Career best for Niamh as Somerset reach the quarter finals
A career best T20 score of 75 from Niamh Holland helped Somerset to a nine-run victory over Yorkshire in the Vitality T20 County Cup at Scarborough CC.
Sophie Luff also impressed with the bat, whilst Erin Vukusic (three for 24) and Chloe Skelton (three for 22) both claimed their best T20 figures for the Club as Somerset advanced to the quarter final stage of the competition.
Somerset Captain, Luff won the toss, elected to bat and shared an opening stand of 37 with Bex Odgers as the visitors got off to a flier.
The first wicket fell to the last ball of the fourth over when Odgers, who has raced to 24 off 16 deliveries, miscued Beth Langston to Amelia Oliver.
The Somerset 50 arrived in the sixth over and the scoreboard advanced to 53 by the end of the powerplay.
Ruby Davis had moved to 13 from 10 balls when she looked to ramp Sarah Glenn but was bowled at 58 for two.
Somerset went to three figures in the 11th over before the third wicket partnership of Luff and Niamh Holland reached 50 from 32 deliveries.
Holland’s individual half century arrived from 30 balls and the score went past 150 as the 16th over, bowled by Claudie Cooper, yielded 20 runs.
Luff’s 12th T20 half century for Somerset arrived from 36 balls when she dispatched Glenn to the boundary, and the partnership reached three figures from 58 deliveries.
It was going to take something special from Yorkshire to make the breakthrough and it was Langston who provided that bit of magic when she took a fine catch in the deep to remove Luff for 51 at 161 for three in the 17th over. The partnership had been worth 103.
Alex Griffiths was promoted up the order but fell for 10 at 182 for four to the opening ball of a dramatic final over, skying Ines Blackwell to Oliver.
Chloe Skelton was caught by Langston off the third ball whilst the fifth delivery saw Oliver spill a regulation chance to give Katie Jones a life. Oliver made amends off the next ball, the final delivery of the innings, when she caught Holland (75 from 44) as the visitors finished on 183 for six, Somerset Women’s second highest T20 score ever.
The Yorkshire chase got off to the worst possible start when Skelton claimed the wicket of Erin Thomas (0) with the final ball of the first over. The opening batter looked to sweep but could only pick out Lola Harris at fine leg.
The score had advanced to 45 in the fifth over when Vukusic took the pace off one and enticed Ami Campbell (34 from 18) into miss timing to Jess Hazell.
The hosts went to 50 off the last ball of the fifth over and by the end of the six-over powerplay the scoreboard was showing 54 for two. However, Holland had Glenn caught at point by Ellie Anderson to leave the hosts on 56 for three in the seventh.
Vukusic then completely bamboozled Oliver with a slower ball to remove her lbw for 15 at 97 for four in the 11th over.
The Yorkshire 100 ticked over on the scoreboard in the 12th over and was just about visible to those present through the sea fret rolling across the ground.
In the absence of overseas players, Yorkshire needed a big innings from Lauren Winfield-Hill and she did not disappoint the White Rose supporters. She reached 50 from just 23 balls, 16 of those coming in the 13th over which was bowled by Harris.
The Yorkshire skipper had advanced to 65 from just 33 deliveries when she looked to ramp Vukusic but miscued to Harris at fine leg at 146 for five.
With Winfield-Hill’s demise, those present of a Somerset persuasion might have thought that Yorkshire’s hopes had evaporated. However, the penultimate over, sent down by Holland, was worth 16 runs.
The hosts needed 13 from the final over but Skelton held her nerve and bowled Alice Clarke (25 from 28) with the fourth delivery before sharp work from Jones saw Rebecca Duckworth stumped off the final ball of the match as Yorkshire finished short on 174 for seven.
At the end of a dramatic encounter, Niamh Holland said: “I’m pretty happy with how things went today. It was great to bat with Luffy out there and we had a pretty good time. We were buzzing to get over the line because it was a bit touch and go there for a while. It was a good wicket and a fast outfield, so the bowlers did really well at the end and they held their nerve well. It was a good performance, and it puts us in a good place ahead of our Vitality Blast game on Friday.”
