Career-Best for Niamh sees Somerset over the line at Essex
Niamh Holland struck her highest score in the Vitality Blast to help Somerset to a dramatic victory over Essex and maintain their hopes of securing a spot at Finals Day.
The 21-year-old all-rounder, who featured in England A’s recent 50-over series against India, held her nerve after a late flurry of wickets to squeeze Somerset over the line at Chelmsford with a brilliant undefeated 92 from 54 balls.
Essex, who needed a win to keep their own qualification chances alive, looked on course for a commanding total after captain Grace Scrivens (73 from 51) and Sophia Smale (43 from 29) guided them to 142 for one.
But they lost their way after shedding three wickets in as many deliveries, with Somerset seamer Erin Vukusic taking three for 31 to restrict their opponents to 177 for five.
Anneke Bosch, whose unbeaten 84 had sealed Essex’s takedown of Surrey two days earlier, appeared to be riding that wave with 18 from 11 after Somerset won the toss and put their hosts in.
Although Vukusic foxed Bosch with a slower delivery that she skied to point, it did not derail Essex’s momentum as Scrivens carved a string of off-side boundaries and also swept Holland to the fence to pass her 50.
Somerset squandered opportunities to remove the left-hander, by twice spilling miscues behind square and Smale weighed in with some innovative strokes and powerful straight hitting as the pair added 99 from 60.
However, a team hat-trick, with the wily Vukusic dismissing Smale before spinner Chloe Skelton prised out Scrivens and Liberty Heap in successive balls to reach 50 T20 career wickets dashed Essex’s hopes of getting near 200.
They picked up again through Jo Gardner’s lively 19 from 18 before Vukusic had her caught in the deep, closing out the innings with a disciplined death over to provide Somerset with momentum at the start of their chase.
Sophie Munro initially wrested that back in the home side’s favour, removing Bex Odgers with a first-ball outswinger and then claiming the key wicket of Sophie Luff, taken at long-on after a juggling act by Bryony Gillgrass.
The in-form Anika Learoyd kept the scoreboard moving along, punishing anything short and capitalising on the powerplay fielding restrictions as she bustled to 35 from 23, only to be castled by Eva Gray.
Holland took up the baton, pulling Smale to the rope and then giving Scrivens the charge, with three successive boundaries bringing her 17 in an over to force the required run-rate down below eight.
A cut for four off Smale took Holland to a 28-ball half-century and Somerset’s only genuine concern was keeping wickets intact, with four falling in quick succession to the impressive Esmae MacGregor (four for 26).
However, with seven needed from the final over, it was not enough for MacGregor to defend and Holland squirted the penultimate delivery for two to seal a tense win.
After her match winning performance, Niamh said: “I back all the girls to come in and do their jobs, bat alongside me and hit the winning runs if they needed to. Credit to them, they all did superbly.
“I was just trying to build a partnership with Ani out there. She was smoking them as well and I had a pretty good view at the other end, then I tried to take over when she got out. We knew we needed to hit the pockets and run hard.
“If we could get a boundary in the first three balls of the over, I knew it’d take the pressure off but also I just tried to back myself – if I’m hitting pockets, then the boundaries will come.
“We were pleased to pull it back in the middle and end of their innings. With a quick outfield and a flat wicket, they could easily have got 200-plus, so credit to the bowlers and everyone fielding.
“Hopefully we can get a win on the road on Friday (at the Blaze) and get ourselves to Finals Day, which the girls are desperate to do.”
