‘Special win’ for Southern Vipers in front of a dinosaur, cavemen and wizards

In bowling Thunder out for 110 inside 33 overs, left-armer Norris and Scholfield returned career best List A figures of 4-14 and 3-16 respectively, with England star Kate Cross the hosts’ lone hand with a fluent 57, writes GRAHAM HARDCASTLE.

The Vipers’ reply stumbled to 68-5, but Portsmouth-born Emily Windsor’s unbeaten 26 was crucial in securing the bonus point victory following last Sunday’s disappointing Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 semi-final defeat.

A fourth win from five games consolidates top spot in the table with two rounds remaining. If they finish there, they will advance directly to the September 25 final at Northampton.

After electing to bowl on an unsettled morning, Vipers were quickly in and amongst the home top order in front of a 250 capacity crowd following the cancellation of Old Trafford’s Test just a couple of miles down the Chester Road.

Lauren Bell bowled Georgie Boyce and Seren Smale with successive deliveries - 12-2 in the third over.

Smale, aged 16, was the victim of a devastating yorker for a golden duck on debut before a number of her team-mates miscued shots.

Emma Lamb, fresh from England T20 duty, top-edged a pull at Scholfield to long-leg for 17 as the score fell to 47-4 in the 11th.

Aside from Cross, Lamb was the only other Thunder batter to reach double figures on a good pitch in front of a crowd including a fancy dress dinosaur, cavemen and wizards.

Cross drove particularly well and reached her sixth career List A fifty off 75 balls with a six over long-on.

By that time, Thunder were 96-7 in the 29th over, and she was later last out when she clothed Norris to mid-off.

Cross, an almost certain selection in England’s ODI squad for the forthcoming New Zealand series, continued her excellent day by getting Georgia Adams and Georgia Elwiss caught behind as the chasing Vipers fell to 46-3 in the 11th over.

That later became 68-5, including the loss of opener Ella McCaughan for a busy 41 to Alex Hartley.

Hartley and fellow left-arm spinner Hannah Jones struck again - 106-7 - but Windsor, who started her cricket career in the boys’ section at Havant CC, drove the winning runs down the ground in the 34th over.

Windsor said: ‘That was a special win for us given so many of our girls played with Tash (Natasha Marisa, the former Hampshire player who passed away earlier this week - black armbands were worn).

‘I did a speech at the start of the game saying, ‘There are two things Tash always did. She never gave up and always played with a smile on her face. That’s what we will do today’.

‘It was so important for us to bounce back from defeat on Sunday. We bowled well and took our chances in the field. To restrict them on a pitch like that was credit to the hard work we put in.

‘We need to learn from our batting innings, but there are lots of positives to take into Sunday (Sunrisers at Chelmsford).’