Mady Villiers crushes Diamonds to give Sunrisers birthday lift

Sunrisers 189 for 7 (Scrivens 56) beat Northern Diamonds 188 for 9 (Villiers 4-36, Munro 3-25) by three wickets

Birthday girl Mady Villiers equalled her career-best with the ball as Sunrisers beat high-flying Northern Diamonds by three wickets at Chelmsford to move third in the standings.

Villiers, who turned 26 today produced spin wizardry to take 4 for 36 and with Sophie Munro’s 3 for 25 lending valuable support, Diamonds were restricted to 188 for 9.

Grace Scrivens’ 56 led the chase, sharing half-century stands with Cordelia Griffith and Jody Grewcock (40) as the hosts overcame a late wobble to race home with 12 overs to spare.

Diamonds, for whom Sterre Kalis made 36 and Katherine Fraser 34, were left to rue dropped catches in the field, but stay second and on course for the semi-finals.

Missing Lauren Winfield-Hill, away at the Caribbean Premier League, and Bess Heath, withdrawn by England, Diamonds opted to bat on a used Chelmsford pitch.

Fraser provided early impetus, a cracking pull shot the pick of her four boundaries, while Emma Marlow struck successive fours off Eva Gray. The bowler gained compensation with the wicket of Fraser, caught by Grewcock from the last ball of the powerplay.

The visitors advanced to 67 for 1 before Villiers began the host’s fightback, dismissing the tournament’s leading scorer, Hollie Armitage, caught at short mid-on. The dismissal continued Armitage’s recent run of low scores from the Hundred with Northern Superchargers.

Villiers wheeled away to great effect, capturing the wicket of Marlow with one which stopped in the pitch, before trapping Rebecca Duckworth lbw.

Kalis in company with Beth Langston counter-attacked from the other end with a 60-ball stand of 50, the former mixing powerful driving with some classy cut shots.

Both though fell in quick succession Langston becoming Villiers’ fourth victim before Munro, switched to the Graham Gooch end to castle Kalis, the wicket part of a spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs from the quick on loan from the Blaze.

Thereafter, a stubborn ninth wicket stand of 28 between debutant Maddie Ward and Katie Levick helped Diamonds to what looked a par score.

In a strange quirk all nine Diamonds wickets were taken from the Graham Gooch End.

Ward was in the action early in the field catching Gardner to give Rachel Slater the breakthrough.

Kalis’ catching would prove less secure an over later, shelling a straightforward chance at first slip to reprieve Griffith on 4, Beth Langston the unlucky bowler.

Griffith, who endured a difficult spell with London Spirit in the Hundred, despite the franchise lifting the trophy, celebrated the life by lofting Levick for the first six of the day. However, the introduction of Fraser brought her demise, Griffith skying the spinner’s fourth ball back to the bowler, ending a stand of 53.

Scrivens, who had been driving well off front and back foot through the cover region sent another skywards in the following over which Ward got a hand to running to her right but couldn’t hold.

Scare survived, Scrivens was soon back to taking heavy toll of the Diamonds’ bowling, hitting Fraser for a towering straight six which accompanied by five fours took her to 50 from 62 balls.

The stand with Grewcock reached 60 before Scrivens in attempting to sweep Marlow lobbed a gentle catch to Levick at short fine leg.

Villiers was given a present by the visitors when Kalis dropped her at mid-on when she’d made only four, but Sunrisers’ hearts were beating a little faster later in the over when a mix up between the batters saw Grewcock run out for a run-a-ball 40.

Villiers fell with 19 needed and Fraser (3 for 37) caused late panic with the wickets of Miller and Gray but Lissy Macleod (23 not out) saw Sunrisers over the line.

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