Thunder beaten in local derby despite Deandra Dottin debut

Lauren Winfield-Hill guided Northern Diamonds to victory despite Emma Lamb's 82

Sale: Thunder 235-7, Northern Diamonds 241-4 - Northern Diamonds win by six wickets

Scorecard

A brilliant 93 from England international batter Lauren Winfield-Hill saw Northern Diamonds begin their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win over rivals Thunder.

Alongside Hollie Armitage, who hit 46, and Bess Heath, who struck an unbeaten 51, Winfield-Hill ensured the target of 236 was easily chased down with 46 balls remaining, despite the efforts of Thunder's Emma Lamb, whose 82 was as equally entertaining as that of her rival opening batter.

At the start of the day Diamonds had made an early breakthrough when Georgie Boyce was trapped in front by Rachel Slater for six with the dismissal bringing the imposing figure of West Indian star and shock new Thunder signing Deandra Dottin to the crease.

Unsurprisingly Dottin's introduction saw the run rate rise dramatically as the new arrival hit three successive boundaries off one Katherine Brunt over with Lamb proving equally dominant at the other end.

The second wicket pair had added 55 runs in just over seven overs when Dottin attempted one shot too many and skied a Katie Levick delivery to Leigh Kasperek at deep cover for an entertaining 26 off 27 balls.

From then on it was all about Lamb, as the England international unleashed an array of attractive stroke play on her way to a fine half-century which saw her bring up 2,000 List A runs when she reached 62.

Along the way both Ellie Threlkeld (13) and Danielle Collins (18) offered valuable support until they were dismissed by the spin of Linsey Smith and Kasperek respectively.

So comfortable had Lamb looked it was something of a shock when she handed Smith her second wicket after she misjudged the flight of a full delivery and was bowled attempting a hit across the line for 82.

^{Emma Lamb's 82 came in a losing cause (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)}

Lamb's dismissal prompted a stalling of the run rate with Jenny Gunn's accuracy adding to the economy of Diamonds' spin attack as Thunder struggled to hit the boundaries during the crucial middle overs.

But while the runs dried up, Sachi Pai and Daisy Mullan stood firm and added 31 for the sixth wicket until Mullan was brilliantly caught in the deep by Heath off Levick for 18.

Pai finished unbeaten on 41 and some eager running between the wickets took Thunder to a competitive 235 for seven at the close of the innings with Levick (2 for 45) and Smith (2 for 34) the pick of the bowlers.

Until well into the second half of Diamonds’ reply the result of this game never looked in doubt despite the early departure of Linsey Smith for nine after she top-edged a pull shot to Laura Jackson.

The reason was Winfield-Hill who utterly dominated Thunder’s bowling as she constructed a match-defining second wicket partnership with Holly Armitage. A chanceless knock saw the England international stroke the ball around Sale's small ground with finesse when needed and with power when required as Thunder’s attack wilted and their fielding became ragged.

The partnership was eventually broken after 116 runs when Armitage's late cut off Jackson found Hannah Jones at fly slip and she departed for 46 before Winfield-Hill fell soon after to the left-arm spin of Alex Hartley when she skied a drive to Georgie Boyce at long off for a brilliant 93.

When Yvonne Graves departed without scoring, bowled by Jones, Thunder had a glimmer of hope, but it was soon extinguished as Sterre Kalis (35*) and Heath (51*) steered Diamonds home.

Related Topics

• Deandra Dottin joins Thunder for Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy