South East Stars emerge victorious, defeating The Blaze in Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
Alice Davidson-Richards’ Heroics Lead South East Stars to Victory
In a stunning display of skill and determination, Alice Davidson-Richards propelled the South East Stars to victory over The Blaze, handing them only their second defeat of the season in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Davidson-Richards’ outstanding century, scoring 101 runs from just 128 balls, guided her team to an emphatic 107-run win on the very day she received a call-up to represent England in the upcoming ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Joining forces with Paige Scholfield who contributed an impressive score of 56 runs, Stars managed a formidable total of 278 before Blaze could respond. However, their response fell short as they were bowled out for just 171 runs. This triumph propels South East Stars into second place in the league standings after Central Sparks suffered defeat against Sunrisers and Northern Diamonds emerged victorious against Western Storm.
Davidson-Richards has not had any opportunities this summer representing England but has been given another chance due to Lauren Bell’s illness. With her exceptional form carrying into these important matches scheduled for September 12th and September 14th, she will undoubtedly be one to watch as she smashes boundaries with her third career century – her first ever achieved in this competition – consisting of eleven fours and one six.
The only other loss The Blaze have encountered thus far was at the hands of South East Stars back in July when they slipped to a dismal scoreline of 100-7 during their chase at Beckenham. Despite an effort from captain Kirstie Gordon, who contributed 40 runs to give her team a glimmer of hope, Blaze eventually succumbed and were all out with 12 overs still remaining.
The victory propels Stars above Sparks in the league standings. Sunrisers claimed a four-wicket win over Sparks at Chelmsford with outstanding performances by Amara Carr, Mady Villiers, and captain Grace Scrivens – each scoring half-centuries. Abigail Freeborn fought valiantly for Sparks with an impressive knock of 107 runs containing eight fours, marking her first century in this competition. However, their efforts proved insufficient as Sunrisers’ bowling attack restricted them to a total of 227-8 which was then successfully chased down by Carr (58), Villiers (56), and Scrivens (51) with five overs to spare.
Meanwhile, Diamonds continue their ascent up the table after defeating Storm by 31 runs at Taunton. The game was shortened to 43 overs per side due to rain interruptions. Lauren Winfield-Hill set the stage on fire for Northern Diamonds with her commanding innings of 83 runs from just 92 balls before Leah Dobson’s unbeaten knock of 68 off just 50 deliveries propelled the team’s total score to a formidable 281-3 after being sent in to bat first.
Captain Sophie Luff put up a strong fight for Western Storm with her well-played innings of 87 runs. However, despite significant contributions from wicketkeeper Natasha Wraith (61) and Fran Wilson (57 off just one ball), Storm fell short as they finished on a modest scoreline of only250-7.