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Bears come out on top at Edgbaston
Laura Harris continued her remarkable start at Edgbaston by clubbing Warwickshire to a 69-run Vitality Blast victory over Somerset.
Harris followed her 16-ball half-century on her debut in Birmingham last week with an equally spectacular 77 from 34 balls to lift Warwickshire to 172 for nine. Her barrage completed the team’s strong recovery from 30 for three after Mollie Robbins (three for 24) took three wickets in her first ten balls.
Somerset replied with 103 ,of which Fran Wilson struck 31 (32), but the innings was unravelled by spinners Georgia Davis (three for 12) and Millie Taylor (three for 13)
The visitors’ third successive defeat came with an additional worry after Emma Corney was stretchered from the field after her leg twisted the wrong way as he stooped to collect a ball in the outfield.
Somerset chose to bowl and started strongly as Robbins took wickets with her first, fifth and tenth balls. Her first struck Abi Freeborn on the back leg and won an lbw decision, Issy Wong then drove to mid off before and Davina Parrin was bowled through an attempted leg-side hit.
Five quickfire boundaries from Nat Wraith and Sterre Kalis sprung the score to 54 for three at the end of the powerplay before Wraith’s middle stump was disturbed by Amanda-Jade Wellington’s second ball.
Somerset had started well but were disrupted by the worrying delay while Corney was treated on the outfield. Upon the resumption, Charis Pavely lifted Alex Griffiths to long on, bringing in Harris who lifted her second ball into the South Stand for six.
Kalis’s perky 32 (27) ended in the cruelest way she was run out backing up, but Harris charged to her fifty in 19 balls. The Australian went on to hit nine fours and four sixes to emphatically vindicate her move down the order to get at the spinners.
A target of 173 was a tall one for a Somerset side short of runs in the tournament so far and their reply took an early hit when Rebecca Odgers fell lbw to Wong. Amelie Munday pulled Hannah Hardwick for six but was then lured down the pitch by Davis and stumped.
The visitors entered the second half of their reply with only two wickets down but needing 11 per over and that scoreboard pressure took its toll against Warwickshire’s spin attack.
Sophie Luff skied a return catch to Hannah Baker, Wellington was bowled, reverse-sweeping, by Taylor and Davis dismissed Wilson and Griffiths, caught at mid off and backward point respectively.
Chloe Skelton chipped to extra cover off Taylor who soon trapped Robbins lbw and when Hannah Jones lifted Wong to long on, with Corney unable to bat, Somerset’s tough day was complete.
At the end of the match, Somerset Head Coach, Trevor Griffin said: “Laura Harris was the difference today. She took the game away from us which is what she can do. I’ve seen her do that to sides in the Women’s Big Bash. We started really well with the ball and took some early wickets but it was a really good pitch and a very fast outfield and then Laura came in and played extremely well.
“Then we just couldn’t get any partnerships together with the bat. It was quite windy and Warwickshire’s spinners bowled well and used that. They took the pace off the ball and made it very hard for us to put the pace back on. We were a batter down, of course, which didn’t help. Emma is at hospital now and we are waiting for news but it didn’t look good.”
