Northern Diamonds were well beaten by fellow semi-finalists South East Stars at Durham today, falling a long way short of chasing 276 at Seat Unique Riverside.
Stars posted a commanding 275-8 thanks largely to all-rounder Alice Davidson-Richards’ run-a-ball 79 in the final group game of this season’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
This was a clash between already-confirmed group stage winners, Diamonds, and a Stars team aiming to finish second. And that’s how it finished as the hosts were bowled out for 119 inside 37 overs.
New ball left-arm seamer Alexa Stonehouse impressed with a career best 4-27 from 10 overs, the Stars match the Diamonds’ haul of nine wins from 14 matches but ending a point behind.
Phoebe Turner impressed in adversity with two wickets and a career best 49 not out in this 156-run defeat.
The semi-final opponents for both will become clear later today.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Phoebe Turner contributed with ball and then bat in defeat at Seat Unique Riverside today.
Whoever Diamonds face, it will be at Headingley next Saturday (September 14). They head into that game on the back of only a fourth defeat in 50-over cricket this season.
Following a delayed start by 30 minutes because of mist, the Diamonds elected to bowl and struck twice inside the opening 12 overs as seamers Rachel Slater and Abi Glen removed both openers to leave the Stars 53-2 in the 12th over.
Slater had Alexa Stonehouse caught at mid-on before Glen removed the other opener, Chloe Hill, for 25 as the score fell to 53 for two in the 12th over.
The Hill wicket came courtesy of a sharp mid-wicket catch by Erin Burns, who was one of a trio of bowlers to strike twice alongside Beth Langston and the aforementioned Turner.
Unfortunately, the Diamonds weren’t at their best today in all facets of the game. Their catching was good, but their ground fielding could have been better.
From there, Davidson-Richards – a former Yorkshire Diamond in the old Kia Super League days and a current Northern Supercharger in the Hundred – led her side to an imposing total with a season’s best score, aided by a trio of valuable contributions.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Erin Burns was a shining light with the ball and in the field in defeat.
All-rounder Emma Jones made a career best 47, Phoebe Franklin 32 and Aylish Cranstone 28.
Davidson-Richards shared 50 for the fifth wicket – from 123-4 in the 24th over – with Cranstone and 64 for the sixth with Jones after the visitors had fallen to 173-5 after 33.
Franklin hoisted Katie Levick for six over long-off before being bowled by Turner, who also trapped captain Kira Chathli lbw to leave the Stars four down.
But Cranstone and Davidson-Richards gave their side a platform as they entered the final 20 overs in what remained overcast conditions.
The Diamonds came into this with top spot in the group and a home semi-final at Headingley next Saturday already secured, and maybe that was part of the reason they weren’t at the top of their game today.
Australian Burns caught well, though, and took a skied return catch to remove Cranstone for 28.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Erin Burns congratulates Rachel Slater following the early wicket of Alexa Stonehouse.
Davidson-Richards hit nicely in the V en-route to a 56-ball fifty and became more and more aggressive as the innings went on, as a pulled six over midwicket off Langston indicated.
That came right at the end of her 64-run partnership with imposing Jones, who herself drove nicely.
Fortunately for the Diamonds, the damage Davidson-Richards could do was limited as, the ball after hitting that six, she miscued high to mid-on off Langston, who later had Priyanaz Chatterji lbw in the last.
Davidson-Richards’ departure left Stars at 237-6 in the 44th over before Jones drilled another return catch to Burns in the penultimate over.
Frustratingly – even if the result is not disastrous in the grand scheme of things, the day unravelled pretty quickly from there for the Diamonds, who had won their previous two games.
Diamonds slipped to 30-5 inside seven overs of their chase.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Alexa Stonehouse was excellent with the new ball for the Stars.
That collapse was started by Tilly Corteen-Coleman taking the new ball with her left-arm spinners and getting opener and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill caught at short mid-wicket for two.
Shortly afterwards, Rebecca Duckworth was lbw to 19-year-old Stonehouse, who had opener Emma Marlow caught at square-leg and Langston lbw. The latter two came in the space of three balls in the 10th over.
Franklin’s seam bowled Sterre Kalis sandwiched in between.
Stonehouse had Burns caught behind added to two wickets in an over for off-spinner Kalea Moore.
Turner was the only batter to reach 30. Given the circumstances, this was a calm innings, off 78 balls. She shared 35 for the ninth wicket with Levick, who was caught behind off Dani Gregory’s spin before Moore (3-10 from 6.1 overs) wrapped up victory by getting Slater caught at short mid-wicket.
