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100 for Sophie as Somerset win at Edgbaston
A brilliant century from Sophie Luff helped Somerset claim a third successive Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory with an emphatic 48-run win over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Somerset posted 297 for six thanks to Luff’s unbeaten 111 from 105 balls, which built on Heather Knight’s punchy 70 (93 balls) up top.
Warwickshire’s reply came in short at 249 all out after early impetus from Sterre Kalis (60) was followed by a middle-order implosion of five wickets for 14 runs in 30 balls. Alex Griffiths, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Chloe Skelton and Charlie Dean each took two wickets to squeeze the chase into submission.
After Warwickshire chose to bowl, they were kept waiting for a breakthrough on a good batting pitch. Knight launched the innings with a flurry of fours but was overtaken by the increasingly fluent Emma Corney (37 in an opening stand of 74 in 100 balls.
Corney sliced Hannah Baker to mid-off but Luff and Knight added 79 before the former moved outside off-stump to Charis Pavely and dragged on.
Luff, driving sweetly, galloped to a 60-ball half-century in a stand of 118 in 90 balls with Fran Wilson (37) which ended when Wilson lifted Em Arlott to deep extra. That was the first of four wickets in 11 balls for Arlott as Wellington edged an attempted cut and, in the final over, Dean edged a slog and Griffiths was caught at mid off. Luff was left unbeaten, having hit 17 fours in a true captain’s innings.
It was a strong total but by no means daunting on a good pitch, and Kalis and Amy Freeborn gave Warwickshire’s reply a purposeful start with a stand of 77 in 61 balls before both fell to Australian leg-spinner Wellington. Freeborn’s anchor role ended when she was caught at deep mid-wicket. Kalis, having hit 11 fours, missed an attempted cut and was bowled.
Davina Perrin (37) and Katie George (28) built a promising alliance of 50 but the chase was derailed by a spectacular collapse of wickets in five successive overs.
George and Natasha Wraith were adjudged lbw to full-length balls from Griffiths. Skelton removed the dangerous Perrin, caught at deep point, and Bethan Ellis, who chipped to short fine leg. Pavely sought a single that wasn’t there and was run out from extra cover by Knight.
Dean bowled Arlott and, though Georgia Davis accumulated a run-a-ball half century, her departure, lifting Dean to Knight at mid on, sealed a resounding defeat for her team.
After the win, Griffiths said:Â “It was a good team performance. Heather and Corns started really well up top and then everyone else who came in built partnerships with each other.
“It wasn’t an easy pitch to start on and Luffy put in a really good performance and scored a really good ton.
“It was a good total but also a good pitch, so we spoke about it between innings that bowling at the stumps was the key, probably erring on the fuller side. We just tried to hammer the stumps, keeping it really nice and simple.
“We’re a pretty happy camp at the moment but we’re trying not to get ahead of ourselves. There’s a few level heads around the group so we’re just taking it game by game and hopefully can keep ticking over as we are.”
