Georgie Boyce fifty steers Blaze to five-wicket win over Stars
The Blaze 161 for five (Boyce 63*, Beaumont 48) beat South East Stars 160 for 8 (Franklin 53, de Klerk 3-21) by 5 wickets
Georgie Boyce hit an excellent unbeaten 63 to steer The Blaze to a five-wicket victory over the South East Stars within the opening spherical of the Charlotte Edwards Cup at Beckenham.
Boyce performed a pivotal innings because the guests recovered from a mid-innings wobble to win with 4 balls to spare, cashing in on quite a lot of dropped possibilities to shut on 161 for five in reply to the Stars’ 160 for 8.
Phoebe Franklin was the Stars’ prime scorer, hitting 53 from 32 balls and when she eliminated Tammy Beaumont for 48 it sparked a mini-collapse that had made the hosts look favourites till Boyce intervened.
The Blaze received the toss and selected to bowl at a blustery, overcast New County Ground, a choice that regarded questionable when Bryony Smith smacked 14 off Grace Ballinger’s first over, however her quickfire innings got here to an finish when Kirstie Gordon had her caught on the lengthy on boundary by Marie Kelly for 18.
Ballinger then trapped Tash Farrant for a three-ball duck and Paige Scholfield was out for 4, driving Scivrer-Brunt’s second ball to Sarah Glenn at cowl.
Sophia Dunkley led an aggressive however short-lived counterattack till Sarah Glenn bowled her for 20 and it was left to Franklin and Kira Chathli to rebuild the innings with a partnership of 68.
Chathli ought to have been out for 22 however Glenn dropped a dolly off her personal bowling, although she fell quickly after when she tried to scoop de Klerk and was bowled for twenty-four.
Franklin introduced up her 50 when she pulled Gordon by way of midwicket for a single however she was lastly out within the nineteenth over when she dragged a Sciver-Brunt supply onto her stumps.
Alice Davidson-Richards took the Stars previous 150 with a chic pull off Sciver-Brunt for 4, however she was bowled by de Klerk within the ultimate over, additionally for twenty-four.
De Klerk’s subsequent supply pinged again Kalea Moore’s leg stump and though Freya Davies blocked out the hat-trick ball, she could not scramble any extra runs.
It regarded a difficult whole however Beaumont made an electrifying begin to the chase, which included an enormous six over cow nook. Her opening stand of 30 with Kelly was damaged when the latter was snared by Davidson-Richards off Scholfield for 5.
Beaumont was on 42 when she misjudged a Franklin supply and though Davies could not take a tough likelihood, a cluster of wickets tilted the momentum again within the Stars’ favour.
The Blaze have been on 6 for 1 within the ninth over when Scholfield had Sciver-Brunt caught for 19 close to the midwicket boundary by Farrant and within the tenth Ryana MacDonald-Gay claimed the important thing wicket of Beaumont, who fell to an excellent diving catch by Smith.
In the eleventh Davidson-Richards had Kathryn Bryce caught behind and Glenn then holed to Franklin and was caught on the boundary by Davidson-Richards for 4.
At 91 for five the Blaze have been in serious trouble, however Boyce then took centre stage, reaching her 50 with a drive off Davies that was almost caught at deep cowl however went for 2.
De Klerk performed the anchor function on the different finish and herself survived a troublesome likelihood for caught behind off Davidson-Richards.
The Blaze wanted simply two from the ultimate over and de Klerk hit the successful runs when she carved Davidson-Richards by way of the covers.