Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy team of the week: Who makes our round three XI?

The Cricketer looks at the star performers from round three of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy action…

Tammy Beaumont (Lightning)

89 v North West Thunder

A classic performance from the ICC’s number one ranked 50-over batter. 101 balls, 89 runs and 12 boundaries against a bowling attack which included current England internationals Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone, World Cup winner Alex Hartley, future England star Emma Lamb and Australian allrounder Piepa Cleary. Just another day at the office for the opener.

Alice Davidson-Richards (South East Stars)

92 v Western Storm

Alice Davidson-Richards had scored 53 and 0 prior to Saturday’s match with Storm, a mixed start. However, she bounced back from her nine-ball duck against Vipers in style, recording her highest ever List A score with a 99-ball 92. The 27-year-old enjoyed a mammoth 154-run stand with Sophia Dunkley to put Stars in the driving seat and will have confidence anew in her ability to be her side’s backbone in Dunkley’s absence (England duty).

Sophia Dunkley (South East Stars)

92 v Western Storm

Another player bouncing back from a duck against Vipers but what a season Sophia Dunkley is having! Once she’s in, she’s in for the long haul, adding a steady 92 to the smash and grab 104 (93 balls) she scored against Sunrisers in round one. Her England contract should come as no surprise given the form she’s in.

5⃣0⃣ runs for @Kathryn_Bryce off 67 balls⚡️ pic.twitter.com/YeqvObtAYP

— Lightning Cricket ⚡ (@Lightningcric) June 6, 2021

Kathryn Bryce (Lightning)

74 v North West Thunder

Kathryn Bryce hasn’t enjoyed the dream start to 2021, scoring just 14 runs in her opening two matches. However, against Thunder, everything clicked for the Scot, who scored  a 95-ball 74 and shared a 98-run stand with Beaumont. Sure, she didn’t take any wickets but she conceded just two boundaries during her seven overs and finished with respectable figures of 0 for 26. And, with five wickets already under her belt, it shouldn’t be long before she is firing with both cylinders. An ominous sign.

Heather Knight (Western Storm)

73 v South East Stars

Prior to Storm’s round three clash with South East Stars, England captain Heather Knight had scored a half-century in each of her four previous Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy appearances. Her high score was 91 (twice), her low 59, and at The Oval on Saturday, she made it five in a row, scoring a brisk 73 from 87 deliveries. She found the boundary on 11 occasions, batted for just under two hours, and put on a 91-run second-wicket stand with captain Sophie Luff. Textbook.

Katherine Brunt (Northern Diamonds)

3-11 v Sunrisers

Of all the bowlers Sunrisers probably didn’t want to face as they hoped to end their losing streak was multiple World Cup winner Katherine Brunt. The 35-year-old was at her clinical best in Cambridge, bowling 42 dot balls in eight overs and conceding just one boundary. She did the bulk of her damage early, dismissing Alice MacLeod, Cordelia Griffiths and Mady Villiers as Sunrisers collapsed to 16 for 5, and finished with figures of 3 for 11.  

Jenny Gunn (Northern Diamonds)

3-10 v Sunrisers

Unwilling to let Brunt take all of the limelight, Jenny Gunn also shone against Sunrisers, bowling 31 dot balls of her own on her way to 3 for 10 from eight overs. Taking up the wicket-taking workload once Brunt had her three, Gunn removed the dangerous Fran Wilson for six in the 14th over before adding Joanne Gardner (0) and Kelly Castle (0) to her collection. Diamonds truly rolled back the years in Cambridge.

Teresa Graves (Lightning)

31 & 2-21 v North West Thunder

Several players narrowly missed out on this XI, including Central Sparks duo Sarah Glenn (40 off 37 and 1-16) and Gwen Davies (45), Southern Vipers opener Danni Wyatt (61) and South East Stars captain Tash Farrant (4 for 58). However, it’s Lightning’s Teresa Graves who gets the nod. The 22-year-old formed brutal batting partnerships with Kathryn Bryce (29 runs from 29 balls) and Lucy Higham (43 from 24) to push Lightning beyond 250 before taking the crucial wickets of Emma Lamb and Piepa Cleary with the ball. Her best performance in Lightning purple.

Introducing @EmArlott 👀 pic.twitter.com/FcSBHDZiyp

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 9, 2021

Kirstie Gordon (Lightning)

4-23 v North West Thunder

Having lost her England contract and been left out of the squad to face India, Kirstie Gordon hasn’t had a great few days off the pitch. However, on it, it’s been an entirely different story. The spinner was involved in three dismissals (one catch, two wickets) as Thunder slipped to 63 for 4 before removing Kate Cross and Laura Marshall with consecutive deliveries to finish with figures of 4 for 23. Gordon has now taken eight wickets in three matches and has an economy of 2.76 – clearly she’s letting her bowling do the talking.

Issy Wong (Central Sparks)

3-18 v Southern Vipers

Another fine performance from the teenager who was instrumental in Sparks ending Southern Vipers’ unbeaten run. Replicating the controlled bowling she used to neutralise Diamonds in round one, Wong removed last season’s leading run-scorer, Georgia Adams, in the sixth over, before closing out the game with the wickets of Danni Wyatt and Charlotte Taylor. Her final figures were 3 for 18 with 36 dot balls and just three extras – she’s certainly delivering on the mature bowling she promised in pre-season.

Emily Arlott (Central Sparks)

5-29 v Southern Vipers

Emily Arlott’s performance on Saturday is an early contender for moment of the season and truth be told, it will be hard to eclipse. Removing Maia Bouchier with the first delivery of the seventh over, Arlott finished the six-ball spell with a hat-trick, removing Georgia Elwiss, Charlott Dean and Ella McCaughlan to leave Southern Vipers stunned on 17 for 5. She completed her five-for with the late wicket of Carla Rudd and, for the icing on the cake, learned of her call-up to the England side 24 hours later. A great week for the 23-year-old.