The second round of Vitality Women’s Blast T20 took Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and North East Warriors on the road into the Pennines, where Yorkshire hosted four games across two pitches at Moorland’s Cricket Club, Mirfield.
Nottinghamshire 104 for five beat North East Warriors by 30 runs
While Derbyshire beat Yorkshire in a high scoring game on the main pitch. Nottinghamshire and North East Warriors battled on a pitch with variable bounce and a slow outfield.
Notts won the toss and elected to bat; it proved a good decision as openers Yvonne Graves and Maddie Ward added 54 for the first wicket; they rode their luck as mistimed shots fell repeatedly short of the incoming fielders. Ward was the first to fall 14, and it took an outstanding catch from Sterre Kalis, the Dutch international, to see the downfall of Yvonne Graves for 23.
From 64 for four, Notts rebuilt with Teresa Graves top-scoring with a 26 ball 28 and Notts just past three figures. Laura Ellison was the pick of the Warriors bowlers with three for 18.
Having learnt how the pitch was playing, Notts rotated their bowlers well. Sophie Munro bowled tight lines and extracted some bounce most other bowlers failed to get. Rhiannon Knowling-Davies bowled Lizzie Scott and Emily Naylor from the same end.
Once Kalis was stumped after walking past an Amelia Kite slower ball for the Warriors, it was only a matter of time before Notts would win, with captain Lucy Higham finishing with three for nine.
Nottinghamshire 114 for 9 lost to Yorkshire 115 for three, won by seven wickets
A Hollie Armitage fifty was enough to secure Yorkshire’s first win of the day with a routine win over Notts as they won by seven wickets with plenty of time to spare.
Notts batted first again, having seen Derbyshire rack up 183 for two v Yorkshire in the first game on the main pitch seemed like the best course of action.
It took a captain’s innings from Higham to propel Notts to 114 for nine, which always looked a tough ask to defend, especially with Holly Armitage in fine form. However, the Yorkshire opener is a hard-hitting batter and has mown down plenty of bowling attacks in the past.
Notts would need to see off Armitage to make it a close game. However, they made inroads at the other end, Kite bowling Emma Marlow for seven.
Yorkshire needed just 25 runs from the final six overs but were dealt a blow when Higham bowled Armitage shortly after passing the half-century mark.
Beth Langston, the Yorkshire skipper, was next in and brought with her a calmness to the rest of the chase and took them home with over two overs to spare.
On the other pitch, North East Warriors cruised a ten-wicket win with eight overs to spare Kalis with 40 not out and Layla Tipton unbeaten on 34.
Derbyshire owned much of their total to Adrianna Darlow 38 and Lara Shaw 26, as they could only post 83 for six from their 20 overs.
