Vipers climate the Storm as Bouchier, Adams fifties seal revised chase
Southern Vipers 240 for six (Bouchier 71, Adams 59) beat Western Storm 230 for five (Corney 69, Smith 2-36, Adams 2-50) by 4 wickets (DLS methodology)
Maia Bouchier and Georgia Adams scored notable half-centuries in difficult circumstances to steer Southern Vipers to a four-wicket victory over Western Storm within the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Millfield School.
Chasing a revised goal of 238 in a match lowered to 48 overs-a-side by rain, Bouchier and Adams posted 71 and 59 respectively and staged a stand of 95 for the second wicket because the guests overcame gale-force winds to win with 26 balls to spare.
Emma Corney had earlier made a career-best 69, whereas Fran Wilson hit 49 and Niamh Holland 44 as Storm raised 230 for five having been put into bat. Adams accomplished an impressive all-round efficiency by taking 2 for 50 with the ball, and fellow spinner Linsey Smith weighed in with 2 for 36 as Vipers took wickets at key moments to limit the scoring.
A 3rd win in 9 outings lifted Vipers to fifth place within the desk, however Storm stay rooted to the underside after dropping for a fourth time in eight video games, their progress additional pissed off by three rained off fixtures.
With the specter of rain ever current, bowling first was at all times going to be the popular choice and Vipers made a good fist of chasing. Storm struck an early blow with the ball, new mortgage signing Phoebe Graham having Ella McCaughan fantastically held by Chloe Skelton at deep backward sq. for 10. But the fluent Bouchier set the tone for the reply, smiting Australian Piepa Cleary over additional cowl for an enormous six into the wind.
Ultra-positive in her method, skipper Adams managed to out-score her associate, twice cowl driving leg spinner Nicole Harvey for 4 after which hoisting her over additional cowl for six to present Vipers a super-charged begin.
Scoring freely on both aspect of the wickets towards the spinners, Bouchier reached a chanceless 50 from 54 balls because the guests stored on high of the speed, elevating 100 from 20 overs. Adams went to 50 from 53 balls, by which era the second-wicket pair have been cruising.
Storm urgently required a breakthrough and Alex Griffiths obliged within the twenty sixth over, Bouchier trying to work her into the leg aspect and succeeding solely in providing a return catch by way of a vanguard. Bouchier had confronted 72 balls, accrued 5 fours and a six and offered her group with a strong platform.
Emily Windsor joined Adams with an extra 102 runs required at 4.50 an over, and was afforded a life when Wilson dropped her on 12 at mid-wicket off the bowling of Skelton. But Wilson made no mistake when holding onto the subsequent likelihood that got here her means, Adams clipping a ball from Cleary to mid-wicket to deliver her 66-ball innings to an finish within the thirty second over. She had harvested 5 fours and a six and laid the foundations of victory.
When Windsor holed out to deep backward sq. for 21 off the bowling of Skelton, Vipers have been 175 for 4, requiring an extra 63 runs from 79 balls, and Storm sensed a chance. Cleary eliminated Maitlan Brown for 10, however Freya Kemp held her nerve, timed the ball fantastically and struck 47 from 36 balls with eight fours to render victory a formality.
Promoted up the order earlier this season, teenager Emma Corney had performed her half in some helpful opening stands with out fairly managing to go on and convert a sequence of first rate begins. That modified on this event, the Devonian registering her maiden half-century to present Storm a robust footing.
It may need been a unique story had Bouchier held onto an opportunity at mid-on within the fourth over when Corney had made simply 1. The 19-year-old chanced her arm towards Smith, just for the ball to then maintain up within the swirling wind and render life troublesome for the fielder. Corney made good her escape to dominate a gap stand of 43 with Griffiths in 12.4 overs.
Griffiths struggled with the fierce winds and scratched seven runs from 38 balls. Bowled by an Alice Monaghan no-ball within the ninth over, she finally perished 4 overs later, driving the identical bowler exhausting to mid-on, the place Bouchier demonstrated protected arms to atone for her earlier error.
Determined tocarry the battle to Vipers, Sophie Luff proved adept at discovering gaps within the subject, elevating the tempo in a worthwhile alliance of 52 in 13.2 overs for the second wicket, regardless of a sluggish outfield turning fours into twos and the wind rendering aerial pictures unwise.
Corney accelerated to 50 from 75 balls, pulling Brown behind sq. to achieve that landmark along with her fifth boundary as Storm superior to 93 for 1 on the midway level of the innings. Luff had made 20 and seemed set to put up a considerable whole when she unexpectedly succumbed to temptation, pulling Adams violently and falling to a surprising diving catch by Monaghan at mid-wicket with the rating on 95.
Wilson offered mid-innings impetus, serving to Corney add an extra 36 for the third wicket earlier than the latter stepped down the pitch to Smith and drove excessive to Adams at long-on. Holland joined the skilled Wilson on the crease and these two had progressed the rating to 167 for 3 in 38.3 overs when heavy rain compelled the gamers off.
An early interval ensured simply two overs have been misplaced and a humid ball and outfield aided Storm when play resumed, Wilson and Holland scoring at a very good lick in including 63 for the fourth wicket in 10.1 overs. Having confronted 47 balls and accrued 5 boundaries in reaching 49, Wilson chipped Smith to mid-on, leaving the adventurous Holland to attain 44 at barely higher than a run-a-ball to hoist the house aspect to respectability.