Sunrisers sunk as Blaze safe first place in race to Finals Day
The Blaze 198 for six (Sciver-Brunt 58, Gray 2-29) beat Sunrisers 114 (Glenn 2-9, de Klerk 2-10) by 84 runs
The Blaze maintained their 100% report within the Charlotte Edwards Cup as a crushing defeat of Sunrisers noticed them clinch a direct path to the ultimate at Worcester subsequent Saturday with England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt starring with bat and ball at a sun-drenched Trent Bridge.
Sciver-Brunt smashed 58 from 30 balls and took 2 for 16 as winless Sunrisers had been bowled out for 114 in reply to the Blaze’s 198 for six, giving the east midlands facet a bonus-point victory to make their place as group leaders unassailable, that means they keep away from the semi-final eliminator at Finals Day.
England team-mates Sarah Glenn, with 43 not out from 29 balls and two wickets for simply 9 runs from her legbreaks, and Tammy Beaumont (41 from 30) delivered as nicely, with abroad participant Nadine de Klerk boosting her tally to 13 because the competitors’s main wicket-taker, the South African taking 2 for 10 from three overs, strike bowler Sophie Munro grabbing 2 for 18.
Eva Gray, Kate Coppack and Abtaha Maqsood picked up two wickets every for the Sunrisers, for whom England Under-19 captain Grace Scrivens top-scored with 20.
Opting to bat first, the Blaze misplaced Sarah Bryce – Friday’s matchwinner towards Northern Diamonds with 67 from 43 balls – for successfully a first-ball duck after she inside-edged Gray on to her stumps, having watched two leg-side deliveries known as as wides. Otherwise, the powerplay may hardly have been extra one-sided as Beaumont and Sciver-Brunt peppered a fully-extended Trent Bridge boundary as first on the cardboard in a double-header forward of Notts Outlaws’ assembly Lancashire Lightning.
They powered the Blaze to 77 for 1 from the opening six overs, a group report not solely below their new identification however as Lightning and Loughborough Lightning too.
Sciver-Brunt accomplished her second Blaze half-century and regarded within the temper for extra as she and Beaumont added 102 in 53 balls for the second wicket, however after sweeping Maqsood’s legspin for her first six, perished trying a repeat, discovering deep sq. leg, Blaze reaching midway at 112 for two.
A fantastic over from Coppack then modified the tone of the innings because the right-arm seamer had Beaumont leg earlier than sweeping and dismissed Marie Kelly by the identical technique because the right-hander swung throughout the road for a second-ball duck. It took three lean overs earlier than Glenn rediscovered the tempo with three boundaries in the identical Jo Gardner over because the Blaze moved to 149 for 4 from 15.
Maqsood picked up a second wicket as Georgie Boyce was stumped however Glenn, who survived tough probabilities on 29 and 40 on the way in which a career-best rating on this format, added 35 in 21 balls with de Klerk earlier than the South African top-edged Gray to mid-off, serving to Blaze publish the third-highest complete within the competitors this season.
It put Sunrisers below scoreboard stress from the beginning and although 46 runs within the powerplay was respectable they got here at a value of three necessary wickets as Mady Villiers chipped Glenn’s legspin straight to mid-off, Alice Macleod was pinned in entrance by Sciver-Brunt and South African Dane Van Niekerk top-edged to cowl in the identical over.
At 64 for 4, southeast regional facet Sunrisers had been nicely behind the required fee on the midway stage and seen Amara Carr depart to Glenn as skipper Kirstie Gordon took a very good catch working spherical from midwicket.
Three wickets within the house of 5 balls hastened the inevitable Blaze win as Florence Miller was run out on the non-striker’s finish earlier than de Klerk took two in three balls to take away Gardner leg earlier than and Scrivens, the England Under-19 captain, who batted properly earlier than skying one to midwicket.
Grace Ballinger had Gray caught at quick fantastic leg earlier than Coppack and Kelly Castle held issues up, including 28 in slightly below 5 overs earlier than Munro bowled each within the last over.