Sophie leads Somerset to victory
Sophie Luff produced a brilliant match-winning innings of 76 not out from 101 balls as Somerset held their nerve to beat Yorkshire by one wicket in a thrilling contest in the Metro Bank One Day Cup women’s competition at Taunton’s Cooper Associates Ground.
Chasing 179 to win, the home side were deep in trouble on 115 for eight, only for Luff and debutant Lola Harris to stage a spirited partnership of 55 to make Yorkshire think again. Claudie Cooper claimed three for 28, including the wicket of Harris, only for Somerset’s Captain to manage a difficult situation superbly well and upstage Yorkshire in their first ever Tier One appearance.
Put into bat, the white rose county were bowled out for 178 in 33.5 overs, undermined by Alex Griffiths and Chloe Skelton, who took four for 22 and four for 42 respectively. Skipper Lauren Winfield-Hill top-scored with 36 for the visitors.
Somerset won the toss, elected to bowl in overcast conditions on a drying pitch and were rewarded when Griffiths produced a new ball spell of eight for one in five overs, summoning late movement to bowl debutant Ines Blackwell for nine as Yorkshire lost their first wicket with 27 on the board. Forthright in their approach, the experienced pair of Winfield-Hill and former Australia international Jess Jonassen mustered eight boundaries between them to advance the score to 64 for one inside 13 overs and settle white rose nerves.
But thoughts of a concerted recovery were cut short when three wickets fell in the space of 11 balls, Yorkshire lurching to 74 for four as the cream of their top order succumbed to incisive bowling. Fooled by Skelton’s flight, Jonassen miss-timed a drive to Bex Odgers mid-off and departed for 17, while Winfield-Hill, having accrued 36 from 41 balls, was comprehensively bowled by a full-length in-swinger from Niamh Holland. Skelton then extracted movement off the pitch to bowl Sterre Kalis in an impressive spell of two for 21 from four overs.
Ami Campbell greeted Harris on her debut by straight-hitting her for six as the visitors realised 100 in the seventeenth, while Maddie Ward crashed three boundaries to further aid the Yorkshire revival.
Both succumbed with the score on 109, Ward playing across the line to a straight one from leg spinner Harris and Campbell losing off stump to the returning Skelton, who then pinned Beth Langston lbw to further reduce Yorkshire to 122 for seven.
Erin Thomas and Rachel Slater mustered tail-end resistance in a stand of 31 for the eighth wicket, both taking advantage of the short boundary to put the bowlers under pressure. But Somerset’s bowlers stuck to their task and Griffiths returned to claim the last three wickets in a devastating 12-ball burst. Thomas was caught by Harris at mid-off for 24, Cooper chipped to Heather Knight at short mid-wicket and Jessica Woolston was bowled by a slower ball yorker, leaving the obdurate Slater unbeaten on 26.
Slater proved still more effective with the ball in her hand, inducing Holland and Knight to fish outside off stump and edge to slip as Somerset slumped to 23 for two in four overs. Odgers and Sophie Luff dug in to redress the balance, staging a restorative stand of 39 in eight overs to advance the score to 62 for two.
Just as the home side appeared to be assuming control, they relinquished it, Odgers coming back for a second and being run out for 31 by Thomas’s excellent throw from deep in the covers. Worse followed for home supporters, England all-rounder Dani Gibson taking on Jonassen’s slow left arm and holing out to Kalis at long-off with the score 70 for four.
Jess Hazell helped add 29 with Luff before suffering misfortune, run out for 18 at the non-striker’s end by Slater, who stooped to divert the ball onto the stumps and reduce Somerset to 99 for five. That quickly became 101 for six, Griffiths falling lbw to Claudie Cooper as Yorkshire exerted pressure.
When Skelton pulled Cooper straight to Langston at deep mid-wicket and Ellie Anderson was pinned on the back foot by Jonassen, the home side were 115 for eight, under intense pressure and heavily dependent upon their captain. Carrying the fight to Yorkshire, Luff reached a carefully-crafted 50 from 74 balls, using her considerable knowhow to take the game deep.
She enjoyed a large slice of luck soon afterwards, dropped on 53 by Ward at short third man off the bowling of Cooper. Luff made good her escape, dominating a stand of 50 in 79 balls with rookie Harris, who demonstrated sound temperament as Somerset closed in on their target, the ninth wicket pair transferring pressure back onto Yorkshire.
Only nine runs were needed when Cooper held onto a return catch to dismiss Harris for 18 and set-up a nail-biting finale. Taking matters into her own hand, Luff pulled Ward for four and then drove the same bowler for another boundary to bring the scores level, before scampering a rapid single to finish the job.
