settle what had become a one-sided contest.

Devine cleared the ropes again before Amy Jones with an unbeaten 24 sealed a victory that puts Lightning on course for the finals but leaves Stars struggling after a third defeat.

Report by Nigel Gardner

England left-arm spinner Hartley picked up figures of 3 for 11 off her allocated four overs, whilst Beaumont batted through the innings to finish on 45 not out, as Surrey Stars chased down 102-9, all but ending the hopes of Lancashire Thunder of reaching Finals Day.

Lancashire Thunder were indebted to New Zealand international Amy Satterthwaite (34no), with the overseas star having to hold her composure, with wickets falling all around her.

“We are over the moon, even better that we got the bonus point and we move onto Friday for another important game” said Hartley. “It seems to be coming out quite nice for me, it’s nice to be in a little bit of form and hopefully I can keep it up.”

After winning the toss and inserting their opponents into bat, Surrey got off to a perfect start as Thunder’s overseas star Hayley Matthews, was adjudged LBW off South African international Marizanne Kapp, on the second ball of the match.

That brought Satterthwaite to the crease, but it was opener Emma Lamb (27) that gave Lancashire Thunder some momentum, taking 16 off the second over of the match. However, when she became Kapp’s second wicket of the afternoon, the visitors began to implode.

Hartley and Laura Marsh (1-21) worked well in tandem to thwart any impetus from their opponents, with the latter taking two wickets in an over including that of prize overseas star Deandra Dottin without scoring.

Danni Wyatt’s first ball duck further put Thunder on the back foot and they were not helped by run-outs, as first Natasha Miles was left short thanks to Cordelia Griffith’s fast reactions, before Marsh ran out Ellie Threlkeld.

Thunder captain Satterthwaite could only watch from the other end as their opponents, cheered on by a crowd heading towards 1000, seemed switched on from ball one.

Their day was summed up perfectly, as Natalie Brown was run out off the last ball, with Lea Tahuhu hitting directly from deep, as Thunder limped to 102-9.

Surrey Stars began their chase in style racing to 49-0 off their powerplay overs, with Beaumont playing second fiddle early on to Bryony Smith (30), who blasted the ball to all parts, before going for one to many big shots, finding the safe hands of Satterthwaite off Dottin.

Stars captain Natalie Sciver (14) became a victim to the West Indies contingent as she was caught in the deep by Dottin off Matthews, before Griffith was caught behind off Sophie Ecclestone, who was the pick of the bowlers for Thunder.

Beaumont and Kapp (6no) finished off proceedings to give Surrey Stars the bonus point win, and they now go head-to-head with Loughborough Lightning on Friday for a place in Finals Day at Chelmsford.

Thunder captain Satterthwaite said: “It felt like a tricky pitch to me, I didn’t feel in throughout my innings but then the way they played showed that there were no real demons in it. It felt sticky at times but I think we were just too timid on it and we just didn’t kick on.”

Stephen Titchard, Thunder’s Head Coach, added: “At 66-3 from 11 overs of our innings we were in the game. However from then on we didn’t play to our potential and posted a below par score, which didn’t allow us to create much pressure on Surrey Stars when it was their turn to bat.

“A generally disappointing performance but we need to bounce back on Friday against Yorkshire Diamonds.”

Scorecard: Surrey Stars (106 for 3) win by 7 wickets, defeating Lancashire Thunder (102-9).

Thunder’s final game in the group stages is home to Yorkshire Diamonds on Friday 12 August starting 6:00pm at Emirates Old Trafford.

For full fixtures / results and tickets visit: www.lancashirecricket.co.uk/thundertickets.

Report courtesy of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Alec Stewart addresses the Stars (Photo: Surrey Stars)

Natalie Sciver will lead the Stars against the Southern Vipers, captained by Charlotte Edwards, when they play their first match in the Kia Super League on Sunday 31st July at the Ageas Bowl beginning at 14.00.

The team will also have been lifted by the signing of  fast bowler Lea Tahuhu and all-rounder Naomi Dattani following the withdrawal, through injury, of Meg Lanning and Kirstie White.

Surrey Stars will play Yorkshire Diamonds at the Kia Oval on Thursday August 4th at 6.30pm and the Lancashire Thunder at Guildford CC on Tuesday August 9th at 2.30pm. £5 for adults, kids for a quid, Members are free!

Header photo is of England and Surrey Stars spin bowler Alex Hartley with Alec Stewart.

Renowned as one of the fastest bowlers in the world, Tahuhu will complete a formidable seam bowling line-up for the Stars, joining South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp and Australian Rene Farrell.

Tahuhu will arrive in the UK in time for Surrey Stars’ first fixture of the tournament on Sunday 31^st July against Southern Vipers at the Ageas Bowl.  She will be one of 18 overseas internationals on show during the round-robin T20 competition, joining the likes of West Indian ICC Women’s World T20 winners, Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews (both Lancashire Thunder) and Stafanie Taylor (Western Storm), Australia’s Ellyse Perry (Loughborough Lightning) and Wisden Cricketer of the Year and New Zealand captain, Suzie Bates (Southern Vipers).

Surrey Stars have completed another new signing this week, with left-handed batting all-rounder Naomi Dattani joining the squad as a replacement for Kirstie White, after the wicket-keeper suffered an ankle injury during a warm-up match against Loughborough Lightning last week.  England’s Tammy Beaumont will now take on wicket-keeping duties behind the stumps for the Stars. 

Surrey Stars General Manager, Ebony Rainford-Brent, said: “Signing a player of the calibre of Lea Tahuhu is a big boost to our squad ahead of our opening match this weekend.  Alongside the likes of Natalie Sciver, Laura Marsh, Alex Hartley, Rene Farrell and Marizanne Kapp, we now have a very strong bowling attack and I look forward to seeing them in action.

“It is a shame to lose Kirstie White from the squad but she is working hard to regain her fitness and make herself available should we encounter anymore injury issues in the latter stages of the competition.  Naomi is a great replacement however, and we all look forward to the contributions she can make for the Stars throughout the tournament.”

Kia Super League 2016 Squad Lists

• EW = England Women
• O = Overseas
• EWA = England Women’s Academy

Report courtesy of the ECB

Meg Lanning said: “I’m extremely disappointed not to be able to head over to England to play in the Kia Super League.  The tournament concept and growth of women’s cricket across the globe is fantastic and I would have loved to have taken part.”

Surrey Stars General Manager, Ebony Rainford-Brent, said: “Meg is one of the top players in the world – and has been pleasure to work with her in the run up to the tournament – so it’s really disappointing that she isn’t going be able to join us this year.

“We hope to see her in the colours of the Surrey Stars in the future and everyone at Surrey wishes her a speedy recovery.”

The inaugural season of the Kia Super League will get underway next weekend with all six teams in action across Saturday 30^th and Sunday 31^st July.  The teams will take part in a round-robin Twenty20 (T20) competition over a 16 day period with everyone bidding to qualify for finals day on Sunday 21^st August at the Essex County Ground, Chelmsford.

Kia Super League 2016 Squad Lists

• EW = England Women
• O = Overseas
• EWA = England Women’s Academy

Above photo shows Meg Lanning and Charlotte Edwards being interviewed during the 2015 Ashes Series

Report courtesy of the ECB