Somerset claim 5-wicket win over Warwickshire Bears
Niamh Holland top-scored to guide Vitality Blast frontrunners Somerset to a five-wicket triumph over winless Warwickshire Bears at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.
The in-form all-rounder posted 42 from 31 balls, struck five boundaries and shared a third wicket stand of 54 with Anika Learoyd as the home side chased down a victory target of 124 with 3.4 overs to spare.
Somerset’s fourth win in five games was underpinned by a solid performance in the field, spinners Liv Barnes and Chloe Skelton claiming two for 20 and two for 26 respectively as Warwickshire were restricted to 123 for eight. Meg Austin and Mary Taylor top-scored with 31 apiece for the visitors, who lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to build partnerships.
Warwickshire elected to bat and Austin set the tone, twice driving Alex Griffiths for four in an opening over that yielded 14.
Turning to spin, Somerset claimed two wickets in as many overs, Abi Freeborn slicing a delivery from Skelton to point and Georgia Redmayne playing across the line to slow left armer Barnes and losing off stump with the score 26 for two.
But Austin continued to hold sway, moving confidently to 31 from 26 balls with four boundaries to keep Midland ambition on track. The in-form opener succumbed to Erin Vukusic’s slower ball, miss-timing a drive to long off. Worse followed for the Bears, Skelton running out former Western Storm teammate Nat Wraith in the act of coming back for a second as the visitors slipped to 53 for four.
Somerset further turned the screw, Barnes persuading Charis Pavely to drive loosely to Learoyd at extra cover as Warwickshire lurched to 65 for five at halfway. Amu Surenkumar then fell to Lola Harris’s wrist spin, held at backward point by Ruby Davis, and Niamh Holland dismissed Alexa Stonehouse in near-identical fashion as Bears further subsided to 72 for seven.
Millie Taylor fell to the returning Skelton, but namesake Mary Taylor remained at large to raise an unbeaten 31 from 32 balls and at least effect a partial recovery.
Somerset’s reply got off to a flying start, Sophie Luff and Bex Odgers accruing six boundaries between them. Both fell with the score on 38, Odgers hoisting Stonehouse to deep mid-wicket and Luff falling lbw to Mary Taylor as the Bears fought back.
Learoyd and Holland maintained a brisk rate in a powerplay that yielded 52 runs and then combined deft placement and quick running to advance the score to 89 for two at halfway, the third wicket pair raising 50 from 33 balls to render the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Pavely bowled Learoyd for 20 with the score 92 for three, Millie Taylor removed Holland, superbly held by Austin at point, and Katie Jones succumbed to Georgia Davis as the Bears kept fighting.
However, Griffiths and Skelton then joined forces to help the home side over the finish line with plenty in hand.
After the victory, Somerset’s Chloe Skelton said: “There’s a really good buzz within the group at the moment. We’re playing a good brand of cricket and a bonus point win keeps things bubbling along nicely for us. We experienced some difficult times in this competition last season, but the girls have worked really hard during the winter to improve and we’re now getting our rewards out in the middle. Everybody knows their role in the team and spirits are high in the group.
“When things go well, you have that added confidence, and we’re seeing that out in the middle. We now have a better understanding of how to deal with pressure moments and that’s enabled us to come back stronger when things are tough. It felt good to get among the wickets today, but everyone contributed to a really good performance in the field.”
