Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Opener Georgie Boyce top-scored with 46 off 38 balls in Yorkshire’s 127 all out.
Yorkshire’s women made it two wins from two at the start of their Vitality Blast North Group campaign thanks in the main to a polished display with the ball.
On-loan opener Georgie Boyce continued her bright start to life with the county, top-scoring with 46 off 38 balls as the White Rose scrambled to 127 all out in 19.5 overs.
In reply, the Foxes were bowled out for 101 in 19.4 overs, handing Yorkshire a 26-run success.
The spin trio of Olivia Thomas, Claudie Cooper and Ria Fackrell all struck twice apiece, Cooper’s 2-17 from four overs of off-spin the best of the figures.
The White Rose’s women made a winning start to a T20 double header day, with Yorkshire’s men facing their Leicestershire counterparts later in the day. But coach Rich Pyrah saw his side severely tested, especially with bat in hand.
Boyce is on loan at Headingley for the duration of the Blast, through to next month, and she backed up her debut 42 against Derbyshire here last Sunday. In that same game, Fackrell returned 4-13.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Ria Fackrell took two wickets and hit a late and important 15 with the bat.
Right-handed Boyce was strong through cover and down the ground in hitting five fours. But Yorkshire were kept in check by a disciplined Foxes’ performance with ball and in the field.
The pace of Laura Crofts, Emma Thatcher and Ellie Phillips all struck twice, as did the leg-spin of D’nica Roff. Wicketkeeper Ellen Watson also claimed two stumpings.
Yorkshire, having been inserted, fell to 2-1 in the opening over when Erin Thomas was trapped lbw by the left-arm swing of Thatcher before Boyce and Amelia Oliver shared a settling 60 in eight overs.
Unfortunately, however, both were part of collapse of five wickets to fall for 31 runs inside six overs as the score became 93-6 in the 15th, giving the hosts plenty of work to do.
Oliver, on 19, top-edged an attempted sweep at Roff behind, with Watson completing a running catch over her shoulder. Boyce later swept a full toss from the same bowler out to deep mid-wicket when four short of her fifty.
Ami Campbell miscued Crofts to mid-off, Maddie Ward was bowled scooping at the same bowler and Olivia Thomas was stumped off the seam of Francesca Sweet, leaving Yorkshire six down.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Olivia Thomas, second from right, claimed two wickets at Headingley today.
Further wickets fell, including Rebecca Duckworth run out trying to take a single to cover, but Fackrell was able to contribute a useful 15 which helped get the total up close to 130 and started her good day.
While Thatcher, Crofts, Phillips and Roff all finished with impressive figures, Thatcher’s 2-19 from four overs the best of them by a nose. Leicestershire also fielded well and kept the extras to a minimum. It was similar with the White Rose later on.
Even though they would have hoped for more on a true pitch but with sizeable boundaries, Yorkshire’s hopes of defending their total would have been high.
But, with the threat of rain around, Leicestershire’s bright start to their reply – courtesy of captain Becki Brooker and opening partner Francesca Sweet – got them ahead of the DLS par score.
Thankfully, however, when Olivia Thomas’s second ball – full and straight – bowled Sweet for 13, the Foxes were 28-1 in the sixth over.
And when off-spinner Fackrell’s first ball was chipped to mid-off by Flora Davies, Yorkshire had some control at 35-2 at the start of the seventh.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Opener Georgie Boyce top-scored with 46.
Fackrell struck again in her second over, bowling Brooker for 20, before wicketkeeper Watson was run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end by Ami Campbell from cover in the next over. And all of a sudden, the Foxes were in bother at 52-4 in the 10th over and with rain now falling.
Play was able to continue through it, and Leicestershire got themselves back into things as Lucy Weston hoisted Fackrell for a straight six and pulled her for four through mid-wicket, leaving the score at 84-4 after 15 overs.
But when she hoisted Olivia Thomas out to Erin Thomas at deep mid-wicket for 25, quickly followed by Phillips run out, Leicestershire were 89-6 in the 16th.
Cooper then struck twice in two balls in the 17th – Crofts caught at deep mid-wicket by Fackrell and Holly Whitfield stumped – and that was all but game over.
Holly Garton’s leg-spin claimed Leicestershire’s ninth wicket in the penultimate over, Roff caught at mid-off, before Jess Woolston had Thatcher stumped by Ward to wrap up a five-point, bonus-point victory.
Yorkshire face Derbyshire Falcons next at the County Ground a week on Saturday.
Yorkshire all-rounder Ria Fackrell said:
“We were saying we were just under par with the bat, but we were never in doubt with our bowling attack. And our pressure in the field is what keeps us strong.
“I didn’t think we were far off par with the bat, 10-15 or maybe 20 runs max. There were a few ones and twos we missed out on, maybe the odd three as well. But, like I said, we were always confident with our bowling attack.
“Jess Woolston came up to me at the end and said, ‘You spinners take all the glory!’. But everyone here wants other people to do well. It’s not an individual sport, this, and we all back each other.
“Personally, I’m having a great time. The environment is a big help.”
