)}})
Somerset Women claim Blast win over Essex
Somerset claimed a first win in this season’s Vitality Blast courtesy of a four wicket victory over Essex at the Cooper Associates County Ground.
Having come agonisingly close to that maiden win in the competition on a number of occasions this season only to miss out at the last moment, this was a success that was greeted with a good deal of emotion amongst the Somerset supporters, players and staff alike.
It’s been a difficult campaign so far but today was a day for celebration and at the conclusion of a dramatic game, celebrate they did.
Niamh Holland, captaining the side in the absence of Sophie Luff who was unavailable due to a calf strain, won the toss and elected to field.
Lauren Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens shared an opening stand of 30 before Olivia Barnes made the breakthrough in the fourth over for the hosts. Winfield-Hill was pinned lbw for 19 looking to slog sweep.
Scrivens then fell to the opening delivery of the fifth over when she slapped Erin Vukusic’s first delivery straight to Barnes at short mid wicket without further addition to the Essex total.
By the end of the powerplay the game was evenly poised with the visitors on 40 for two.
The Essex 50 arrived in the eighth over, and at the halfway stage the scoreboard was showing 66 for two.
Cordelia Griffith and Jodi Grewcock added 58 for the third wicket before Griffith, on 31, looked to put a Mollie Robbins full toss into the Somerset Stand only to pick out Alex Griffiths on the boundary.
The Essex 100 arrived in the 15th over but with the score on 115 in the 16th, Grewcock, who had advanced to 45 from 34 balls, picked out Vukusic at long off to give Amanda Jade Wellington a wicket.
Madeline Penna and Joanne Gardner accelerated the scoring rate in the last four overs, sharing a partnership of 40 from 27 balls.
Gardner was bowled by Griffiths off the last delivery of the match for 22 off 12 whilst Penna remained unbeaten on 21 as Essex finished on 155 for five.
The Somerset reply began strongly as Bex Odgers and Holland raced to 41 in the fifth over before Odgers (20) drove at Eva Gray but edged to Esmae MacGregor at short third. Holland (20) then fell four balls later when she top edged MacGregor high into the Taunton sky enabling Winfield-Hill to take the catch.
By the end of the powerplay the score was 44 for two, four runs better off than their opponents.
The Somerset 50 came up after seven overs, and with 10 overs gone Somerset were 77 for two.
Debutant Ruby Davis impressed in making 19 and shared a third wicket stand of 49 with Fran Wilson, but she was trapped lbw by MacGregor looking to reverse sweep at 87 for three in the 12th.
Wilson and Wellington brought up the Somerset 100 in the 14th over and the partnership was eventually worth 45 from 29 deliveries when Wilson fell. The World Cup winner came into the game on the back of her maiden Vitality Blast 50 and once again looked in fine touch. However, when on 41 (from 32) she was bowled by MacGregor with the score on 132 in the 17th.
With 16 runs needed from 18 deliveries, a Somerset victory was very much on the cards but Jess Hazell was caught on the boundary by Sophia Smale off the bowling of Scrivens for two.
With one over remaining, five runs were required.
Wellington (29 from 23) was dismissed off the opening ball of the final over, at which point the Somerset faithful must have been thinking ‘not again’, but they needn’t have worried as Chloe Skelton and Griffiths saw their side over the line with three balls to spare.
