With 26 balls remaining, a pair scores a second-wicket stand of 95 to defeat gale-force conditions and win.
Bouchier and Adams scored 71 and 59 runs
Western Storm 230 for 5 (Corney 69, Smith 2-36, Adams 2-50) were defeated by Southern Vipers 240 for 6 (Bouchier 71, Adams 59) by four wickets using the DLS method.
In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy match at Millfield School, Maia Bouchier and Georgia Adams each hit noteworthy half-centuries despite the difficult conditions to lead Southern Vipers to a four-wicket victory over Western Storm.
Bouchier and Adams scored 71 and 59 runs, respectively, and put on a 95-run partnership for the second wicket as the visitors survived gale-force winds to win with 26 balls remaining in a contest that was reduced to 48 overs each side due to rain.
Fran Wilson scored 49 runs, Emma Corney made 69, and Niamh Holland hit 44 as Storm raised 230 for 5 after being called to bat. As the Vipers got wickets at crucial times to limit the scoring, Adams finished an impressive all-around effort by taking 2 for 50 with the ball, while fellow spinner Linsey Smith chipped in with 2 for 36.
Vipers moved up to fifth position in the standings after picking up their third victory in their previous nine games, while Storm remained at the bottom after losing for the fourth time in their last eight contests and had three games postponed due to bad weather.
Because rain was always possible, bowling first would always be the best move, and Vipers did a respectable job of chasing. Phoebe Graham, a new loan signing, had Ella McCaughan brilliantly held by Chloe Skelton at deep backward square for 10, giving Storm an early advantage with the ball. The Australian Piepa Cleary was struck by the fluid Bouchier over additional cover for a big six into the wind, setting the tone for the response.
By twice cover-driving leg spinner Nicole Harvey for four and then heaving her over the extra body for six runs, skipper Adams, who was incredibly optimistic in her approach, managed to outscore her partner and give Vipers a powerful start.
Bouchier achieved a chanceless 50 from 54 balls as the visitors maintained control of the pace, scoring 100 runs from 20 overs while scoring quickly on either side of the wickets against the spinners. By the time Adams reached 50 from 53 balls, the second-wicket partnership was coasting.
Storm needed an opening, and Alex Griffiths provided it in the 26th. Bouchier tried to push her into the leg side but could only deliver a return catch with a leading edge. With 72 balls faced, five fours, and a six, Bouchier gave her side a strong foundation.
Bouchier achieved a chanceless 50 from 54 balls as the visitors maintained control of the pace, scoring 100 runs from 20 overs while scoring quickly on either side of the wickets against the spinners. By the time Adams reached 50 from 53 balls, the second-wicket partnership was coasting.
Storm needed an opening, and Alex Griffiths provided it in the 26th. Bouchier tried to push her into the leg side but could only deliver a return catch with a leading edge. With 72 balls faced, five fours, and a six, Bouchier gave her side a strong foundation.
Vipers were 175 for 4 and needed 63 runs off 79 balls when Windsor holed out to deep backward square for 21 off Skelton’s bowling, and Storm saw an opening. Maitlan Brown was clearly out for 10, but Freya Kemp maintained her composure, timed the ball well, and hit 47 from 36 balls with eight fours to make the victory a formality.
Emma Corney, a teenager who was moved up the lineup earlier this season, contributed to some helpful opening stands but couldn’t finish off several promising starts. This time, the Devonian registered her first fifty to provide Storm with a solid foundation.
If Bouchier had hung onto a chance at mid-on in the fourth over after Corney had made just one, the outcome might have been different. The ball held aloft in the turbulent wind and made life difficult for the fielder after the 19-year-old gambled her arm against Smith. Corney successfully escaped and outlasted Griffiths’ 43-run opening stand in 12.4 overs.
With the strong winds against him, Griffiths managed just seven runs off of 38 balls. She was killed four overs after driving the same bowler hard to mid-on, where Bouchier showed safe hands to make up for her earlier mistake. She was bowled by an Alice Monaghan no-ball in the ninth over.
Sophie Luff, who was determined to take the battle to the Vipers, demonstrated her skill at seeing openings in the field, picking up the pace in a successful second-wicket partnership of 52 runs in 13.2 overs despite a slow outfield that turned fours into twos and the wind that made aerial shots risky.
By the time Storm reached 93 for 1 at the halfway point of the innings, Corney had sped to 50 from 75 balls and had pulled Brown behind square to reach that milestone with her fifth boundary. With the score at 95, Luff had struck 20 and appeared poised to get a sizable total when she unexpectedly gave in to temptation and pulled Adams forcefully, falling to a fantastic diving catch by Monaghan at mid-wicket.
Before stepping down the pitch to Smith and driving high to Adams at long-on, Corney added another 36 runs for the third wicket with the support of Wilson, who gave the innings momentum in the middle. When severe rain forced the players to leave the field, Holland and the seasoned Wilson had advanced the score to 167 for 3 in 38.3 overs.
A quick break guaranteed that just two overs were lost, and when play began, a wet ball and outfield helped Storm. Wilson and Holland scored at a good clip as they added 63 runs for the fourth wicket in 10.1 overs. Wilson chipped Smith to mid-on after facing 47 balls and collecting five boundaries to reach 49, allowing the intrepid Holland to smash 44 runs at somewhat better than a run-a-ball to lift the home team to respectability.
Don’t hesitate to visit our Indibet online website for other update!
