The Northern Diamonds were denied the chance of a second Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title as Sunrisers chased down 233 to win today’s semi-final at Headingley by seven wickets with 6.2 overs remaining.
Fifties for Sunrisers’ captain-opener Grace Scrivens, Cordelia Griffith and Jodi Grewcock impressively led their successful chase after they had limited the Diamonds to what felt like a competitive 232-8 total.
Scrivens opened with 56 off 73 balls to lay the platform as her region qualified for their first ever regional final, at Leicester next Saturday. They will face South East Stars.
Griffith and Grewcock shared a third-wicket 134 partnership to virtually seal the win, posting season’s best individual scores of 68 off 89 balls and 63 not out off 68 respectively.
Opener Emma Marlow top-scored with a measured 63 off 102 balls for Diamonds, while Sterre Kalis made 49 and Phoebe Turner an entertaining 32 not out off 15 balls in the closing stages of the innings which unfortunately proved to be light on runs.
Diamonds, who elected to bat first, were indebted to that trio of contributions in compiling what felt like a competitive total on a sunny September day.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Sterre Kalis en-route to 49 against the Sunrisers today.
Diamonds were aiming for their fourth 50-over final appearance in five seasons and Sunrisers their first.
The pendulum swung back and forth, with Diamonds starting and finishing well.
Marlow led the way and continued the impressive form which had seen her post 45 and 52 in two of her three most recent innings coming into this fixture.
She shared 48 with opening partner and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill and 42 for the third with Kalis, who was run out at the end of the penultimate over as she tried to come back for two.
Though watchful, Marlow played confidently against both seam and spin in hitting seven fours.
But when she fell caught and bowled by new ball seamer Kate Coppack, as the score fell to 119-3 after 29 overs, Sunrisers hit back to change the complexion of the game.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Phoebe Turner hits out late in the innings.
It took the Diamonds another 15 overs to score 50 runs as they ended the 44th over at 169-5. But in the last four overs of the innings, they added 51 runs to advance from 181-6.
Coppack and leg-spinner Jodi Grewcock struck once apiece and were both miserly as Sunrisers squeezed impressively.
Coppack’s new ball partner Eva Gray struck twice with her seamers, getting Erin Burns caught at mid-off and Abi Glen caught at short third as the score fell to 185-7 in the 47th over.
But Diamonds counter-attacked in thrilling fashion in the closing overs.
Phoebe Turner took on the lead role as she crashed five boundaries in her 15 balls, including four of them off Gray as the 49th over went for 20 runs.
It was a blow to Sunrisers that seamer Sophie Munro only bowled two overs and spent the second half of the innings off the field injured. She had removed Rebecca Duckworth caught behind.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Emma Marlow cuts on her way to a half-century.
Scrivens shared an opening partnership of 70 in 14 overs with Jo Gardner, which included the former hoisting the off-spin of Australian all-rounder Burns for six over wide long-on.
After Gardner had been trapped lbw by Beth Langston for 19, Scrivens reached her fifty off 66 balls – her fourth added to a century in this campaign. She is now the second leading run-scorer in this season’s competition with 514.
But the left-hander was trapped lbw by Katie Levick’s leg-spin not long afterwards, leaving Sunrisers 91-2 in the 19th over.
From there, Griffith and left-handed Grewcock united with devastating effect on the Diamonds, who have now played their last game as a region ahead of the 2025 restructure in women’s domestic cricket.
A number will head to play Tier One cricket with Durham, while others will stay and play Tier Two cricket with Yorkshire.
Griffith led the way and lofted a Rachel Slater full toss for six over square-leg. By the time she reached her fifty off 64 balls, Sunrisers were on course for the victory at 181-2 in the 36th over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Beth Langston struck early for the Diamonds, but it wasn’t enough to extend their season by another week.
That theory was strengthened when Grewcock reached her fifty off 54 balls – Sunrisers 209-2 in the 39th over, needing only 24 more.
Levick trapped Griffith lbw, but it was too late with the target in single figures by that stage.
