Lucy Higham three-for trumps Bryony Smith 70 as Rockets fall quick
Northern Superchargers 134 for 4 (Litchfield 38) beat Trent Rockets 125 for 7 (Smith 70, Higham 3-29) by 9 runs
Trent Rockets threw away what had appeared a assured first win of the season, shedding 5 wickets within the house of 13 balls to break down from 102 for two 107 for 7 earlier than shedding by 9 runs towards Northern Superchargers.
With opener Bryony Smith hitting 9 fours and three sixes in an outstanding 70 off 44 balls, Rockets had regarded fully snug, needing 43 to win with 35 balls left. But spinners Lucy Higham – herself a former Rocket – and Linsey Smith turned the match on its head in a dramatic conclusion that noticed the Superchargers choose up their second win within the competitors and leaves Rockets winless after three matches.
Superchargers had backed themselves to defend a goal after profitable the toss, posting 134 for 4 from 100 balls, Phoebe Litchfield main the best way with 38 from 27 balls after Jemimah Rodrigues had opened with 33 from 32, the whole bolstered by Bess Heath’s 23 from 10 on the demise.
But with Smith in blistering type from the outset, it did not look sufficient
Nat-Sciver Brunt admitted she would have batted first too, given the prospect, however Katherine Sciver-Brunt restricted the results of shedding the toss, conceding solely eight runs from 15 balls within the powerplay. At the opposite finish, left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon benefitted from the stress Sciver-Brunt created as Marie Kelly skewed her first ball to quick third, the Superchargers posting 24 for 1 from 25.
Rodrigues received fortunate on 17 when an edge off Naomi Dattani struck keeper Lizelle Lee on the knee, and once more on 20, driving Gordon on the off facet, the place Fran Wilson put down a superb probability at additional cowl, however then Alexa Stonehouse struck an essential blow for Rockets simply previous midway, bowling the India star behind her legs for 33.
Superchargers, needing boundaries, misplaced Georgia Wareham to some wonderful work from Lee standing as much as Dattani, the South African grabbing a skinny high edge above her head, after which Litchfield, having heaved a six over cow nook off Alana King, holed out trying a repeat.
But Heath whacked a six and three fours to raise the whole, with Katherine Sciver-Brunt oddly not bowled out.
It didn’t look sufficient because the Rockets put themselves forward of the sport by accumulating 33 with out loss from the primary 25, Superchargers providing an excessive amount of width to Smith and Lee, though the previous was put down on 21 when Alice Davidson-Richards shelled a simple catch at mid-off.
Lee finally departed for 16, caught at deep midwicket, however by the midway level the goal was already right down to 64, the irrepressible Smith smiting huge sixes off Wareham and Lucy Higham to achieve 50 from 32 balls, her second half-century within the 100-ball format.
The 25-year-old right-hander muscled a 3rd most, this day without work Linsey Smith, earlier than one other mighty slog off Wareham finally discovered a fielder, Higham taking her second catch to finish what had regarded nailed on because the match-winning innings.
Rockets wanted 33 from the ultimate 25, but instantly the image modified with solely seven runs accrued from the subsequent 16 balls and 5 wickets misplaced. Higham bowled each Nat Sciver-Brunt and Wilson within the house of three balls along with her intelligent offbreaks, Smith took two in 4 to dismiss Jo Gardner and Harmanpreet Kaur – once more each bowled – earlier than Higham resumed with a 3rd within the house of 4 balls, hitting the goal once more as Dattani’s swing failed to attach.
Suddenly the competition was right down to the final 5 deliveries and Rockets, having regarded nearly house and dry minutes earlier, wanted an implausible 24 to win, falling 10 quick regardless of Katherine Sciver-Brunt’s six off the final ball.