Fresh Fit File – Thunder vs The Blaze 2023

The Blaze 120 for 7 (Beaumont 38, Ecclestone 2-18) beat Thunder 117 for six (Heap 26, Ballinger 2-23) by means of 3 wickets

Beaumont used to be one among six Ashes contenders that includes in a low-scoring affair performed after Lancashire males had crushed Leicestershire within the Power Blast, with megastar duo Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone going face to face.

Each inspired as Thunder made 117 for six and didn’t shield it. Ecclestone returned 2 for 18 from 4 overs of left-arm spin, whilst Sciver-Brunt’s seamers accounted for 1 for 23 from 4 earlier than including 21 off 14 balls within the chase.

However Beaumont usurped them each, hanging the ball higher than any individual with 8 fours and a flicked six to verify the Blaze persevered their unbeaten begin to the summer time.

The Blaze survived a overdue wobble from 88 for two to 98 for six to win within 16 overs and feature now received 5 of 7 fits around the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy of their first season primarily based at Trent Bridge, together with two from two on this T20 pageant.

The East Midlands aspect were rebranded from Lightning after 3 seasons primarily based at Loughborough College.

For Thunder, their disappointing begin to 2023 continues. They’re winless in seven video games around the two competitions, together with a couple of T20 defeats.

Beaumont, Ecclestone, Kate Move, Sarah Glenn, Emma Lamb and Sciver-Brunt had been the England avid gamers on display.

Thunder failed to realize any important momentum thru an innings strangled by means of an on-point five-strong bowling assault. Left-arm seamer Grace Ballinger took the brand new ball and stood out with 2 for 23 from her 4 overs, whilst Sciver-Brunt, captain and spinner Kirstie Gordon, legspinner Glenn and South Africa seamer Nadine de Klerk all struck as soon as.

Opener Libby Heap top-scored with 26 for Thunder, whilst captain Ellie Threlkeld and Move each made 22.

Lancashire had promoted the day as Empower Play, with £1 from every of the three,101 tickets offered around the day donated to ladies’s and women’ participation tasks together with the Lancashire Cricket Basis.

Thunder had been in hassle early when England opener Lamb chipped Gordon’s left-arm spin to mid-off to fall for two 4 balls into the fit earlier than Ballinger bowled big-hitting West Indian Deandra Dottin for 9 because the ranking fell to fourteen for two within the fourth over.

Heap, Threlkeld, Fi Morris with 18 and Move had been all busy in seeking to advance Thunder’s purpose, however they slipped from 82 for three within the fifteenth over to 89 for six within the 18th to undermine hope of a difficult general.

Morris used to be bowled by means of Glenn, Heap used to be neatly stuck at brief 3rd by means of ex-Thunder batter Georgie Boyce off Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone used to be stuck at brief fine-leg for handiest 3 off Ballinger.

Within the first over of the chase, Beaumont made her intentions transparent by means of sweeping and lofting world colleague Ecclestone for back-to-back obstacles. Her flicked six over midwicket got here off the seam of Tara Norris, whilst she hit 3 obstacles in the similar house in dominating a 56-run opening stand with Marie Kelly.

The latter used to be bowled sweeping at Ecclestone for 16 within the 6th over earlier than Beaumont used to be lbw sweeping on the offspin of Morris an over later – leaving the Blaze 56 for two.

Sciver-Brunt, in at No. 3, then clubbed and carved 3 fours in as many balls off UAE world rapid bowler Mahika Gaur to take care of Blaze’s dominance.

Move had Boyce (15) stuck at level because the ranking fell to 88 for three within the tenth over, sparking a mini cave in to 98 for six after 12 which handiest not on time the inevitable. Sciver-Brunt miscued Norris to brief midwicket earlier than Ecclestone bowled de Klerk as a part of that. Glenn later hit the successful runs and completed 17 now not out.