Yorkshire Women v Somerset Women T20 Blast at Headingley July 3rd

Neil Whitaker reports

AT last Yorkshire Women have won a match in this year’s Women’s Vitality Blast T 20 as they beat Somerset women by 11 runs at Headingley.

Yorkshire Women won despite  being put in  by Somerset and losing three early wickets and they  posted a massive 210 for four in their 20 overs.

Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sterre  Kalis added 167 for  the fifth wicket, the joint highest partnership in Women’s T20 cricket, it was the highest fourth wicket partnership in the history of the competition and the highest partnership in this year’s competition for any wicket.

The partnership was broken when Winfield-Hill had to reach for a wide ball from Maddie Russell and scooped it in the air to Sophie Luff  at point for 99 in the 19th over.  

Winfield-Hill reversed swept Lola Harris to the cover boundary as the runs started to flow as Somerset started  to make mistakes in the field.  The fifty partnership between Winfield-Hill and Kalis was brought up after five overs,   courtesy of a wide from Niamh Holland. An  expensive first over from Erin Vukusic cost  15 runs.

Winfield-Hill swept  Harris to the square leg boundary just inches above the fielder at square leg.  She glanced a full toss from Holland to the fine leg boundary to bring up her fifty from 31 balls with nine fours.  Two balls later Holland was taken out of the attack for bowling two head height full tosses at Winfield-Hill.

She swept Barnes to the square leg boundary to bring up the hundred partnership with Kalis from 56 balls.  In the next over she drilled Bex Odgers to the extra cover boundary.

A reverse sweep off Barnes burst through the hands of point on its way to the boundary to take he into 90’s

At the beginning of the partnership Kalis kept  pace with Winfield-Hill but she gradually became a silent partner but even so her 50 came off only 33  balls with nine fours.

When Yorkshire were put in it looked like they would struggle to get 100.  They  lost their first wicket in the first over when Erin Thomas got too far under a drive off Alex Griffiths and the ball looped in the air and Griffiths took a return catch moving her left.

In the next over Ami Campbell drilled Russell to Anika Learoyd at cover.  Worse was to follow in Russell’s next over when Jess Jonassen cut Russell to Holland at cover.

In their chase Somerset reached 30 without breaking sweat in four overs but they lost their first wicket at the end of the fourth over when Luff edged a drive off Jess  Woolston and Sarah Glenn at fly slip took the catch above her head.

Odgers hit  consecutive fours off Hannah  Rainey: the first was a pull and the second was a drive through extra cover.  Learoyd drilled Holly Garton straight to the long-boundary.  In the next over she flat batted Beth Langston to the long-on boundary.  She wasn’t finished there as she pulled Woolston to the mid-wicket boundary. The end for Odgers  came when she  tried to sweep Glenn but missed the ball and was leg before.

But.  Learoyd, was joined by Holland and they kept the runs coming as they added 59 in six overs. She lofted Glenn for a one bounce four to the long-off boundary.  Learoyd went down the pitch to Langston and hit for a couple of sixes.  She drilled Glenn to the extra cover boundary.  The partnership was broken when Holland tried to sweep Glenn but missed the ball and was bowled.

Griffiths, struggled to get the ball away and was retired out on 3.  She was replaced and replaced by Ruby Davis who swept her first ball to the boundary and scooped the next ball over stumper Winfield-Hill for another four.  She was back in the hutch  when she used the long handle and found Kalis at mid-on.

Learoyd tried in vain to get Somerset home, she went down the pitch to Jonassen and was dropped on the boundary edge, the next ball went for a straight six.  She swept Jonassen to the square leg boundary to bring up her  century from 48 balls with 13 fours and four sixes.

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