The Cricketer looks back on the best performances from round four of the Charlotte Edwards Cup
Marie Kelly (Lightning)
She didn’t stick around for long – facing just 12 balls– but boy, did Marie Kelly start with a bang. Lightning’s opener blasted four fours and three sixes to race to 36 runs, including dispatching Lauren Bell for two sixes and a four in the third over and Freya Kemp for three consecutive boundaries in the fourth, before falling to the latter at the start of the sixth. Imagine the chaos she could have caused in the Vipers ranks if she’d managed to hog more of the strike.
Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers)
Danni Wyatt has been steadily building towards a big knock in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, posting 29 and 48 in her first two outings, and against Lightning she delivered. She scored 76 runs from 44 balls, including 11 fours and one six, and dominated her second-wicket partnership with Maia Bouchier, scoring 50 of their 69 runs off 27 balls. Only Sophie Luff posted a higher individual knock in round four while no one matched her haul of 12 boundaries.
Aylish Cranstone (South East Stars)
One of only two players to retain her spot in the team of the week, Aylish Cranstone once again led the way with the bat for South East Stars, scoring 59 not out off 53 balls to help her side to 148 for 6 at close. The 27-year-old has now scored three unbeaten half-centuries in four innings in the 2022 Charlotte Edwards Cup, leading her to the top of the run-scoring charts, and is blossoming into a valuable anchor for the defending champions.
Marie Kelly (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Sophie Luff (Western Storm)
A captain’s knock from Sophie Luff against Sunrisers, with Western Storm’s No.3 scoring 78 runs from 54 balls to help her side to 169 for 5 – a total which ultimately proved unreachable. She entered the match after just two balls and batted through to the end of the 18th over, sharing a 69-run partnership with Heather Knight before blasting 41 runs off 18 balls in the company of Dani Gibson to send the worm skywards.
Kelly Castle (Sunrisers)
Kelly Castle just pips her teammate Naomi Dattani into this XI. The Sunrisers skipper scored 40 not out off 36 balls and also removed Fran Wilson and Sophie Luff with the ball on her way to figures of 2 for 16 – Dattani was the only other bowler to concede fewer than eight runs per over for Sunrisers. Her fourth-wicket stand with Dattani yielded 56 runs from 49 balls.
Linsey Smith (Northern Diamonds)
Linsey Smith was bashed about a bit by Southern Vipers in round three, leaking 28 runs from 3.3 overs, but she was back to her economical best against Thunder. The dangerous Georgie Boyce was her only victim of the day, but she bowled 13 dot balls and conceded just one boundary on her way to figures of 1 for 15. With the bat, she contributed 25 runs from 22 deliveries – only Sterre Kalis (28) outscored her for Diamonds.
Linsey Smith (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Sarah Glenn (Central Sparks)
Her side might have lost their unbeaten record but Sarah Glenn was on top form against South East Stars. The England spinner picked up 3 for 17 from her four overs, with her devasting middle-over spell accounting for Phoebe Franklin, Alice Davidson-Richards and Emma Jones. She later scored 14 runs from nine balls with the bat and perhaps should have been sent in higher than No.8 during her side’s pursuit of 102 from 12 overs.
Leigh Kasperek (Northern Diamonds)
New Zealand international Leigh Kasperek hasn’t enjoyed the easiest of starts in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, leaking 79 runs from her first eight overs with Diamonds. However, against Thunder, she showed every inch of her international class, taking 2 for 16 against a team who had smashed her for 39 runs (three overs) earlier in the tournament. Danielle Collins and Laura Jackson were her victims at Headingley.
Scarlett Hughes (Sunrisers)
It wasn’t a particularly showy week in the wicketkeeping department, but 19-year-old Scarlett Hughes managed to catch the eye. The Sunrisers keeper completed three stumpings against Western Storm, removing Fi Morris, Fran Wilson and Dani Gibson to notch up the most dismissals of the round.
Sarah Glenn (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Katie Levick (Northern Diamonds)
Katie Levick is on fire with the ball. She picked up 4 for 22 when Northern Diamonds and Thunder met in Sale and was once again a thorn in their side on the other side of the Pennines. At Headingley, she took 3 for 25, removing Ellie Threlkeld, Shachi Pai and Phoebe Graham – who had been looking dangerous on 20 (16), and now has a tournament-leading 12 wickets to her name.
Dani Gregory (South East Stars)
Chasing a rain-reduced 102 from 12 overs and with a stacked batting line-up, Central Sparks would probably have been the favourites to win against South East Stars. Dani Gregory, however, had other ideas, conceding just six runs from her two overs and taking the crucial wickets of opener Eve Jones and big-hitting middle-order batter Ami Campbell (the latter dismissed for just one run). A vital contribution given three of her teammates leaked 10-plus runs per over.
Honourable mentions
There were a number of good performances with the ball in round four, with Thunder’s Alex Hartley (2 for 17) and Hannah Jones (3 for 23) putting on a spin masterclass at Headingley. Central Sparks’ Hannah Baker continued her miserly start to the season, taking 1 for 17, while Claire Nicholas’ 2 for 22, including a maiden, was the pick of the bowling for Western Storm. Naomi Dattani was the best batter to miss out, scoring 53 runs off 51 balls for Sunrisers.
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