Northern Diamonds v Thunderers

Neil Whitaker reports

THE  Northern Diamonds kept their hopes in the Charlotte Edwards T20 cup alive with a 25 run victory over the Thunder with an over to spare.


Chasing 125 to win the Thunder  made a confident start against the Diamonds spinners but in the fifth over Georgie Boyce used the long handle to Linsey Smith to smack her through the covers but instead  found Hollie  Armitage.


Two overs later Emma  Lamb paid the price for some lazy running between the wickets. She drilled Emma Marlow to deep mid wicket but didn’t run the first one quickly enough.  Her partner Daniela Collins was halfway through her second run  before Lamb head turned and failed  to beat Leah Dobson’s throw.


The Thunder lost three wickets for one run.  Thunder skipper Eleanor Thirkeld was the first of the three bowled by Kate Levick and two balls later Shachi Pai was leg before for a duck a decision she didn’t like and Laura Jackson the last of the trio bowled by Leigh Kasperek.



Thirkeld said: “At the halfway stage we were pretty pleased with the score we had restricted them to and we were confident of chasing it down but our batting was disappointing.  In the previous games our middle order hasn’t contributed and it was the same today.”


The still had some hope while Collins was at the crease and top scored with 26 but after she went only Laura Marshall and Phoebe Graham reached double figures.  The was some doubt about Collins dismissal.  She  went to sweep Kasperek and stumper. Bess Heath dived forward to take the catch.  Collins stood her ground and the umpire at the bowlers end wasn’t sure and the decision was left to umpire David  Milnes at square leg to make the decision which Collins was mystified at his decision.


Graham pushed Armitage to the covers and set of for a quick single but Marshall couldn’t beat the direct hit.  Sophia Turner was the next back in the hutch when she was bowled by Emma Marlow.


Graham tried to get the Thunder back on track and made a quick 20 to get the Thunder to 99 but had a big swing at Levick and was bowled.



The Northern Diamonds won the toss and decided to bat and made in their 20 overs.

The Thunder’s Hannah Jones ended with three for 23 and all three wickets came in the final over of the Diamonds innings but didn’t include an hattrick.  Her first victim was Phoebie Turner who on 19, went down on one knee missed the ball and was bowled. Marlow tried to cut Jones but the ball went over her bat and was bowled.  Levick raced down the pitch, past the ball and was bowled.



A second wicket partnership of 36 in seven overs between Sterre Kalis and Armitage  was the backbone of the Diamonds innings.  The partnership was broken when Kalis, who top scored with 28 pulled Alex  Hartley to  Boyce on the long on boundary. They say two brings two and that what happened to the Northern Diamonds, in the next over Armitage played across the line to Lamb and was bowled.  


THE  Northern Diamonds kept their hopes in the Charlotte Edwards T20 cup alive with a 25 run victory over the Thunder with an over to spare.


Chasing 125 to win the Thunder  made a confident start against the Diamonds spinners but in the fifth over Georgie Boyce used the long handle to Linsey Smith to smack her through the covers but instead  found Hollie  Armitage.


Two overs later Emma  Lamb paid the price for some lazy running between the wickets. She drilled Emma Marlow to deep mid wicket but didn’t run the first one quickly enough.  Her partner Daniela Collins was halfway through her second run  before Lamb head turned and failed  to beat Leah Dobson’s throw.


The Thunder lost three wickets for one run.  Thunder skipper Eleanor Thirkeld was the first of the three bowled by Kate Levick and two balls later Shachi Pai was leg before for a duck a decision she didn’t like and Laura Jackson the last of the trio bowled by Leigh Kasperek.


Thirkeld said: “At the halfway stage we were pretty pleased with the score we had restricted them to and we were confident of chasing it down but our batting was disappointing.  In the previous games our middle order hasn’t contributed and it was the same today.”


The still had some hope while Collins was at the crease and top scored with 26 but after she went only Laura Marshall and Phoebe Graham reached double figures.  The was some doubt about Collins dismissal.  She  went to sweep Kasperek and stumper. Bess Heath dived forward to take the catch.  Collins stood her ground and the umpire at the bowlers end wasn’t sure and the decision was left to umpire David  Milnes at square leg to make the decision which Collins was mystified at his decision.


Graham pushed Armitage to the covers and set of for a quick single but Marshall couldn’t beat the direct hit.  Sophia Turner was the next back in the hutch when she was bowled by Emma Marlow.


Graham tried to get the Thunder back on track and made a quick 20 to get the Thunder to 99 but had a big swing at Levick and was bowled.



The Northern Diamonds won the toss and decided to bat and made in their 20 overs.

The Thunder’s Hannah Jones ended with three for 23 and all three wickets came in the final over of the Diamonds innings but didn’t include an hattrick.  Her first victim was Phoebie Turner who on 19, went down on one knee missed the ball and was bowled. Marlow tried to cut Jones but the ball went over her bat and was bowled.  Levick raced down the pitch, past the ball and was bowled.



A second wicket partnership of 36 in seven overs between Sterre Kalis and Armitage  was the backbone of the Diamonds innings.  The partnership was broken when Kalis, who top scored with 28 pulled Alex  Hartley to  Boyce on the long on boundary. They say two brings two and that what happened to the Northern Diamonds, in the next over Armitage played across the line to Lamb and was bowled.  


Sophia Turner came on and nearly got an hat trick with her first three balls.  Leah Dobson chipped her first ball to Hartley at mid on.  Kasperek went back to the next ball to cut it but it was too close her and she top edged to stumper Threlked.  Glenn luckily survived the hat trick ball when her faint outside edge evaded Threlked and ran to the fine leg boundary.


A seventh wicket partnership of 26 added some respectability to the Diamonds score but it ended in comical fashion when Smith walked across her stumps and was bowled by Hartley.


For the Thunder Hartley finished with two for 17 in her four overs, Lamb two wickets cost her 17 runs and Turner’s two wickets cost her 21 runs in only two overs.


Kasperek said: “I am really happy because it’s taken me some time to find my feet but I try to do my best for the team.  The pitch was great for our spinners, I thought it was going to be a road.  At the halfway stage we had a good preparation talk that got us fired up.”


Sophia Turner came on and nearly got an hat trick with her first three balls.  Leah Dobson chipped her first ball to Hartley at mid on.  Kasperek went back to the next ball to cut it but it was too close her and she top edged to stumper Threlked.  Glenn luckily survived the hat trick ball when her faint outside edge evaded Threlked and ran to the fine leg boundary.


A seventh wicket partnership of 26 added some respectability to the Diamonds score but it ended in comical fashion when Smith walked across her stumps and was bowled by Hartley.


For the Thunder Hartley finished with two for 17 in her four overs, Lamb two wickets cost her 17 runs and Turner’s two wickets cost her 21 runs in only two overs.


Kasperek said: “I am really happy because it’s taken me some time to find my feet but I try to do my best for the team.  The pitch was great for our spinners, I thought it was going to be a road.  At the halfway stage we had a good preparation talk that got us fired up.”