WOMEN'S T20 BLAST ROUNDUP: The heavy rain-affected encounter sees Thunder claim their fourth win in nine, a victory which includes wickets for Kate Cross and runs for Emma Lamb
Old Trafford: Essex 47-7, Lancashire 55-2 - Lancashire won by eight wickets
Ashes rivals Kate Cross and Alana King equally shared four wickets to set Lancashire Thunder up for a convincing rain-affected T20 Blast win over Essex Eagles at Emirates Old Trafford, keeping their Finals Day hopes alive.
England seamer Cross and Australia leg-spinner King struck twice apiece in the space of 10 legitimate balls in the sixth and seventh overs of what turned out to be an eight-over Essex innings as they slipped to 38 for 6 and later totalled 47 for 7.
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A two-hour rain delay ravaged a fixture which both sides realistically needed to win to maintain hopes of a top-three finish, and it was Thunder who claimed the five points as they reeled in a revised 52-target in six overs, thanks largely to opener Emma Lamb's 21 off 17 balls.
Thunder's fourth win in nine games - this by eight wickets on DLS - means they leapfrog Essex into fifth place and are now 11 points behind third-placed Bears with five games left. Thunder face them in a crunch clash here tomorrow afternoon.
Essex, meanwhile, lost for the sixth time in nine and have a mountain to climb.
Lead image: Luke Adams/Lancashire Cricket
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