Edwards stars in England win

England 172 for 2 (Edwards 60, S Taylor 43) beat New Zealand 152 for 6 (Mason 54, Bates 40) by 20 runs
Scorecard

England women pulled off a notable victory as they claimed the opening Twenty20 against New Zealand women by 20 runs at Bath. Charlotte Edwards' 51-ball 60 led an impressive display with the bat as England racked up 172 for 2 then an impressive display in the field kept New Zealand down despite Aimee Mason's 54.

After winning the toss, England raced out of the blocks with Edwards and Sarah Taylor (43 off 33 balls) adding 96 for the first wicket. Both the openers fell to Sarah Tsukigawa, but her two wickets came at the cost of 49 runs off four overs.

Claire Taylor and Lydia Greenway kept up the impressive run-rate, Taylor hitting four boundaries and a six in her 23-ball 38.

New Zealand made a poor start to their chase as Ros Kember was run out without scoring then Sara McGlashan and Haidee Tiffin both fell for 17 as the innings struggled to gain momentum. Suzie Bates, who struck 62 off 37 balls against South Africa on Saturday, was bowled by Isha Guha as England took charge.

Mason tried her best to keep New Zealand in the contest, launching three sixes in her 33-ball 54, but there was too much left to do. They get their chance to level the three-match series at the same ground on Monday.