Gunn and Brunt star for Diamonds in narrow victory over Lightning

Jenny Gunn put on an 81-run stand with Alex MacDonald to help Diamonds recover from 50 for 6 while Katherine Brunt took 4 for 23 with the ball

Kibworth: Northern Diamonds 151, Lightning 145 - Diamonds won by six runs

Scorecard

Northern Diamonds bounced back from defeat against Central Sparks in their opening match by beating Lightning by six runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Kibworth in Leicestershire.

Past and present England stars were the match-winners for Diamonds, veteran allrounder Jenny Gunn top-scoring with 40 as Diamonds recovered from 50 for 6 to total 151 before pace bowler Katherine Brunt took 4 for 23 as Lightning fell just short and were bowled out for 145 in the 49th over.

Kathryn Bryce took 4 for 16 for Lightning but Gunn’s 81-run seventh-wicket partnership with batting allrounder Alex MacDonald, who made 39, was ultimately the decisive passage of play. The 35-year-old former Lightning player hit six boundaries.

Put in after Lightning won the toss, Diamonds began badly. Kathryn Bryce’s second ball removed Lauren Winfield-Hill, who made 110 against Sparks, via a catch at cover and the medium-pacer soon had Diamonds captain Hollie Armitage caught at midwicket. New-ball partner Sophie Munro struck another big blow when England star Nat Sciver drove her straight to mid-off.

Brunt’s leading edge gave Bryce an easy return catch and when Teresa Graves bowled Sterre Kallis and had Ami Campbell was caught at mid-on in the same over, Diamonds were 50 for 6.

Left-arm spinner Kirstie Gordon, who took four wickets against champions Southern Vipers on Saturday, went wicketless this time and it took the returning Bryce to account for Gunn via a top-edged pull to midwicket.

With the partnership broken, Diamonds lost their last four wickets for 20. Yvonne Graves had Beth Langston caught at mid-off, fellow off-spinner Lucy Higham bowled MacDonald for 39 and followed up by having Katie Levick caught behind.

Lightning were rocked by a brilliant opening burst by Brunt, who knocked back opener Sarah Bryce’s off-stump for a second ball duck - the second in as many matches for Lightning’s top scorer in 2020 - and had Kathryn edging behind.

Abbey Freeborn helped England opener Tammy Beaumont add 44 for the third wicket but then Lightning lost three wickets for six runs in 11 balls to be 57 for 5. Freeborn was caught behind off bat and pad, Higham chipped Kevick’s leg-spin straight to extra cover before Beaumont was given out leg before to Sciver.

Lightning took the result closer than expected from that point but the Diamonds attack kept chipping away. Shachi Pai was lbw to Levick and Brunt returned to have South African Michaela Kirk leg before.  

Late runs from Gordon and both Graves sisters kept Lightning in the chase but after Yvonne Graves holed out to mid-off off Brunt, Langston had Gordon caught behind to clinch victory.